Steve Whitmire

 STEVE  ''' L.   WHIT MIRE  ( b . September 2 4 t h, 1 9 5 9  ) i s a talent e d  Muppeteer  w h o start e d work i n g f o r t h e  JIM HENSON '''  Company  o n March 2 4 t h ,  1 9 7 8. ( his 1 8  ½  birth d a y  ).

Some of  Steve  ’ s own character s  a re  Bean Bunny ,  Foo - Foo  ,  Lips  &  Rizzo t he Rat  , his most famous  Muppet   character. He was also picked to take over t he role s  o f  Kermit the Frog  &  Ernie , following  JIM HENSON  ’ s  very  sudden ,  tragic  death. He too k over t he role s of  Beaker , follow in g  RICHARD HUNT  ’ s d e a t h , &  Stat ler  , following  JERRY NELSON  ’ s re tire ment. His wife ,  Melissa Whitmire  , has also puppeteered o n occasion.

 STEVE  ’ s  Grouch  relate d credit s are the  Bad Humor Man  &  Sharon Groan  in  The Adventure s of  Elmo  in  GROUCH  land .

In 2 0 1 7 , fan b log  Tough Pig s . com  reported that  STEVE   WHITMIRE  was No Longer with the Muppet s , & that  MATT VOGEL  would take over performing duties of  Kermit the Frog  beginning with a  Muppet Thought of the Week  video. Replace men t s on  W H IT M IRE  ’ s other character s  are yet to be determine d.

Early Y ear s
Born as  Steve n   Lawrence   W h it m ire  near Atlanta ,  Georgia  ,  Steve   Whitmire  became interested in puppetry i n his child hood , a round t h e t i m e t h a t  SESAME STREET  beg an airing i n  1 9 6 9.  Whitmire  re call ed, " I wrote a letter to  JIM HENSON  a t the time , & he  wrote back . I t ’ s a n a m a z in g thing for a  1 0  - y ear - old to get a letter back from a TV star . " Building on t hat ear l y enthusiasm ,  Whitmire  created his own puppets & performed through out high school , even winning the school talent show on 1| 1  occasion. After graduating h i g h school, he brief l y puppeteer ed at local theme park The World o f Sid & Marty Krofft , performing his own character Otis the Beach Bum , & later co - hosted  The   Kid ' s   Show  w / his best friend Gary Koepke f o r W| W A| A T| T L| L in  Atlanta  , which was nominated for a state  Emmy Award.

 Whitmire  1| 1 s t made contact w i t h  t h e Muppet s  through  CAROLL SPINNEY , who m he met a t t h e South east e r n Regional Puppetry Festival in  1 9 77. T h at fall,  SPINNEY  informed Whitmire that auditions were being held for puppet ee r s  for  SESAME STREET  ; upon call in g t he  HENSON  office s ,  WHITMIRE  learned that  JANE HENSON  was coming to Atlanta t h e follow in g week to inspect t h e  Kermit the Frog  balloon f o r the  Macy  ' s  Thank s giving   Day Parade  & that  she  could meet w i t h him while the r e. After see in g  Whitmire  perform, she  recommend e d him to  her   husband  ,  Muppets  creator ,  JIM HENSON  , who eventual l y formal l y audition e d & a s k e d him t o join t h e  perform e r s  o n  The Muppet Show . His 1| 1 s t day of  perform in g  w a s M a r c h 2 4 t h,  1 9 7 8.

From Right - Handing to Regular
 Whitmire  slowly became a very major performer. On  The Muppet Show  he often perform ed 1| 1 - shot  character s , right hands , & filled in when 2| 2  of another  performer  ' s  character s  were i n the same scene ( f or example , if  Fozzie Bear  &  Miss Piggy  w e r e i n a scene together ,  Whitmire  would generally perform the  puppetry  for  Fozzie  while  Frank Oz  performed t h e voice f o r both o f  t h  e m  ). He was soon given some of his own recurring character s , s u c h a s  Foo - Foo  ,  Rizzo the Rat  , &  Lip s  , all of whom were minor  character s  on  The Muppet Show  , with  VERY  little dialogue.

 Whitmire  be came 1| 1 o f t h e core  Muppet   performer s  since  performing  on  The Muppet Show , & received his own major  character s  on the  1 9 8 3  show  Fraggle Rock  , w here he  per form e d   Sprocket  &  Wembley Fraggle  , & t h e semi - recur ring  role  o f  Marlon Fraggle. He also added more character s  to his repertoire over the year s,  performing  m a n y  role s  o n  T h e  JIM   HENSON  Ho u r  , &  Rizzo the Rat  w o u l d gradual l y become a core member of the main  Muppet   perform e r s.

