A New Thanksgiving Symbol

Frog Puppet: Can I have everyone's attention. Quiet please. I need to make a very important announcement. (Clears his throat.) Excuse me, I had a frog in it.

I don't know if you have noticed but Mr. Turkey has been our national thanksgiving symbol for a long time. But he isn't doing a very good job. So as of today I will be the new national symbol for thanksgiving.

Adult  Puppet: Wait a minute!

Frog Puppet: I am sorry but we don't have a minute to lose. We've got to start hopping.

Boy  Puppet: Cool! I love frogs.

Girl  Puppet: Oh, yuck! Frogs give you warts.

Adult  Puppet: Frogs don't give you warts.

Boy  Puppet: Why don't you kiss 'em and see if he'll turn into a prince.

Girl  Puppet: Oh, yuck!

Frog Puppet: Listen folks we've got to do something. Thanksgiving is almost here and we've got to help folks be more thankful.

Girl  Puppet: Thankful? Thanksgiving is when you eat dressing and pumpkin pie and TURKEY at grandma's house.

Boy  Puppet: Cool! Now we get to eat dressing and pumpkin pie and FROG at grandma's house. COOLl!

Girl  Puppet: Yuck! I think I'm gonna throw up.

Boy  Puppet: No, really. I tasted frog one time .I loved it!

Girl  Puppet: My dog ate a frog one time and he got all this foamy stuff coming out of his mouth. It was so YUCKY!

Frog Puppet: (hopping up and down upset) You don't get it. Thanksgiving is not about eating turkey

Boy  Puppet: Now it's gonna be about eating FROGS...

Girl  Puppet: Oh yuck! Please don't say that again. I'm gonna be sick.

Adult  Puppet: Come on your guys. No one is gonna eat frogs for Thanksgiving.

Frog and Girl  Puppet: Thank goodness!

Girl  Puppet: (Turning to frog) At least we agree on something.

Boy  Puppet: I think he had a good idea. Frogs taste great. (Moves toward the frog.)

(Frog jumps be hind the adult. )

Adult Puppet: If I understand Mr. Frog correctly he is only trying to help us become more thankful.

Frog Puppet: That is precisely what I intend to do.

Girl Puppet: Precisely...micely. It sounds yucky to me.

Adult Puppet: No. thanks giving is very important

Boy Puppet: It sure is. My grandma makes the best pumpkin pie in the world.

Frog Puppet: You still don't get it. Thanksgiving is not about eating...it's about giving...giving thanks. When was the last time you said "thank you."

Girl Puppet: (looking down) Oh yuck!

Boy Puppet: Is that all you can say?  (Steps toward her and speaks in her face ) Oh yuck!

Girl Puppet: No. I can say, "I dropped my gum. I sure hope no one steps on it."

Boy Puppet: (Looks down) Oh yuck! I stepped in it!

Girl Puppet: (In boy's face) Is that all you can say?

Boy Puppet: No, I can say thanks for the gum.

Frog Puppet: (excited) That's it. See I'm already getting results. He said "thanks."

Adult Puppet: He was being sarcastic.

Frog Puppet: (whispering to the adult) Is that a bad thing?

Adult Puppet: Yes it is Mr. Frog. Thanks needs to be sincere. It needs to come from the heart.

Girl Puppet: What's the big deal? I don't get it.

Boy Puppet: You never get it!

Adult Puppet: Thanksgiving IS a big deal. First of all it is just good manners to appreciate things that are given to you or done for you.

Frog Puppet: As the new symbol of thanksgiving the first thing that I plan to do is to give everyone a pair of glasses for their heart.

Adult Puppet: And why would you do that Mr. Frog?

Frog Puppet: Well, thankfulness is an attitude of the heart, right?

Adult  Puppet: You are right, Mr. Frog.

Frog Puppet: Well, I figure if folks had a heart that could see all the nice things people do and all the good things they have then maybe they would be more thankful. And if they saw all the good things they have then they would say thank you more often.

Girl Puppet: That's silly your heart doesn't have eyes.

Adult Puppet: No your heart doesn't have eyes, but everyone needs to begin to see the things they have been given and say thank you. We need to say thank you to people. Even more important we need to say thank you to God. Thankfulness is an attitude that is developed.

Boy Puppet: Like muscles?

Adult Puppet: Yes. You have to work at it. Start by beginning and ending your prayers with one specific thing you are thankful God has done for you or given you. Thank people when they do little things for you.

Girl Puppet: But I thought Thanksgiving was when the Pilgrims and Indians had this great big dinner and they all ate together.

Adult Puppet: Thanksgiving is America's National Day of thanks which was taken from the idea of the Pilgrim and Indian celebration of our founding fathers. Thanksgiving Day is a special day to remind us to be thankful all year long. Let's get started right now. I'm thankful for this church.

Girl Puppet: I'm thankful for my kitty cat.

Boy Puppet: I'm thankful for nice fat frogs to eat.

Frog Puppet: Hopping and hollering) I'm thankful I can hop faster than he can run. (Hops off stage with boy running behind him.)

Everyone exits running after the Frog.

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