Kermit Love facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kermit Love
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Love as Willy the Vendor
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Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love
August 7, 1916 Spring Lake, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Died | June 21, 2008 (aged 91) Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S.
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| Occupation | Puppetmaker, Puppeteer, costume designer and actor |
| Partner(s) | Christopher Lyall |
Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love (born August 7, 1916 – died June 21, 2008) was an American artist. He was a talented puppet maker, puppeteer, and costume designer. He also acted in children's TV shows and on Broadway plays.
Kermit Love was most famous for his work with the Muppets. He helped design and build many beloved characters, especially for Sesame Street.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Kermit Love was born in Spring Lake, New Jersey. His birthday was August 7, 1916. He was raised by his grandmother and great-grandmother. This happened after his mother passed away when he was only three years old.
A Creative Career
Working in Theatre
Kermit Love started his career in theatre in 1935. He made marionette puppets for a government-funded theater in Newark, New Jersey.
In the 1930s, he also designed costumes for Broadway shows. He worked on other stage productions too. One famous group he worked with was Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre. Love even had a small acting role in a play called Naught Naught 00 in 1937.
Love collaborated with many important artists of his time. He designed costumes for the ballet Rodeo (1942). He also worked on the musical One Touch of Venus (1943). For George Balanchine, a famous ballet choreographer, he created a giant marionette. This puppet was 28 ft (8.5 m) tall for the ballet Don Quixote (1965).
Creating the Muppets
In the early 1960s, Kermit Love met Jim Henson. Jim Henson is the creator of the Muppets. Another artist, Don Sahlin, helped them connect. Their first project together was The La Choy Dragon.
Kermit Love was very skilled with full-body puppets. He knew how to make costumes that allowed performers to move freely. This skill was very important for the Muppets.
Love went on to build some of the most famous Sesame Street characters. He created Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird. Jim Henson drew Big Bird, and Love brought him to life. Love designed Big Bird so that he would naturally shed feathers. He thought this made Big Bird look more real to young viewers. Love also helped create Cookie Monster and later designed Mr. Snuffleupagus. He often traveled with the Big Bird costume for appearances.
It's interesting to know that Kermit Love met Jim Henson after Kermit the Frog was named in 1955. So, the frog was not named after him!
While he also worked on The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie, Sesame Street was his main focus. He was a key supervisor for the puppets on the show. He also played Willy, the hot dog vendor, on Sesame Street. He even performed as a puppeteer on the special Julie on Sesame Street. For the movie Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, he was a special Muppet consultant. He also appeared in many background scenes as Willy. Love helped design Sesame Street puppets for early international versions of the show.
Beyond Sesame Street Projects
Besides his work on Sesame Street, Kermit Love stayed busy. He created puppets for other shows. One of these was The Great Space Coaster.
A young Kevin Clash watched one of Love's specials. Kevin's parents contacted Kermit Love. Love became a mentor to Kevin. He introduced Kevin to Jim Henson. He also helped Kevin get jobs on children's shows like The Great Space Coaster and Captain Kangaroo. Kevin Clash later became the puppeteer for Elmo on Sesame Street.
Love also built the Snuggle Bear puppet. This bear was famous from the Snuggle fabric softener commercials. He even appeared as Santa Claus on the cover of New York magazine several times in the 1980s.
In the 1990s, Love started to slow down, but he remained active. He built many full-body puppets for the Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker performances. He designed the mice and a 16 ft (4.9 m)-tall Mother Ginger puppet. This work continued until 2004. In 2001, Love designed Aza. Aza is a bird-like mascot for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Later Years and Legacy
Kermit Love lived in Stanfordville, New York. He shared his life with Christopher Lyall for 50 years.
Kermit Love passed away on June 21, 2008. He was 91 years old. He died in Poughkeepsie, New York from heart failure and pneumonia. His amazing work in puppetry and costume design continues to bring joy to children around the world.
Images for kids
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A robot, symbolizing creativity and design.
See also
In Spanish: Kermit Love para niños
