Steve Whitmire

 S T E V E  '''L.   WHIT MIRE  ( b . September 24 th, 1 9 5 9 ) is a talented Muppeteer  who started working for the  JIM HENSON ''' Company o n March 24 t h , 1 9 7 8. ( his 18 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 char acter. He was also picked to take over the roles of Kermit the Frog & Ernie, following Jim Henson  ' s very sudden , tragic death. He took over the role s of Beaker, follow in g Richard Hunt  ' s d e ath , & Statler , following  Jerry Nelson  ' s re tire ment. His wife, Melissa Whitmire , has also puppeteered on occasion.

 Steve  ' s  Grouch  related credits are the  Bad Humor Man  &  Sharon Groan  in  The Adventure s of  Elmo  in  GROUCH  land .

Early Year s
Born as  Steven   Lawrence   Whitmire  near Atlanta, Georgia ,  Steve   Whitmire  became interested in puppetry i n his child hood , around the time that  SESAME STREET  began airing in 1969.  Whitmire  recalled, " I wrote a letter to Jim Henson  a t the t i m e , &  he  wrote back . It ' s an amaz ing thing for a 1 0 - y ear - old to get a letter back f rom a T V s t a r . " Building on that early enthusiasm , Whitmire created his own puppets & performed throughout high school , even winning the school talent show on 1 occasion. After graduating high school, he briefly puppeteered 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 for WATL in Atlanta , which was nominated for a state Emmy Award.

 Whitmire  1 st made contact with the Muppets through Caroll Spinney , whom he met at the Southeastern Regional Puppetry Festival in 1977. That fall, Spinney  informed Whitmire that auditions were being held for  puppeteers  for  SESAME STREET  ; upon calling the  Henson  offices , Whitmire learned that Jane Henson was coming to Atlanta the following week to inspect the Kermit balloon for the Macy ' s Thanksgiving Day Parade & that she could meet with him while there. After seeing Whitmire perform, she recommended him to her husband  , Muppets creator ,  Jim Henson  , who eventually formally auditioned & asked him to join the  performers  on The Muppet Show. His 1 st day of performing was March 24 th, 1978.

From Right - Handing to Regular
Whitmire slowly became a very major performer. On The Muppet Show he often perform ed 1 - shot character s, right hands , & filled in when 2 of another performer  ' s character s were i n the same scene ( f or example , if Fozzie Bear & Miss Piggy were i n a scene together , Whitmire would generally perform the  puppetry  for Fozzie while  Frank Oz  performed the voice for both of the m ). He was soon given some of his own recurring character s, s u ch a s Foo - Foo , Rizzo the Rat , & Lips , all of whom were minor character s on The Muppet Show , with very little dialogue.

Whitmire became 1 of the core Muppet performers  since  performing  on The Muppet Show, & received his own major characters on the 1983 show Fraggle Rock , where he  performed  Sprocket & Wembley Fraggle , & the semi - recurring role of Marlon Fraggle. He also added more characters to his repertoire over the year s, performing  many roles on The  JIM   HENSON  Hour , & Rizzo the Rat would gradually become a core member of the main Muppet performer s.

The 1980s
Following the end of The Muppet Show, Whitmire continued to work within the Henson  fold. He performed SkekTek in The Dark Crystal, & was the only Muppeteer  who both operated & voice d his character (  Jerry Nelson  also did vocal work on the movie , but didn ' t  puppeteer  ). Whitmire commented on this : " Jim Henson  &  Frank Oz  had peo ple submit tape s of what peo ey thought a Skeksis would sound like, & 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 with n o particular effort . . . It just happened to be the one that was the right one . "

Whitmire also puppeteered  for the 1986  Henson  film Labyrinth, & starred as Mew in the TV special The Christ mas Toy.

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/ The Jim Henson Hour , for which Whitmire also performed a variety of other characters , including Flash & [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Waldo_C._Graphic Waldo C. Graphic ]. He also appeared o n - screen as himself in The Secrets of the Muppets.