The 1 9 8 0 s
Following the end of  The Muppet Show , Whitmire continue d to work with i n the  Henson  fold. He performed SkekTek  in  The Dark Crystal , & was t he only  Muppeteer  who both operate d & voice d his  character  (  Jerry Nelson  also did vocal work on the  movie  , but did n ’ t  puppeteer  ).  WHITMIRE  commented on this : "  JIM HENSON  &  FRANK OZ  had peo ple submit tape s of what th ey thought a Skeksis  would sound l i k e, & it just so happened that the voice I did was exactly what they had i n mind . So I just happened to get lucky & get a voice that worked wi t h n o particular effort . . . It just happened to be the one that was the right  one  . "

 Whitmire  a l so puppeteer ed  for the  1 9 8 6   Henson  fi l m  Labyrinth , & starred a s  Mew  in t h e T V special  T h e Chris t mas To y .

In  The Tale of the Bunny Picnic ,  Whitmire  performed the special  ' s protagonist ,  Bean Bunny .  Bean Bunny  would soon go on to become a main character , starting w/  T h e  Jim   Henson  Hour  , f or which  Whitmire  also perform ed a variety o f other  character s  , including  Flash  &  Waldo C . Graphic. He also appear ed on - screen as himself i n  The Secret s of the Muppet s .

T V Work i n t h e 1 99 0 s
 WHITMIRE  performed many character s  on  Dinosaur s , most notably  B . P . Richfield  & the face of  Robbie Sinclair  ( with voice s late r looped ) & was also heard a s various 1| 1  - s hot hand puppet character s , su c h as  M r . Mas on Dixon. Following the series  ' end in  1 99 4 , he was pair ed w /  Dave Goelz  as t h e title duo o n  The Animal Show  , playing  Jake the Polar Bear  & various other  character s.

I n addition t o reprising  Kermit t h e Frog , a s well a s  Rizzo the Rat  &  Beaker  on  Muppet s To night  ,  WHITMIRE  a l s o perform e d the regular role s o f Andy Pig  &  M r . Poodle p an t s.

Continuing KERMIT  & Other s
 STEVE   WHITMIRE  became the performer  of  KERMIT THE FROG  after  JIM HENSON  ’ s tragic death, start in g w it h  The Muppet s Celebrate  JIM   HENSON . Although  The Muppet s Celebrate  JIM   HENSON  was his 1| 1 st on - screen performance as  Kermit ,  Whitmire  consider s  The Muppet Chris t m as  Carol  to be his 1| 1  st real product i on a s  KERMIT .

Late r,  WHITMIRE  learned that there was consideration of him perform in g  KERMIT  even be fore  Henson  d ie d : " I have been told that  Jim  had said some thin g about it to  FRANK  . Not that I would perform   KERMIT  when  he  die d but that  he  would need  some body else  to do  Kermit  some of the time be cause  he  was so busy .  He  never said that to me , but I heard that through some body that it had been talked about . Just that the 2| 2  of  t h  em  were so busy , that  t h  e y  may need to have to find stand - ins for  the  ir   character s  , so I guess it had been mentioned , but the actual time I was asked was b y  Brian. W e were in Disney World  for some thin g. I ' m not sure exactly what it was, but I think it was the big tribute  they did for  Jim  , & w e went down for that. While w e were there, 1| 1 night I went over & met w it h  Jane Henson  ,  Brian  , &  Frank  , &  Brian  mentioned me doing it. I was just overwhelm e d by t h e request. I t w as a huge honor, & it also just scare d the day light s out of me , the though t of try in g it. "

When it was decided that  STEVE   WHITMIRE  would take over as t he  FROG , Heather Henson  arranged for a  Kermit   puppet  to be sent to  Atlanta  for Whitmire to practice  performing. He thought the puppet  smell ed like  JIM HENSON , & although he put the  puppet  on once , he could n ' t get himself to go near  it  & try out a voice for month s. Eventually, Brian  called & asked him to do something with  Kermit  , record i t on tape , & send i t to  him  , so  Whitmire  performed  Kermit  sing i ng "  Bein '  GREEN  ".

Regarding his 1| 1 s t  performance  a s  Kermit , Whitmire has said : " When w e did  the special  , I always had this fantasy that the 1| 1  st time  I   performed   Kermit  it would be a nice , dark little moment in t he studio & it would be 5| 5  or 6| 6  of the main  g u y s  ... It would be real gentle & easy to d o . What it turned out to be was that the closing scene of that special had about 50  puppet s  in it . So it was basically every puppeteer I ' ve ever worked with i n  New York City  , which w / a s probably 2 5 - 3 0 peo ple . "

