This image is from one of the most beloved interactions between Kermit and the real-life kids of Sesame Street. Joey Calvin and Kermit sing the ABCs, but she replaces certain letters with “Cookie Monster!” which frustrates Kermit, who mocks storming off, but Joey calls out to him to say, “I love you!” which makes Kermit come back and reply, “I love you too,” and she kisses Kermit on what would be his nose. The warmth of the sketch has total integrity, and the viewer can see the chemistry Henson would have with his avatar and the kids.

Kermit was like a teacher or parent, trying to control the environment but with loving kindness that was often challenged. But rather than be patriarchal in a gender- normative way, Kermit always acted sensitively. Even when he was frustrated, he would yelp or cry out, but to his own defeat and not antagonizing those who antagonized him. He knew what it was like to be different—green—but also as a male character (without genitals as a puppet!), he was more gender-fluid, being a new model for generations of what it was to be a good guy. The children loved him as much as the adults and the other Muppets, but from a kid’s point of view, these characters were real.  Part of the charm of the Joey sequence is that Kermit sees her agency and respects it, and they cooperate—meeting one another in  the middle of their ABCs and Joey’s love for Kermit.