T V Work in the 1990 s
Whitmire performed many characters on Dinosaur s, most notably [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/B.P._Richfield B. P. Richfield ] & the face of Robbie Sinclair ( with voices later looped ) & was also heard as various 1 - shot hand puppet characters, such as [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Mr._Mason_Dixon M r. Mason Dixon ]. Following the series ' end in 1 994, he was paired w/ Dave Goelz  as the title duo on The Animal Show , playing Jake the Polar Bear & various other characters.

In addition to reprising Kermit, Rizzo , & Beaker on Muppets Tonight , Whitmire also perform ed the regular roles of Andy Pig & [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Mr._Poodlepants Mr. Poodlepants ].

Continuing Kermit & Others
 Steve   Whitmire  became the performer  of Kermit the Frog after  Jim Henson  ' s tragic death, starting with The Muppets Celebrate  JIM   HENSON . Although The Muppets Celebrate  JIM   HENSON  was his 1 st on - screen performance as Kermit, Whitmire considers The Muppet Christ mas Carol to be his 1 st real production as Kermit.

Later, Whitmire learned that there was consideration of him performing Kermit even be fore Henson  die d : " I have been told that  Jim  had said something about it to  Frank  . Not that I would  perform  Kermit when  he  died 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 of  th  em  were so busy , that  th  ey  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 by Brian. W e were in Disney World for some thing. 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 night I went over & met with 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 scared the daylight s out of me , the though t of try i n g i t. "

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

Regarding his 1 s t performance as Kermit, Whitmire has said : " When w e did the special , I always had this fantasy that the 1 st time I performed  Kermit it would be a nice , dark little moment in the studio & it would be 5 or 6 of the main gu ys . . . 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 puppets in it . So it was basically every puppeteer I ' ve ever worked with in New York City , which w / a s p r o b a bly 2 5 - 3 0 peo ple. "

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 st, as he recalled in an interview with Muppet Central : " I went to London for the start o f Christ mas Carol , & they already started working on the music a couple day/span> s before I got t her e . W e pre - recorded all of the songs before we did the movie , so the 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 didn ' t have the puppet to rely o n. There was something about seeing the puppet as 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 didn ' t buy it necessarily. They were still hearing Jim. If I had the puppet on, it would ' ve more believable. "

( on taking over the role of Kermit from  Jim Henson  ) " That was really, really scary as you could imagine . I had known Jim  for 13 or 14 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 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 with 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 of looked a t me l i k e, " 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.

Peo ple always ask u s about being the voices of the Muppets, & I know what th ey m ean , but supplying the voice is just 1 small element of what it is w e do. In essence, w e are actor s just like any other actor. W e por tray a r ole, & it ' s a full performance , not just a voice. The established Muppet Performer  s literally are the characters th ey bring to l ife. "

After the death of Richard Hunt , Whitmire took over as Beaker to  Dave Goelz  ' s [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Bunsen_Honeydew 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 from in  Richard  . I didn ' t know at all how  Richard  did this . It was really just a matter of being silly with  Dave  . The truth i s , I still don ' t know where it came from . I just don ' t know what part of  Richard  i t came f r o m . . . What facet 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 of just copying  Richard  . I wouldn ' t say that I ' ve got a good handle on that character , but it ' s fun. It ' 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 the  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 decades ago. His 1 st performance as Ernie was a fishing sketch with Bert, & he transitioned into the role on a more regular basis. Although John Tartaglia substituted during season 2 of Play With Me  SESAME , Whitmire continues to perform  Ernie to t h i s day. Accord i n g t o  Whitmire , " [ Performing  Ernie ] came about cause they were looking for some one to do the voice for toys . I asked if I could audition for it . I did vocal recording s for Ernie toy s f o r 2 - 3 year s . . . A lot of them . When it came time to recast the character , I end ed up do in g i t . "

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 the Muppets 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 o n t he moon ( Episode 3740 ) , Kermit reporting on  Slimey  returning home ( Episode 3 7 85 ) , in the song Everybody Be Yo ' Self & reporting on the hurricane that hit Sesame Street ( Episode 39 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 direct - t o - video The  Best  o f  Kermit  on  SESAME   STREET .

