Berlin

Berlin is Germany's capital and largest city, one of the 16 states of Germany, and the European Union's largest city (taking the title from London after the United Kingdom left the alliance in 2020).

Though the first permanent settlements have been traced back as far as the late 12th century, Berlin rose to fame when becoming the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918), the German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and the Third Reich (1933–1945). After the second World War, along with the country's division into East and West, the city was divided as well, first by barbed war and other barriers and then from 1961 by the infamous Berlin Wall. Following the German reunification in 1990, Berlin once more became the capital of Germany.

The Muppets have visited the city multiple times over the decades.

Berlin Wall

Kermit the Frog at the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall for an Adidas ad (2006)

Big Bird at the Berlin Wall in a PBS Interstitial

Baby Gonzo at the Berlin Wall in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990)

Filming Muppets Most Wanted in front of a piece of the Berlin Wall in Greenwich, UK (2013)

Muppet Connections

• From January 29 to February 12, 1962, for three hours each day, Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl performed in a "Green Week" exhibit in Berlin for the United States Information Agency. Much of the content was recycled from their presentation at the Hamburg Food Fair the year prior.

• Uli Von Bödefeld puppeteer Benita Steinmann, as well as Kermit voice artist Horst Gentzen and Robert Missler (second voice of Grover and more recently puppeteering on Sesamstrasse spin-offs) were born in Berlin.

• In Die Muppets Erobern Manhattan, the German dub of The Muppets Take Manhattan, Kermit der Frosch claims his alternate identity, the "Boffo Socko" agent, to be from Berlin, and therefore talks with a heavy Berlin dialect (as noted above, voice actor Horst Gentzen was a Berlin native). The film was never released in East Germany.

• Baby Gonzo was seen in front of the Berlin Wall in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, which aired in Germany as Comic-Stars gegen Drogen (Comic-Stars Against Drugs) in 1990. The character appeared on the painted west side, as people crossing the so-called "death strip" on the unpainted eastern side were at risk of being shot.

• Muppets, Monster & Magie was a Muppet exhibition that visited Berlin, showcasing Muppets from several productions. It was on display from June 2 to August 28, 1994 at the Filmmuseum Potsdam, Berlin.

• The Vision of Jim Henson was another Muppet exhibition that visited Berlin, showcasing Muppets from Sesamstrasse, Die Muppet Show, Die Fraggles and German co-production The Secret Life of Toys, as well as other Henson productions. The exhibition was held at the Berliner Fernsehturm (TV tower) from December 10, 1994 to February 12, 1995.

• On December 7, 1999, Kermit the Frog left his flipper-prints into a 40x40cm piece of green "cement" at an event hosted by Karin Kuschik at the Cinestar-Kino in Berlin-Tegel, planned to eventually grace the Sony Center's "Berlin Walk of Fame" at Potsdamer Platz. Steve Whitmire had Kermit say in German: "Dies ist ein kleiner Schritt für einen Frosch, aber ein großer Sprung für die Froschheit." ("This is one small step for a frog, but one giant leap for frogkind.")^[1][2]

• In a PBS interstitial, Big Bird and a little girl venture all over the world (and even the moon) and are seen (digitally) inserted into footage of the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

• In early 2006, Kermit the Frog appeared in an ad for Adidas to promote their Adicolor line, shot in winterly Berlin. For the 4:30 min promo he visited the Brandenburg Gate, adored the Berlin Wall, took a test run at the Olympic Stadium, mused about the arts at the Adicolor Studios, and attended Berlin Fashion Week on January 29, 2006.

• On January 18, 2012, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and James Bobin appeared in Berlin to promote Die Muppets, which premiered the following day. At the press conference, several more stops for the pair were announced:

• Miss Piggy would appear for a photo op at Berlin Fashion Week, where she would dress in a robe exclusively designed and tailored for her by German designer Michael Michalsky on January 18
• Kermit appeared on radio station NRJ Berlin, on January 19
• The duo appeared at morning show SAT.1 Frühstücksfernsehen, on January 20
• Kermit made several more press appearances, singing "Bein' Green" with Marsimoto and "Rainbow Connection" with Christoph Krachten^[3]
• Newspapers Die Zeit and Bild ran features on the Muppets' stay at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Berlin
• Miss Piggy made several more trips to the city while promoting the film throughout Europe, most notably to appear on neoParadise, on January 26
• Together, they appeared on the film and television awards show Verleihung der Goldenen Kamera, broadcast live from Berlin on February 4. Kermit appeared beside her on-screen in a prerecorded message. When she came on stage, Piggy performed the duet "Somethin' Stupid" with host, comedian and award-winner Hape Kerkeling. Also in attendance at the show were Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Dionne Warwick, Michael Bolton, Nena, Xavier Naidoo, Joko Winterscheidt and Scarlett Johansson.

• On September 22, 2012, Krömer - Late Night Show aired a prerecorded appearance of Ernie and Bert in their Berlin studio, to promote the 40th anniversary season of Germany's Sesame Street co-production Sesamstrasse.

• 40 Jahre Sesamstrasse was a 40th anniversary exhibition for Sesamstrasse. It was held from December 13, 2012 until April 7 May 5, 2013 (extended) at Deutsche Kinemathek - Museum für Film und Fernsehen, Berlin.

• On December 31, 2013, Kermit announced the free-TV launch of Disney Channel Germany in the disguise of a special "New Year's State of the Union Speech," traditionally delivered from Berlin on New Year's Eve by the German chancellor. The video was actually shot in Munich a couple of months earlier.

• In 2014's Muppets Most Wanted, the Muppets go on a world tour with its first stop in Berlin, Germany. The film was primarily filmed in the United Kingdom, and secondarily in the United States of America, with only establishing shots being actually filmed in Berlin. For their location shot outside the "German theater," a part of Greenwich was turned into the German capital complete with Berlin Wall piece, newspaper stand, street and subway signs propping the scene on April 7, 2013.

• A postcard set sold at Disney Stores internationally to promote the 2014 film, features Gonzo in Bavarian gear in front of Berlin's famous Brandenburg Gate.

• On March 28, 2014, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and James Bobin returned to Berlin in order to kick off a number of promotional appearances for the German-language release of Muppets Most Wanted. They rode in a special XXL limousine Trabant car:

See also

• Hamburg, and its Muppet connections

Sources