Kermit

A map of the different name of Kermit from the "Puppet show" in several languages
The frog who became a celebrity

From the mind of Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Fragel Rock, emerged a collection of puppets who now belong to the collective global imagination. Undoubtedly the most famous is Kermit, the frog. Like other animals he was subject to evolution, originally was some sort of lizard, and later evolved into a frog. Its eyes and the eleven-point collar are iconic. But also the movements of his arms. On the map, we can see that the name Kermit is not universal. Among Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, and Arabic speakers is known with different names: Gustavo in Spain but René in Latin America. There is a story about this one:

Kermit: “OK… Hi everybody in Latin America; I’m Kermit The Frog. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, you all know me as “René”. B-b-but my real name is “Kermit”: K-E-R-M-I-T. See? So, where did the “René” name come from? Well, it all happened in Mexico… it’s just that the first time I went there, they introduced me as “René”; and I didn’t mean to be rude, so I never corrected that mistake, and since then I’m known over there as “René” and…”

Source

In the Portuguese-speaking countries, he is surprisingly a toad called Cocas in Portugal but in Brasil Kermit, although until recently he was Caco. Béka in Hungary is because Brekeke is the onomatopoeia for a frog (breki). It makes sense. In Arabic-speaking countries, kids call him Kamel, which means perfect. Also reasonable.

Bert & Ernie

A map of the different name of "Bert & Ernie" from the Sesame Street in several languages
More than flatmates

Grover

A map of the different name of "Grover" from the Sesame Street in several languages
One of the blue puppets

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5 Comments

  1. I love your site — might I have your permission to reprint a map of yours here or there, of course with full credit a link, on my site, http://reason.com/volokh? I particularly like the computer gender map, https://mapologies.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/computer-01-1.png . Thanks,

    Eugene Volokh
    Professor, UCLA School of Law
    volokh@law.ucla.edu

    1. Yes, you are allowed.

      1. Excellent, thanks very much!

  2. Please correct the Italian name: “Kermit la Rana”, not “Kermit il Ranocchio”. Thank you!

    1. I’ve noticed it. In wikipedia is called la Rana but here is called il ranocchio. why is that?https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/International_Kermit_the_Frog

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