A Giant (Half-Deflated) Kermit Floats Over Paris

If Paris were a stage, the grand square of Place Vendôme just found its headliner: a 19.75-metre inflatable version of Kermit the Frog, courtesy of Alex Da Corte.

Two individuals in green frog costumes, one waving and smiling, inside a bright room with large green decorations.

Dropped into the heart of the city as part of Art Basel Paris 2025’s public program (October 20-26), this amphibious icon hovers above the cobbles with arms spread and head sagging, echoing a 1991 drama when a real Kermit balloon snagged on a tree during the Macy’s Parade.

Person in a green frog costume with large eyes, waving their hand, next to a large green inflatable backdrop.

On the surface, it’s delightfully absurd. A giant inflated frog in one of Europe’s poshest squares. But Da Corte is playing with something deeper: the slip between pop-culture cheer and unease, the green of the frog as a symbol of “otherness” or eco-anxiety, and the idea that icons can deflate, literally and metaphorically.