‘American Idol’ Winner Maddie Poppe Talks Working With Kermit The Frog
ABC Reading Time: 2 minutes
When I was watching the auditions for the reboot of American Idol in the early days of the show there was one or two auditions that really jumped out at me. One of them was Maddie Poppe. Not only because she was a great singer with a unique voice, but because she sang Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie. On the Idol finale she got to duet the same song with none other than Kermit the Frog.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with puppets. It’s not exactly a secret that I operate our own puppet Talentino. I seriously considered going to get my masters degree in puppetry from the University of Connecticut instead of going to film school. Anyway, the performance delighted me and Maddie seemed to enjoy it too. She gave the Iowa Register a little glimpse behind the curtain,
“I know Kermit is a huge deal, but, man, I mean, this puppet is legendary. They came in with this box and they put a black tarp over him before he is in action, so no one can see him. You aren’t allowed to touch him and only one person can adjust him — it’s very funny how into it they are. But the people behind the scenes were so awesome, and if you met those people on the street, you’d have no idea that that’s the voice of Kermit.”
I also happen to know that when they are not in use they are kept either hanging on pegs on a wall or in filing cabinets. Either way, I’m pretty sure Jim Henson was looking down from puppet heaven and smiled.
