Out of the vault: Kermit the Frog puppet on display in Detroit after 15 years

A Kermit the Frog puppet created by Jim Henson back in 1969 is now on display in Detroit.

It's the prototype Henson created as he was developing Kermit's look for Sesame Street.

Kermit is part of the Detroit Institute of Arts' permanent collection, but hasn't come out of the vault in 15 years — until now.

"Puppets tend to be fairly fragile depending on their age and their material," said director of public programs Lawrence Baranski. "But what's interesting is that puppets made from the 1960s are probably the most fragile because puppeteers began using synthetics, plastics, a type of foam rubber that was cooked up on stoves, that over time becomes unstable."

To preserve the sensitive creature, the institute limits the time Kermit sees the light of day. It's done by bringing out the puppets in rotations.

Appearance not planned

His current hop out of storage actually wasn't planned.

"Of late we were noticing just a lot of requests from the public asking when he would be out again," said Baranski. "I think they're enjoying somewhat of a resurgence of visibility, so we wanted to respond to that."

Kermit needed a 'check-up'

And they don't just send Kermit out into the limelight in a rushed fashion. He needs a "check-up" at the conservation lab.

"He received a clean bill of health and we were able to go ahead with his installation," he said.

Prior to the late 1960s, Kermit had already appeared on a show called Sam and Friends in the 1955, but was never officially identified as a frog.

Frog prince

But it wasn't always known as Kermit. When the puppet was created, it was known as the frog prince.

For many people, Baranski believes Kermit brings that "optimism in the face of chaos."

"What really I think made me love him so much was his wise cracking," he said.

This Kermit prototype can be seen at the Detroit Institute of Arts until late March.

Tap the player to hear Baranski's conversation with Afternoon Drive's Jonathan Pinto.