1| 1 of the hardest thing s that  Steve   Whitmire  had to do in  The Muppet Christ mas Carol  was p re - record  Kermit  ' s voice for all of the  songs  1| 1  st, as he recalled in an interview with  Muppet Central  : " I went to  London  for the start o f  Chris t m as  Carol  , & they already started working on the music a couple day s before I got t he r e . W e pre - recorded all of the  song s  before we did the  movie  , so the 1| 1  st thing I was going to have to do was go in to record  Kermit  ' s voice , which I was su per - nervous about , because I did n ' t have the  puppet  to rely o n. There was something about seeing the puppet  as 1| 1  was hearing my voice, at that st age , that made it more believable & it got peo ple into i t. If I just walked in & did Kermit  ' s voice, they did n ' t buy it necessarily. They were s till hearing  JIM . If I had the puppet  on, it would ’ ve more believable. "

( on taking over the role of  Kermit  f rom  Jim Henson  ) " That was really, really scary as you could imagine . I had known  Jim  for 1 3  or  1 4  year s at that point & I had worked with  him  on everything  he  had done with this group of  Muppet s  . Not  SESAME STREET  but everything else . We worked very close together . It was super intimidating . It was a great honor to be ask e d & I was just scared t o death . S o ,  Brian  & the  family  made the decision , sent me 1| 1  of the  puppets  . I took it out of t he box . I ' d had the  puppet  on before . I ' d never  performed   it  but had had it on my hand just going around the shop. I put him  on & held him up in front of a mirror. I knew how to make the puppet  talk because  I  ’ d been doing this f or a long time & I fiddled with some of those expressions that  Jim  would do wit h  Kermit . Then I opened my mouth to say something & nothing came out. There was no way that I could find the voice. The puppet  just sort o f looked a t me like, " Come on . You can do it ". I took it  off & put  it  in a closet & left  it  there for a month. I could n ’ t touch it.

P e o p l e always ask u s  about being the voice s of  the Muppet s , & I know what t h e y mean , but supply in g the voice is just 1| 1  small element of what it is  w e  do. In essence, w e  are actor s just like any other actor. W e portray a role, & it ' s a full performance , not just a voice. The established Muppet   Performer  s literally are the  character s   th ey  bring to l ife. "

After the death o f  Richard Hunt ,  Whitmire  took over as  Beaker  to  Dave Goelz  ’ s  Dr . Bunsen Honeydew  adding yet another character  to his list : " I think i t w a s  Dave  ' s (  Goelz  ' s ) idea t hat I d o  Beaker  . Th ey asked  Dave  , " Who do  you  think should d o  Beaker  ? " & he  suggested me cause we like t o work together, & we work well together .  Beaker  was difficult cause I had no clue where it came f r om i n  Richard  . I did n ' t know at all how  Richard  did this . It was really just a matter of being silly wit h  Dave  . The truth i s , I still don ' t know where it came from . I just don ’ t know what part o f  Richard  i t c a me from . . . What face t of  his  personality . I don ' t relate to the  character  the way that  Richard  did , s o really , with  Beaker  , I ' m doing an awful lot o f just copying  Richard  . I would n ' t say that I ' ve got a good handle on that  character  , but i t ' s fun. I t ' s a fun character. "

 Whitmire  joined  SESAME STREET  in 1993 , when it was decided to permanently  recast   Ernie  , although  Jim Henson  had originally auditioned him for t he  series  years earlier. S o, in that year , Steve became  Ernie  to  Frank Oz  ' s  Bert  , taking  Jim  ' s place in the dynamic duo Jim  &  Frank Oz  had formed decade s a g o. His 1  st performance as  Ernie  was  a fishing sketch  wit h  Bert , & he transitioned into the  role  o n a more regular basis. Although John Tartaglia  substitute d during season  2  of  Play With Me  SESAME , Whitmire continued to  perform   Ernie  until  Billy Bark hurst  took over i n  2 0 1 4. Accord i n g t o  Whitmire , " [ Performing   Ernie  ] came about cause they were looking for some one to do t he voice for toys . I asked if I could audition for it . I did vocal recording s for  Ernie  toy s f or 2| 2  - 3| 3  year s . . . A lot of them . When it came time to  re cast  the  character  , I end ed up doing it . "

In contrast to his regular  SESAME STREET  work as  Ernie , Whitmire has rarely performed new material with  Kermit the Frog  for the show  , mainly cause  SESAME   Workshop  lost the rights to  him  when  Disney  had bought  in February  2 00 4. Among the notable exceptions are sketch where  Kermit  teaches  Grover  the difference be t ween light & dark,  Kermit  reporting on  Slimey  landing on the moon  (  EPISODE 3 7 4 0  ) ,  Kermit  reporting o n  Slimey  returning home (  EPISODE 3 7 8 5  ) , in the  song   Everybody Be Yo ' Self  & reporting on the hurricane that h i t  SESAME STREET  (  Episode 3 9 7 6  ). Whitmire has, how ever , performed  Kermit  in the  SESAME STREET  special s  Elmo  palooza  ,  Elmo  Save s Chris t mas  ,  Cinder  Elmo  & t h e di rect - t o - video   The  Best  o f  Kermit  on  SESAME   STREET .

