Kermit the Frog, Charlie Brown, and Pomodoro Penguin?
We all have our favorite images of our childhood. Some of my best memories came from reading the Sunday morning comics or parking myself in front of the television to watch Sesame Street (and later the Muppet Show). For nearly four decades I have been a fan of a little green frog named Kermit and a little boy in the yellow shirt with the black chevron pattern named Charlie Brown.
To this day, I still do a Kermit the Frog impersonation (to varying degrees of success). I played the role of Charlie Brown in a community theater production of “Snoopy” as a teenager at my church. I attended graduate school at the University of Maryland which is Jim Henson’s alma mater. There is a statue of Henson holding Kermit outside of the student union.
To me both Kermit and Charlie Brown offer a level of sweetness and kindness. Even when the odds are stacked against them, they try to make the best out of situations.
For Kermit, it isn’t easy being green… but he owns it. For Charlie Brown, he knows that Lucy has yanked the football out from under him 100 times, still he has faith that “this time” he’s going to actually kick the ball.
There is a lot of Kermit and Charlie in me… it isn’t easy being different. It isn’t easy having that football ripped out from under you time and time again. Still, you sing a happy song and keep on going.
it is with these childhood influences that I have created my little, red, pasta-eating penguin named Pomodoro.
He’s sweet and he’s innocent. He is curious. There may be a hint of Kermit and Charlie and even me in Pomodoro. He may be different. It may not be easy “being red,” but with the help of his friends and a huge dose of excitement, Pomo embraces the world!
Check out the Adventures of Pomodoro Penguin.