In the early 2000s, Whitmire started performing  Statler , beginning with the 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 of Whitmire ' s line s, " Historical land mark " , remained un - loop ed. Following Nelson  ' s retirement from the role, Steve Whitmire took over as Statler ( with the notable exception o f Statler & Waldorf : From the Balcony , where Drew Massey assumed the role from the 8 t h episode on ward ). In an interiew, Whitmire talked about playing Statler : " For Statler , I was trying to decide if I should make it more l i ke 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 person doing t he character s , & we shouldn ' t recast them so the character can grow & not be different every time we see t h em. So, I ' ve tried to aim for more like what Richard  did on The Muppet Show. & I know I don ' t really sound like Richard , & I have so much fun doing the character. & they only do like 3 line s at a t ime, but when we ad lib with them between scenes , it ' s so much f u n. We have so much f un. "

In 200 8, new Muppet video content was added to Disney Extreme Digital , where in addition to continuing to perform  Kermit & Rizzo , Steve Whitmire also took over as The Newsman , another of  Jim Henson  ' s character s.

In September 2009, Whitmire took an unexpected leave from performing  Kermit , for appearances on America ' s Go t Talent & the MTV Video Music Awards. Kermit was briefly performed by Artie Esposito in these instances. Whitmire returned to the role at a press conference for [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Give_a_Day._Get_a_Disney_Day Give a D ay. Get a Disney Day ].

Since 2006, Steve has had a limited schedule on  SESAME STREET  due to a busy schedule with The Walt Disney [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Walt_Disney_Company Company. However, he performed  Ernie on several Ready to Learn PSA ' s , Count on Sports , Abby in Wonderland , the song What I Am & a song called I Wonder. He also performed  Kermit for his cameo i n  Elmo  ' s World : Frogs.

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 years.

Dave Goelz & Steve Whitmire
As acknowledged personally by Whitmire in many interviews, he & Dave Goelz  work very well t o gether , just like  Jim Henson  did w/  Frank Oz  , & like  Jerry Nelson  did w/  Richard Hunt. The aforementioned Bunsen & Beaker pairing wasn't the only time the 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 Christ mas Toy.

Gonzo the Great & Rizzo the Rat have become an almost inseparable team over the year s, beginning w/ The Muppet Christ mas Carol. Goelz & Whitmire, in the same film , were paired as Betina & Belinda Cratchit , doing some variations of  Frank Oz  ' s Miss Piggy.

On Muppets Tonight, the 2 remained paired up as Miss Piggy ' s nephews , Andy & Randy Pig. Whitmire took over the role of Beaker when Richard Hunt  passed a way, playing off  Goelz  ' s [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Bunsen_Honeydew Dr. 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 reasons , playing off Waldorf , whom  Dave Goelz  has been performin since 1992 after  Jim Henson  ' s t r a g ic death , & , also during the 1990s , the 2 performed the duo Stinky the Skunk & Jake the Polar Bear on The Animal Show.