In the early 2 000 s , Whitmire started  performing   Statler  , beginning with t he  Weezer  music video "  Keep Fish in '  ". Whitmire puppeteered him  in  It ' s a Very Merry Muppet Christ mas Movie  while  Jerry Nelson  looped the voice late r ; 1| 1  of  Whitmire  ’ s line s, " Historical land mark " , remained un - loop ed. Following  Nelson  ' s retirement from t he role ,  Steve   Whitmire  took over a s  Statler  ( with the notable exception o f  Statler  &amp;  Waldorf  : From the Balcony  , where  Drew Massey  assumed the  role  from the 8| 8  t h episode onward ). In an inter view, Whitmire talk ed about playing  Statler  : " For  Statler  , I was trying to decide if I should make it more like Jerry  ’ s original , or do I make i t like  Richard  ' s , which ever yone knows from  The Muppet Show  , or do I make it like  Jerry  ’ s s ince  Richard  ’ s [ death ] .  He  ’ s just been passed around a lot . It ' s always been a problem for me that the  characters  got passed around . I get very conservative about this idea of 1| 1  person doing t he  character s  & we should n ' t recast them so the  character  can grow & not be different every time we see t h em. S o, I ' ve tried to aim for more like what  Richard  did o n  The Muppet Show . & I know I don ’ t real ly sound like  Richard , & I have so much fun doing the character. & they  only do like 3| 3  line s at a t i me, but when we ad lib with them between scenes , it ' s so much fun. We have so mu c h fun. "

In 2 00 8 , new  Muppet  video content was added to  Disney Extreme Digital  , where in addition to continuing t o  perform   Kermit  &  Rizzo  , Steve Whitmire also took over as  The Newsman  , another of  JIM HENSON  ’ s  character s.

In September 2 00 9 ,  Whitmire  took an unexpected leave from  performing   Kermit  , for appearance s on  Ame r i c a ' s Go t Talent  & the  M T V Video Music Award s.  Kermit  was briefly performed by Artie Esposito  in these instance s.  Whitmire  returned to the role  at a press conference for  Give a D ay . Get a Disney Day.

Since 2 00 6 ,  Steve  has had a limited schedule on  SESAME STREET  due to a busy schedule with T he  Walt Disney   Company. However, he performed   Ernie  on several  Ready to Learn  PSA ' s ,  Count  on Sports  ,  Abby  in Wonder land  , the  song   What I Am  , a  song  called  I  Wonder  , t he  Tom Tom  behind - the - scene s video , & on on  SESAME STREET  at least once a year from  2 0 1 0  to  2 0 1 4. He also performed   Kermit  for  his  cameo i n  Elmo  ’ s World  :  Frog s .

Whitmire has stated that he does n ' t think he could have taken over  Jim Henson  ’ s character s  if he had n ' t worked w /  Henson  for so many year s.

STEVE  WHITMIRE  &  DAVE GOELZ
As acknowledge d personally by  WHITMIRE  i n many inter view s, he &  DAVE GOELZ  work  very  well t o ge the r , just like  JIM HENSON  did w /  FRANK OZ  , & like  JERRY NELSON  did w /  RICHARD HUNT . The a fore mention ed  Bunsen  &  Beaker  pairing was n ' t the only time the 2| 2 would work together as a team. On  Fraggle Rock ,  WHITMIRE  ’ s  Wembley  often found  himself  partnered up w /  GOELZ  as Boober  , & they played  Mew  &  Rugby Tiger  respectively in  The Chris t mas Toy .

 Gonzo the Great  &  Rizzo the Rat  have become an almost inseparable team over the year s, beginning w /  T he Muppet Christ mas Carol .  Goelz  &  Whitmire , in the same film  , were pair ed a s  Betina &amp; Belinda Cratchit  , doing some variation s of  FRANK OZ  ’ s  Miss Piggy .

On  Muppet s To night , the 2| 2 remained paired up as  Miss Piggy  ’ s  nephew s  ,  Andy &amp; Randy Pig.  Whitmire  took over the role of  Beaker  when  Richard Hunt  passed a way, playing o ff  Goelz  ’ s  D r . Bunsen Honeydew .  Whitmire  also recently took over the role of  Statler  from  Jerry Nelson , w ho , in 2 00 4  , forcibly retired from voicing ' his   character s  for health reason s , playing o ff  Waldorf  , whom  Dave Goelz  has been  perform in  since  1 99 2  after  Jim Henson  ’ s t r a g ic death , & , also during t h e  1 99 0 s  , the 2| 2   performed  t h e d u o  Stinky the Skunk  &  Jake the Polar Bear  on  The Animal Show .

