People

By Guy D. Garcia

She was just an aspiring piglet in the chorus line and her colleague a former tadpole. But even though the amphibian has since made it big in TV and films like The Muppets Take Manhattan, as well as star turns in the toy department, he hasn't forgotten his lily-pond roots. Next month Muppet Creator Jim Henson and more than 200 of Kermit's friends are getting together to toast America's best-known frog on his 30th birthday. Called The Muppets, a Celebration of 30 Years, the one-hour CBS special will feature Fozzie Bear as master of ceremonies and Big Bird, and, at the Green One's insistence, will showcase the talents of Miss Piggy, who first starred on the show in 1975. Set in a lavish ballroom, the anniver- sary fete will include high- lights from the Muppets' TV specials, as well as clips from their early days at Sesame Street. Miss Piggy has hinted that she and Kermit might also be making an exciting announcement, but gets predictably indignant when pressed about her age. "By no stretch of the imagination am I anywhere near the age of 30," she snorts. "I fell in love with a much older frog. I consider the matter closed."