Dave Goelz / Steve Whitmire Muppet Pairings

 * Gonzo the Great / Rizzo the Rat
 * Gonzo the Great / Camilla the Chicken
 * Gonzo the Great / Kermit the Frog
 * Gonzo the Great / Security Guard
 * Andy & Randy Pig
 * Zoot / Lips
 * Dr . Bunsen Honeydew / Beaker
 * Beauregard / Rizzo the Rat
 * Betina & Belinda Cratchit
 * Statler & Waldorf ( Steve / Dave  )
 * Statler & Waldorf ( Dave  / Steve )
 * Boober Fraggle / Wembley Fraggle
 * Wrench Doozer / Sprocket
 * Rugby Tiger / Mew
 * Stinky the Skunk / Jake the Polar Bear
 * Smerdley / Mr . Briteweight
 * Jake / Henry

Muppeteer Credits

 * Whitmire ' s primary Muppet character s :


 * Kermit the Frog : The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson ( 1 99 0 ) - present


 * Jim Henson : Sam & Friends ( 1955 ) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World ( 1 99 0 ) ( taken from u s o n Wednesday, May 16 t h , 1990 )
 * Beaker : The Muppet Christ mas Carol ( 1992 ) - present


 * Richard Hunt : T he Muppet Show ( 1 9 77 ) - Muppet* Vision 3D ( 1 991 ) ; 1992
 * Ernie :  SESAME   STREET  Stays Up Late ! ( 1 99 3 ) - present


 * Jim Henson :  SESAME STREET  Episode 1 ( 1 969 ) - Season 21 ( 1 99 0 ) ( taken from u s o n Wednesday, May 16 t h , 1990 )
 * Link Hogthrob : Muppet RaceMania ( 2000 ) - present


 * Jim Henson : The Muppet Show ( 1977 ) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World ( 1990 )
 * Statler : Weezer ' s " Keep Fish in ' " music video 2 00 2 - present )


 * Richard Hunt : The Muppet Show ( 1976 ) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World ( 1 99 0 ) ; 1992
 * Jerry Nelson : The Muppet Show : Sex and Violence ( 1 975 ) ; The Muppet Christ mas Carol ( 1 99 2 ) - Muppets Party Cruise ( 2003 )
 * The Newsman : Muppets . c om ( 2 00 8 ) - present