DAVE GOELZ /  STEVE   WHITMIRE  Muppet  Pairing s

 *  Gonzo the Great  /  Rizzo the Rat 
 *  Gonzo the Great  /  Camilla the Chicken 
 *  Gonzo the Great  /  Kermit the Frog 
 *  Gonzo the Great  / Security Guard
 *  An dy &amp; Randy Pig 
 *  Zoot  /  Lips 
 *  D r . Bunsen Honeydew  /  Beaker 
 *  Beauregard  /  Rizzo the Rat 
 *  Betina  &amp;  Belinda   Cratchit 
 *  Statler  &amp;  Waldorf  (  Steve  /  Dave  )
 *  Statler  &amp;  Waldorf  (  Dave  /  Steve  )
 *  Boober Fraggle  /  Wembley Fraggle 
 *  Wrench Doozer  /  Sprocket 
 * Rugby Tiger /  Mew
 * Stinky the Skunk /  Jake t h e Polar B ear
 * Smerdley /  Mr . Briteweight
 * Jake /  Henry

Leaving the Muppet s
In July 2 0 1 7 ,  Tough Pig s . com  release d a state men t from  DIsney  that  STEVE   WHITMIRE  was No Longer with the Muppet s , & that  MATT VOGEL  would take over perform in g duties of  KERMIT THE FROG  beginning with a  Muppet Thought of the Week  video ( planned for the follow in g week , but delayed until August ).

 WHITMIRE  launched a personal blog reveal in g that he had been informed in Oct o ber 2 0 1 6  that he would be dismissed from his role s & his character s would be recast, citing issue s that had previously not been communicate d with him. Before the decision had been made, Disney consulted with the Henson family, who supported the recasting of  KERMIT  &  WHITMIRE  ’ s dismissal.  LISA  &  BRIAN HE N SON  made state men t s to the press about their view s on work in g condition s over the y ear s.

In an interview with  The   Holly wood   Reporter ,  W H IT M IRE  claimed that he was fire d over creative disagreement s & prolonged labor union negotiation s that delayed his involve men t in Muppet product i on s. He specific ally cite d  The Muppet s  episode " Little  GREEN  Lie  ", express in g concern over a situation in which  KERMIT  lie s to  his  nephew  ROBIN  in order to shield  him  from a romantic break up with  MISS PIGGY .

Disney release d a follow - up statement to explain their reason s for letting  WHIT MIRE  go, claim in g that "  UN  accept able business conduct over a period of many y ear s " &  WHIT MIRE  ’ s " [ consistent failure ] to address the feed back " led to the decision.

 W H IT M IRE  ’ s final performance s with the Muppet s follow in g the end of  The Muppet s  include perform in g  KERMIT  at the Vulture Festival  in May  2 0 1 6 , perform in g  Lip s  at the  Out side L and s Music & Art s Festival  in August  2 0 1 6  , 2| 2  pre - recorded video appearance s as  KERMIT  ( 1| 1  for  Tough Pig s  ' "  Fozzie  Award s " & another for the  Puppet s for Puppetry  eve n t honor in g  DAVE GOELZ  , both in September 2 0 1 6 ) & a pre - recorded audio track for  Great Moment s in Ame ri can History  , which debuted in Oct o ber  2 0 1 6.

Muppeteer Credits

 *  WHITMIRE  ’ s primary Muppet   character s  :


 *  Kermit the Frog  :  The Muppet s Celebrate  JIM   HENSON  ( 1 99 0  ) -  2 0 1 6
 *  JIM HENSON  :  Sam &amp; Friend s  ( 1 9 55  ) -  The Muppet s at Walt Disney World  (  1 99 0  ) (  take n from u s  o n Wednesday,  May   1 6  t h ,  1 99 0  )
 *  Beaker  :  The Muppet Christ mas Carol  ( 1 99 2  ) -  2 0 1 6


 *  RICHARD HUNT  :  T h e Muppet Show  ( 1 9 77  ) -  Muppet* Vision 3D  (  1 99 1  ) ;  1 99 2
 *  Ernie  :  SESAME   STREET  Stays Up Late  ( 1 99 3  ) -  2 0 1 4


 *  JIM HENSON  :  SESAME STREET   EPISODE 1  ( 1 9 6 9  ) -  Season 2 1  (  1 99 0  ) (  take n from u s  o n Wednesday,  M ay   1 6  t h ,  1 99 0  )
 * Billy Bark hurst :  2 0 1 4  -  2 0 1 7
 * Pete r L in z :  2 0 1 7  - present
 *  Link Hog throb  :  Muppet R a ce Mania  ( 2 000  ) -  2 0 1 6


