Exhibit honors Henson, 'The Frog'

updated 3:24 p.m. ET July 16, 2007

LELAND, Miss. - Road signs of a flipper-waving Kermit the Frog attract thousands of visitors annually through the flatlands of the Mississippi Delta to the hometown of the famous amphibian and his equally renowned creator, Jim Henson.

The city of Leland (population 5,500) was where Henson lived from 1936-48. His childhood home was torn down years before he became famous. But a permanent exhibit about Kermit called "Birthplace of the Frog: An Exhibit of Jim Henson's Delta Boyhood" was created here after Henson's death in 1990. The exhibit was a gift to Leland from the Jim Henson Co.

Kermit, the original Muppet, sprang from Henson's childhood and memories of playing along nearby Deer Creek with childhood friend Theodore Kermit Scott, who is believed to be the inspiration for the frog's name.

"My wife says my smile looks just like the frog," said Scott, 70, a retired philosophy professor, who lives in Monroe, Va. Scott said as children he and Henson used to play at Deer Creek and catch frogs.

The Kermit exhibit, in a three-room building along the banks of Deer Creek, features childhood photos of Henson and an actual Kermit puppet, with his banjo, sitting in a swamp-like setting.

"Everyone seems to know the work of Jim Henson and it just appeals to them," said Ashley Zepponi, the exhibit's director. "Most people are charmed by it."

Visitors from Germany, France, Italy and other parts of the world are routinely among the 10,000 people who find their way here each year, Zepponi said.

Leland lies about eight miles east of the Mississippi River and Greenville, where Henson was born, and it's only a short mile and a half from U.S. 61, Mississippi's "Blues Highway."

Connor Ahearn, 26, and his brother Sean, 24, stopped over while on a cross-country road trip from Raymond, N.H. A book of roadside attractions tipped them off to the exhibit.

If You Go BIRTHPLACE OF THE FROG: AN EXHIBIT OF JIM HENSON'S DELTA BOYHOOD: 415 South East Deer Creek Drive, Leland, Miss.; 662-686-7383. Located on the banks of Deer Creek, 1.5 miles west of the intersection of U.S. Highways 82 and 61. Free admission. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

"We both liked the Muppets growing up," Connor Ahearn said, while looking at a photo of the original Kermit puppet alongside his more recent counterpart.

Not many differences exist, except for original Kermit's more lizard-like appearance and paler skin tone.

The main room features the "Swamp Kermit" scene from the original "Muppet Movie," a gift from the Jim Henson Foundation, enclosed in a glass case, and a viewing area showcasing episodes of "The Muppet Show" and other Henson works.

Recent additions to the exhibit are several puppets from Henson's "The Song of the Cloud Forest," a segment from one of his TV shows, about the importance of preserving South American rain forests and habitat. The brightly colored frogs and alligators are on loan from the Jim Henson Foundation.

Visitors can pause for a quick photo-op with an oversized stuffed Kermit, propped in front of a rainbow scene, and then wander into a Muppet memorabilia room, featuring hundreds of donated items.

MORE FROM U.S. & CANADA

U.S. & Canada Section Front

Sarasota forever tied to the circus Charleston: Most polite place for a pittance Canada’s most visited tourist attractions Home of ‘Ramblin’ Man’ becomes museum America's next foodie haven Top 10 scenic U.S. road trips Best American towns to visit by car Best July 4th fireworks Magician Burton to stay in Vegas 6 more years Sears Tower set to open ‘Ledge’ to thrill seekers U.S. & Canada Section Front   Add U.S. & Canada headlines to your news reader: