Proof I've always loved Kermit

Does anyone else keep random stuff in their address book?  I was writing Christmas cards this morning and when I got my address book out this photo fell out of it.  I'm guessing that this was taken in about 1979 and it shows you that I've always loved Kermit.  It also shows that wallpaper was one-of-a-kind back then - check out my Grandparents' lounge decor!

When I was a child I got through many of those Kermits.  They were that wire-skeleton-covered-in-foam type of toy that has been outlawed today.  When the wire would poke through Kermit's hand or foot thus posing a safety hazard, Mum and Dad would pack Kermit into a box and before I went to bed they made me put the box outside the front door.  They told me that they had called 'The Kermit Doctor' and that he would collect Kermit from the doorstep, take him to 'The Kermit Hospital' where he would make him better and then he'd drop him back.

Sure enough, within a short time Kermit was back, all mended and better.  Of course I never noticed that on his return he looked a little less loved and pretty pristine - almost like he was new, which of course he was.

The Kermit Doctor must have 'operated' about three or four times until Mum and Dad were no longer able to replace Kermit because the toy manufacturer stopped making him, probably because of his dangerous wire construction.  I fear a small child may have lost an eye in a terrible Kermit-related incident in the early 80s  .....

So there you have it - proof that I've always loved Kermit.  As you can see from my last blog post I still have a Kermit.  He's slightly smaller than my first one(s) and is furry as opposed to foamy but that's good because I'm hoping that I'll never have to make that dreaded call to The Kermit Doctor.