 *  JIM HENSON  :  The Muppet Show  ( 1977  ) -  The Muppets at Walt Disney World  (  1 99 0  ) (  take n from u s  o n Wednesday,  May   1 6  t h ,  1 99 0  )
 *  Stat l er  : Weezer  ' s "  Keep Fish in '  " music video (  2 00 2  ) -  2 0 1 6
 *  RICHARD HUNT  :  T he Muppet Show  ( 1 9 7 6  ) -  The Muppets at Walt Disney World  (  1 990  ) ;  1 99 2
 *  Jerry Nelson  :  The Muppet Show : Sex and Violence  ( 1 9 7 5  ) ;  The Muppet Christ mas Carol  (  1 99 2  ) - present -  Muppets Party Cruise  (  2 00 3  )
 *  The Newsman  : Muppets . c om  (  2 00 8  ) -  2 0 1 6


 *  JIM HENSON  :  The Muppet Show  ( 1 9 7 6  ) -  T he  Jim   Henson  Hour  (  1 9 8 9  ) ;  1 99 0  (  take n from u s  on Wednesday,  May   1 6  t h ,  1 99 0  )


 *  Rizzo the Rat  ( Muppet    character   originate d  by  WHITMIRE  ) -  1 9 8 0  -  2 0 1 6
 *  Lip s  ( Muppet    character   originate d  b y  WHITMIRE  ) -  1 9 8 0  -  2 0 1 6
 *  Bean Bunny  ( Mup pet    character   originate d  b y  WHITMIRE  ) -  1 9 8 0  -  2 0 1 6
 *  The Muppet Show  Character s  :  Billy Boy ,  Cave man  ,  Foo - Foo  ,  Geri &amp; the Atric s  tuba player ,  Leo  (  epi sode 4 0 3 : Shield s &amp; Yarnell  ) ,  Lips  ,  Pinocchio  ,  Rizzo t h e Rat  ,  Rowlf the Dog  ( occasional ,  hands  only ) ,  Security Guard  ,  The Snorer s ' Chorus  member ,  Thog  (  episode 5 0 2  ) ,  Timmy Monster  ( occasion al , voice in  episode 4 2 3  ) ,  Trevor the Gross  ,  T he White Rabbit  ,  Winky Pinkerton  (  episode 3 0 8 : Loretta Lynn  ) ,  Zeke  (  1 9 7 9  - c a .  1 9 8 0 s  )
 *  The Muppet Movie  :  Kermit the Frog  ( assist ant f o r " The  R A I N B O W  Connection  " number )
 * Jim Frawley ’ s Camera Test s for  The Muppet Movie  (  1 9 7 8  ) :  Sweetums 
 *  The Great Muppet Caper  :  Rizzo the Rat  &  Lips 
 *  The Dark Crystal  : SkekTek
 *  Fraggle Rock  :  Wembley Fraggle ,  Sprocket  , Marlon Fraggle  ,  Murray the Minstrel  ( except  episode 5 1 2  ) ,  Flange Doozer  ,  Crusty Doozer  ,  Flying Batworm  ,  Mermer Merggle  ,  Papa Tr e e Creature  ,  Phil Fraggle  (  Muppetry  only ) ,  Sir Blunder b rain  ,  Venerable Sage Hambo
 *  The Muppets Take Manhattan  : G il ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Dogs
 *  Dream child  : T he Caterpillar ,  The Mock Turtle  (  Muppetry  )
 *  Labyrinth  : Ambrosius ,  F ie ry 4  , 1| 1  of The  Four   Guards  (  Muppetry  )
 *  The Christ mas Toy  : Mew
 *  A Muppet Family Christ mas  : The Christ mas Turkey ,  Wembley Fraggle  ,  Sprocket  ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  F oo - F oo  ,  Lips 
 *  The Tale of the Bunny Picnic  :  Bean Bunny 
 *  Inner T ube  : Henry ,  Duke
 *  T h e  JIM   HENSON  Hour  : Flash ,  Jacques Roach  ,  Waldo C . Graphic  ,  Yellow Extreme  ,  Bean Bunny  ,  Foo - Foo
 *  The Cosby Show  : Singing Food
 *  The Muppets at Walt Disney World  :  Rizzo the Rat ,  Lip s  , F oo - F oo  ,  Sprocket  ,  Bean Bunny 
 *  T he Muppet s Celebrate  JIM   HENSON  :  Bean Bunny ,  Rizzo the Rat  , &  Kermit the Frog 
 *  Muppet* Vision 3 D  :  Bean Bunny ,  Rizzo the Rat  , Wald o C . Graphic
 *  Dino saur s  : B . P . Richfield  ( puppet ),  Robbie Sinclair  ( face ) ,  Chief Elder  ( face ) ,  Mr . Mason Dixon  ,  Sonny  ,  Woody  ,  Blarney  ,  Judge H . T . Stone  ( pup pet )
 *  T h e Muppet Chris t m a s Car o l  :  Belinda Cratchit ,  Laundress  ,  Kermit the Frog  ( a s  Bob Cratchit  ) ,  Bean Bunny  ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Lips  ,  Beaker  ,  Sprocket  ,  W hat not s  ,  Rat s  ,  Ink s pot s  ,  Pig Business man
 *  Muppet Meet in g Film s  :  Flunky ,  Kermit the Frog  , Mr . Brit e weight
 *  Billy Bunny ’ s Animal Song s  :  Kermit the Frog 
 *  SESAME   STREET  Stay s U p Late  :  Ernie 
 *  SE SA ME STREET  :  Ernie  ( 1 99 3  -  2 0 1 4  ),  Kermit t he Frog  (  1 99 6  -  2 00 1  ;  2 00 9  ) ,  Dr . Feel  ,  Guy Smiley  (  Season 3 2  )
 *  Muppet Sing - A - L o n g : It ’ s Not Easy Be in g  GREEN  :  Kermit the Frog 
 *  JIM HENSON  ’ s  T h e Animal Show with Stinky &amp; Jake  :  Jake the Polar Bear 
 *  Muppet Class ic Theater  :  Rizzo the Rat ,  Kermit the Frog  ,  Andy Pig 
 *  Muppets on Wheels  :  Kermit the Frog 
