Movin' Right Along: Kermit the Frog to Star on Mississippi’s Float at the 137th Tournament of Roses Parade

California here we come, the pie-in-the-sky-land, palm trees, and warm sand!

Your favorite footloose and fancy-free frog (and proud Mississippi native) will ride front and center as the star of Visit Mississippi’s float in the 137th Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.

What’s Happening:

  • On January 1, 2026, Mississippi native Kermit the Frog will be the centerpiece of Visit Mississippi’s 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade float in Pasadena, California.

  • The state's new float is titled "Where Creativity Blooms".
  • Alongside Kermit, the float will also feature country music star Charlie Worsham, who will perform live, along with dancers who aim to "bring Mississippi's artistic excellence to life".
  • The float will also honor writers Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, Willie Morris, Tennessee Williams, Richard Wright and Jesmyn Ward.

Kermit The Frog’s History in Mississippi:

  • Jim Henson, who created Kermit and The Muppets, was born in Greenville, Mississippi, in 1936.
  • Because of Henson’s roots, Kermit has been unofficially adopted as a beloved cultural icon of Mississippi.
  • The Jim Henson Museum and Exhibit in Leland, Mississippi, celebrates Henson’s life and features Kermit memorabilia and history.
  • In 2011, on what would have been Jim Henson’s 75th birthday, Leland, Mississippi renamed its Broad Street Bridge the Rainbow Connection Bridge after the song from The Muppet Movie. Green Kermit the Frog tracks lead visitors from the bridge to the Birthplace of the Frog: An Exhibit of Jim Henson’s Delta Boyhood.
  • Kermit is often featured in tourism campaigns and parades promoting Mississippi’s culture and creative legacy.

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