Kermit the Frog Leads 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' and Delivers Family an Escape Hybrid

Kermit the Frog Leads 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' and Delivers Family an Escape Hybrid

		Kermit the Frog fills in for Team Leader Ty Pennington on the April 9 edition of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." As part of the show, Kermit the Frog presents the Craft Family of Hondo, Texas with a Ford Escape Hybrid-the most fuel efficient SUV on earth. (PRNewsFoto/Ford Motor Company) DEARBORN, MI UNITED STATES

* Kermit the Frog fills in for Team Leader Ty Pennington on the April 9 edition of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." * As part of the show, Kermit the Frog presents the Craft Family of Hondo, Texas with a Ford Escape Hybrid-the most fuel efficient SUV on earth. DEARBORN, Mich., April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- America's most loved amphibian, Kermit the Frog, will fill in for Team Leader Ty Pennington, while he lends a hand with hurricane relief in the Gulf States on the April 9 episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" airing at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060403/DEM035 ) No stranger to the small screen, Kermit the Frog shines in his guest- starring role as the project team leader. Kermit charms his way into the hearts of the design team and graciously works side-by-side with other volunteers to creative a more comfortable and enjoyable home for the Craft family of Hondo, Texas. In this very special episode, Todd Craft, a high school sports coach who's been a constant inspiration to his community and his family, will receive the news that they will receive a beautiful and renovated home in a remarkable seven days. In addition, Kermit is presenting the family with a brand new Ford Escape Hybrid. Fuel economy is very important to the Craft family since they count every penny. The Escape Hybrid can travel up to 500 miles in city driving on a single tank of gas. It actually doesn't use fuel when stopped in traffic or driving at low speeds by running in pure electric mode and gets an estimated 36 miles per gallon. "Kermit and the Escape Hybrid are the ultimate green team," said Barry Redler, Ford SUV Group Marketing Manager. "The Escape Hybrid was the first SUV to offer the fuel savings of full-hybrid technology and is the most fuel- efficient SUV on Earth. This no-compromise SUV shows how easy it is being green and is the perfect fit for an active family like the Crafts." Kermit debuted as the official "spokesfrog" for the Ford Escape Hybrid during this year's Super Bowl. "Working with the 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' team was a dream come true," said Kermit the Frog. "I got to help the show's fantastic designers, builders and volunteers do something wonderful for the very deserving Craft family." ABOUT FORD MOTOR COMPANY Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 300,000 employees and 108 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive- related services include Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.fordvehicles.com . ABOUT EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION The series is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Tom Forman and co-executive produced by Denise Cramsey. David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA. ABOUT THE MUPPETS The Muppets deliver smiles and laughter to the world through heartwarming characters and stories inspired by the art of puppetry. Led by Kermit the Frog, the Muppets are a broadly appealing global franchise built on 50 years of original, award-winning entertainment that includes 44 Emmy nominations, six feature films, and The Muppet Show which captured over 235 million weekly viewers worldwide. In the past year, under the management of The Walt Disney Company, the Muppets have been embraced by millions of people as part of a global re-launch of the beloved franchise. Visit http://www.muppets.com for more news and information. Contact: Monte Doran Colleen Robar Alison Rou (313) 317-7810 (313) 331-8544 (818) 460-7798 mdoran8@ford.com crobar@robarpr.com alison.rou@abc.com