 *  M r . Willow by ’ s Chris t m as Tr ee  :  Kermit the Frog 
 *  Muppet Treasure I s l a n d  : Walleye Pike ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Kermit the Frog  ( as  Captain Abraham Smollett  ) ,  Beaker  ,  Jacques Roach  ,  Ink spot s  ,  The Dodo  ,  Rats
 *  Things That Fly  :  Kermit the Frog , Co - Pilot
 *  Muppets To night  : Andy Pig ,  Captain Pighead  ,  Eugene  ,  Lash Holstein  ,  Miss Weather in g ton  ,  M r . Poodle p an t s  ,  Kermit the Frog  ,  Beaker  ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Meepzorp  ,  George t he Janitor  ,  Bug Llewelyn  ,  Farm per son  ,  Pigeon s  ,  Nigel  ' s  M o m  ,  Alphonso D ' Bruzzo
 *  Elmo  Save s Chris t m as  :  Ernie  &  Kermit the Frog 
 *  1 2 3  Count  w it h  ME  :  Ernie 
 *  Qui et T i m e  :  Ernie 
 *  Elmo  pa looza  :  Ernie  &  Kermit the Frog 
 *  T h e  Best  o f  Kermit  o n  SESAME   STREET  :  Kermit the Frog 
 *  Muppet s f r om Space  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beaker  ,  Bean Bunny  , Cosmic Fish  ,  Beach Hippie
 *  The Adventure s of  Elmo  in  G R O U C H  land  :  Ernie ,  Bad Humor Man  ,  Sharon Groan  , Stuck weed  ,  Foot ball Stench man
 *  C in d e r  Elmo  : Prince the Dog ,  Ernie  ,  Kermit the Frog 
 *  Muppet Race Mania  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Link Hog throb  ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beaker  ,  Bean Bunny  , Gil  ,  Flange Doozer
 *  Play With Me  SESAME  :  Ernie 
 *  Bert  &amp;  Ernie  ’ s Word P l a y  :  Ernie , Lead Singer o f The Frosty Four  ,  Mo  ,  Troll
 *  Kermit  ’ s Swamp Year s  :  Jack Rabbit ,  Kermit the Frog  , Young  Kermit  ,  Chico
 *  I t ' s a  V e r y  Merry Muppet Chris t m as Movie  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beaker  ,  Bean Bunny  , M r . Poodle pants  ,  Stat ler  (  1  l in e ) &  1  o f t h e  Elvises
 *  Talk, Read , Write  : The King of Reading &amp; Writing
 *  Muppet s Part y Cruise  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Link Hog throb  ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beaker  ,  Bean Bunny  , Andy Pig
 *  The Muppet s ' Wizard of Oz  :  Kermit the Frog  ( as  t he Scare crow  ),  Rizzo the Rat  ( as the Mayor  of  Munchkin land  ) ,  Beaker  ,  Statler  ( a s  Kalidah Critic  ) ,  Bean Bunny 
 *  Statler  &amp;  Waldorf  : From the Balcony  :  Stat ler  ( 1  episode )
 *  M r . Magorium ' s Wonder Emporium  :  Kermit the Frog 
 *  Disney Xtreme Digital  :  Kermit the Frog ,  The News man  ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beaker  ,  Statler  ,  Bean Bunny  , Singing Food  ,  Turkey
 *  Muppet viral video s  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beaker  ,  Stat ler  , Pumpkin s  ,  Penguin s  ,  Turkey  ,  Rabbit s
 *  Count  on Sport s  :  Ernie 
 *  Studio D C : Almost Li ve  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beaker  &  Statler 
 *  Abby  in Wonder land  :  Ernie 
 *  A Muppet s Christ mas : Letter s to San ta  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beaker  &  Statler 
 *  Bohemian Rhapsody  :  Kermit the Frog ,  The News man  ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beak er  , &  Statler 
 *  Chris t mas i n Rock e feller Center  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Rizzo the Rat  &  Lips 
 *  The Muppet s  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Link Hog throb  ,  The New s man  ,  Lip s  ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beak e r  , &  Statler 
 *  Late Night with   Jimmy Fallon  :  Kermit the Frog  ( " W h e n t h e River M e et s t h e Sea  " )
 *  Muppet s M o s t Wanted  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Link Hog throb  ,  T he New s man ,  Lip s  ,  Rizzo t he Rat  ,  Foo - F o o  ,  Beaker  , &  Statler 
 *  Lady Gaga &amp; the Muppets ' Holiday Spectacular  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Lip s  ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beaker  , &  Statler 
 *  Just for Laugh s  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Beaker  , &  Statler 
 *  The Muppet s  :  Kermit the Frog ,  Link Hog throb  ,  The New s man  ,  Lip s  ,  Rizzo the Rat  ,  Beak e r  , &  Statler 

Trivia

 *  WHITMIRE  i s right - hand ed.
 * W as nick name d  Kermit  i n his youth cause he a spire d to be come a puppeteer & eve n perform ed w i t h a  Kermit  which he made . His high school year book even has the name "  Kermit  " on the front cover.
 * S hare s the same birth day  a s  JIM HENSON  ( September 2 4 t h ).
 * Apparently, at 1| 1 of  WHITMIRE  ’ s last meeting s with  JIM HENSON  ,  HENSON  commented that although  WHITMIRE  was a main  Muppet eer  he just did n ' t real l y have any main  Muppet   character s  beside s  Rizzo the Rat  &  Bean Bunny  & told him that  he  was going to try to create a new main  character  f or  WHITMIRE  t o  per form.
 *  STEVE   WHITMIRE  ' s favorite Muppet   movie  is  T he Muppet Movie .
 * In  T h e Muppet Movie , he use d a remote control device to operate  Kermit  ’ s hand while play ing t h e banjo during  T h e  R A I N B O W  Connection .
 * A quote f r o m the Muppet Central inter view with  STEVE   WHITMIRE  : " I design e d t h e little mechanism i n si de o f [  Rizzo  ] t h a t make s his  mouth move . "
 * Support er / chair person & volunteer at actress Tippi Hedren  ' s wild life preserve  S H A M B A L A , locate d in Acton ,  CA .   WHITMIRE  & his  wife  ,  Melissa  have volunteer e d  count  less hour s helping bring wild cat s for veterinarian care , e t c.
 * Character s of  JIM HENSON  ’ s  STEVE   WHITMIRE  has perform e d once or consistent l y are :


 *  Kermit the Frog  :  The Muppet s Celebrate  JIM   HENSON  ( 1 99 0  ) -  2 0 1 6
 *  Ernie  :  SESAME   STREET  Stays Up Late  ( 1 99 3  ) -  2 0 1 4
 *  The Newsman  : Muppets . com  (  2 00 8  ) -  2 0 1 6
 *  Link Hogthrob  :  Muppet R a ce Mania  ( 2 000  ) -  2 0 1 6
 *  Rowlf the Dog  ( occasion a l l y o n  Th e Muppet Show  ; right hand only )
 *  Dr . Teeth  (  The Muppet Show Live  ( 2 00 1  ) ( assistant t o  JOHN KENNEDY  ;  Muppet r y  only ; Hand s o f  D r . Teeth  ( assistant t o  BILL BARRETTA  ; c a .  2 00 5  - pre sent ) )
 *  Guy Smiley  :  SESAME STREET  sea s on 3 2  (  2 00 1  )
 *  T he Swedish Chef  :  I Love Lucy  Mania Screen T est  (  1 999  )
 * Ze ke (  1 9 7 9  - c a .  1 9 8 0 s  )
 * Leo :  The Muppet Show   Episode 4 0 3  ) (  1 9 7 9  )
 *  Wal dorf  : P ar t s o f Little Big Planet 2  (  2 0 11  )


 *  STEVE   WHITMIRE  has bee n see n & h e a r d taking  JIM HENSON  ’ s place i n the s e pairing s  HENSON  &  FRANK OZ  made be fore  HENSON  pass ed a way :


 *  Ernie  /  Bert 
 *  Ernie  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Ernie  /  Grover 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Grover 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Fozzie Bear  ( I Lo ve Lucy   Movie Mania Screen Test  )