 * Jim Henson : The Muppet Show ( 1976 ) - T h e  Jim   Henson  Hour ( 1 9 89 ) ; 1 99 0 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 t h , 1990 )
 * Rizzo the Rat ( Muppet character originated by Whitmire )
 * Lips ( Muppet character originated by Whitmire )
 * Bean Bunny ( Muppet character originated by Whitmire )
 * The Muppet Show Characters : Billy Boy, Caveman , Foo - Foo , Geri & the Atric s tuba player , Leo ( epi s od e 40 3 : Shield s & Yarnell ) , Lips , Pinocchio , Rizzo the Rat , Rowlf the Dog ( occasional , hands only ) , Security Guard , The Snorer s ' Chorus member , Thog ( episode 5 0 2 ) , Timmy Monster ( occasional , voice in epi s ode 423 ) , Trevor the Gross , The White Rabbit , Winky Pinkerton ( episode 3 0 8 ) , Zeke ( 1979 - c a . 1980 s )
 * The Muppet Movie : Kermit the Frog ( assistant f or " 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 512 ) , Flange Doozer , Crusty Doozer , Flying Batworm , Mermer Merggle , Papa Tree Creature , Phil Fraggle ( Muppetry  only ) , Sir Blunderbrain , Venerable Sage Hambo
 * The Muppets Take Manhattan : G il, Rizzo the Rat , Dogs
 * Dreamchild : The Caterpillar, The Mock Turtle ( Muppetry  )
 * Labyrinth : Ambrosius, F ie ry 4 , 1 of The Four Guards ( Muppetry  )
 * The Christ mas Toy : Mew
 * A Muppet Family Chris t mas : The Christ mas Turkey, Wembley Fraggle , Sprocket , Rizzo the Rat , Foo - 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, Lips , Foo - F oo , Sprocket , Bean Bunny
 * The Muppets Celebrate  JIM   HENSON  : Rizzo the Rat, Bean Bunny , Kermit the Frog
 * Muppet* Vision 3D : Bean Bunny, Rizzo the Rat , Waldo C . Graphic
 * Dino saur s : B . P . Rich field ( puppet ), Robbie Sinclair ( face ) , Chief Elder ( f a ce ) , M r . M ason Dixon , Sonny , Woody , Blarney , Judge H . T . Stone (puppet)
 * T h e Muppet Christ mas Carol : Belinda Cratchit, Laund r e ss , Kermit the Frog ( a s Bob Cratchit ) , Bean Bunny , Rizzo the Rat , Lips , Beaker , Sprocket , Whatnot s , Rats , Inkspots , Pig Buisnessman
 * Muppet Meeting Films : Flunky, Kermit the Frog , Mr . Briteweight
 * Billy Bunny ' s Animal Songs : Kermit the Frog
 * Sesame Street Stays Up Late ! : Ernie
 *  SE SAME STREET  : Ernie ( 1 993 - present ), Kermit the Frog ( 1 99 6 - 2001 ; 2 00 9 ) , Dr . Feel : Cookie Monster ' s Mommy (2 00 3 ) , Guy Smiley (Season 32 )
 *  JIM HENSON  ' s The Animal Show with Stinky & Jake : Jake the Polar Bear
 * Muppet Classic Theatre : Rizzo the Rat, Kermit the Frog , Andy Pig
 * Muppets on Wheels : Kermit the Frog
 * Mr . Willowby ' s Chris t mas Tree : Kermit the Frog
 * Muppet Treasure Is la nd : Walleye Pike, Rizzo the Rat , Kermit the Frog ( as Captain Abraham Smollett ) , Beaker , Jacques Roach , Inkspots , The Dodo , Rats
 * Things That Fly : Kermit the Frog, Co - Pilot
 * Muppets Tonight : Andy Pig, Captain Pighead , Eugene , Lash Holstein , Miss Weatherington , Mr . Poodlepants , Kermit the Frog , Beaker , Rizzo the Rat , Meepzorp , George t he Janitor , Bug Llewelyn , Farm person , Pigeons , Nigel ' s Mom , Alfonso D ' Bruzzo
 *  Elmo  Save s Chris t mas : Ernie & Kermit the Frog
 * 1 2 3  Count  with  ME  : Ernie
 * Quiet Time : Ernie
 *  Elmo  palooza : Ernie & Kermit the Frog
 * The Best of  Kermit  on  SESAME   STREET  : Kermit the Frog
 * Muppets from Space : Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , Bean Bunny , Cosmic Fish , Beach Hippie
 *  The Adventure s of  Elmo  in  GROUCH  land  : Ernie,  Bad Humor Man  ,  Sharon Groan  , Stuckweed , Football Stenchman
 * Cind e r  Elmo  : Prince the Dog, Ernie , Kermit the Frog
 * Muppet Race Mania : Kermit the Frog, Link Hogthrob , Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , Bean Bunny , Gil , Flange Doozer
 * Play With Me Sesame : Ernie
 *  B ert  &  Ernie  ' s Word P lay : 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  Very  Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie : Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , Bean Bunny , M r . Poodle pants , Statler ( 1 line ) & 1 of the Elvises
 * Talk, R ead , Write : The King of Reading & Writing
 * Muppets Party Cruise : Kermit the Frog, Link Hogthrob , Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , Bean Bunny , Andy Pig
 * The Muppets ' Wizard of Oz : Kermit the Frog ( as t he Scare crow ), Rizzo the Rat ( as the Mayor of Munchkinland ) , Beaker , Statler ( a s Kalidah Critic ) , Bean Bunny
 * Statler & Waldorf : From the Balcony : Statler ( 1 epi sode )
 * Mr . Magorium ' s Wonder Emporium : Kermit the Frog
 * Disney X treme Digital : Kermit the Frog, The Newsman , Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , Statler , Bean Bunny , Singing Food , Turkey
 * Muppet viral video s : Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , Statler , Pumpkins , Penguin s , Turkey , Rabbits
 *  Count  on Sport s : Ernie
 * Studio D C : Almost Live ! : Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , Statler
 *  Abby  in Wonder land : Ernie
 * A Muppet s Christ mas : Letter s t o San ta : Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , Statler
 * Bohemian Rhapsody : Kermit the Frog, The News man , Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , & Statler
 * Christ mas in Rockefeller Center : Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat & Lips
 * The Muppets : Kermit the Frog, Link Hogthrob , The Newsman , Lips , Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , & Statler
 * Late Night with Jimmy Fallon : Kermit the Frog ( " W hen t h e River Meet s t h e Sea " )
 * Muppet s M o s t Wanted : Kermit the Frog, Link Hogthrob , The Newsman , Lips , Rizzo t he Rat , Foo - Foo , Beaker , & Statler
 * Lady Gaga & the Muppets ' Holiday Spectacular : Kermit the Frog, Lip s , Rizzo the Rat , Beaker , & Statler
 * Just for Laughs : Kermit the Frog, Beaker , & Statler
 * T he Muppets : Operation STS ( Save t he Swamp ) : Kermit the Frog, Link Hogthrob , T he Newsman , Lips , Rizzo t he Rat , Foo - F oo , Beaker , & Statler

