When Kermit the Frog Gave a College Graduation Speech

On May 19, 1996, the graduates of Southampton College in Long Island, New York, received wisdom from an unlikely source: a three-and-a-half-foot-tall felt frog. Kermit the Frog, Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, delivered the commencement address and was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Amphibious Letters from Long Island University.

This wasn't just a publicity stunt. Kermit was honored specifically for his environmental advocacy work, having spent decades championing ecological causes through Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and various specials. His message to the graduates reflected this commitment.

A Speech From the Swamp

Kermit opened by thanking the graduating class "on behalf of frogs, fish, pigs, bears and all of the other species who are lower than you on the food chain" for "dedicating your lives to saving our world and our home." The environmental theme was central to his address, appropriate for a college known for its marine science programs.

But he didn't shy away from life's messier realities. In what became one of the speech's most memorable lines, Kermit wished the graduates success "even when you're knee-deep in the sticky muck of life." Coming from a frog, the swamp metaphor landed perfectly.

Dropping Your Tails and Leaving the Swamp

The speech concluded with an amphibian-appropriate call to action: "The time has come for you to drop your tails and leave this swamp." Kermit expressed confidence he would "find each and every one of you working your tails off to save other swamps and give those of us who live there a chance to survive."

The metamorphosis metaphor worked on multiple levels—biological transformation, personal growth, and the transition from student to graduate ready to make a difference in the world.

A Muppet Among the Ivy

While celebrity commencement speakers are common, fictional characters rarely make the cut. Kermit's appearance at Southampton College was his first commencement address, making it a historic moment in both Muppet and graduation speech history.

The speech was well-received enough that it's been archived in NPR's collection of notable commencement addresses, sharing space with speeches from presidents, activists, and other cultural icons. Not bad for a frog who spent years insisting it wasn't easy being green.

Southampton College itself closed in 2005 after 42 years of operation, its campus eventually becoming part of Stony Brook University. But Kermit's message about environmental stewardship and persevering through life's "sticky muck" continues to resonate—a reminder that sometimes the most profound wisdom comes from the most unexpected sources.