Trivia

 *  WHITMIRE  is right - handed.
 * Was nick name d Kermit in his youth cause he aspire d to become a puppeteer & even perform ed with a Kermit which he made . His high school year book eve n has t he name " Kermit " o n the front cover.
 * Shares t h e same birthday  a s  JIM HENSON  ( September 24th ).
 * Apparently, at 1 of  WHITMIRE  ' s last meetings with  JIM HENSON  ,  HENSON  commented that although  WHITMIRE  was a main Muppeteer  he just didn ' t really 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 for  WHITMIRE  t o perform.
 *  STEVE   WHITMIRE  ' s favorite Muppet movie is The Muppet Movie.
 * In The Muppet Movie, he used a remote control device to operate Kermit ' s hand while playing the banjo during The  R A I N B O W  Connection.
 * A quote from the Muppet Central interview with  STEVE   WHITMIRE  : " I designed the little mechanism i n side o f [ Rizzo ] t h a t make s his mouth move . "
 * Supporter / chairperson & volunteer at actress Tippi Hedren 's wild life preserve SHAMBALA, locate d in Acton , CA .  WHITMIRE  & his wife , Melissa have volunteered count less hour s helping bring wild cats for veterinarian care , e t c.
 * Characters of  JIM HENSON  ' s  STEVE   WHITMIRE  has performed once or consistently are :


 * Kermit the Frog : The Muppets Celebrate  JIM   HENSON  ( 1 99 0 ) - present
 * Ernie :  SESAME   STREET  Stays Up Late ! ( 1 99 3 ) - present
 * The Newsman : Muppets . com ( 2008 ) - present
 * Link Hogthrob : Muppet R a ce Mania ( 2 000 ) - present
 * Rowlf the Dog  ( occasionally on T he Muppet Show ; right hand only )
 * Dr . Teeth ( The Muppet Show Live ( 2 00 ) ( assistant to  JOHN KENNEDY  ; Muppetry  only ; Hand s of D r . Teeth ( assistant t o  BILL BARRETTA  ; c a . 2 0 0 5 - pre sent ) )
 * Guy Smiley :  SESAME STREET  season 32 ( 2001 )
 * The Swedish Chef : I Love Lucy Movie Mania Screen Test ( 1 999 )
 * Zeke ( 1979 - ca . 1980 s )
 * Leo : The Muppet Show Episode 403 ) ( 1 9 7 9 )
 * Waldorf : P ar t s of Little Big Planet 2 ( 2011 )


 *  STEVE   WHITMIRE  has been seen & heard taking  JIM HENSON  ' s place in these pairings  HENSON  &  FRANK OZ  made before  HENSON  passed away  :


 * 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 )