Normally, we would applaud The New York Times for stripping away the veneer of public appearances and showing what's really going on, but when it comes to revealing the hand controlling Kermit the Frog, it's kind of a buzz kill.

Look at the main photo for Bats blog's report of the Yankees' home opener: You can clearly see not only the puppeteer's wrist, but his or her other hand steadying what is now painfully obviously a Kermit hand puppet. What happened to Kermit's legs? Don't start telling me there's more than one Kermit for different occasions! The illusions, they shatter:

All the other photographers played along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's PR stunt. The New York Daily News tweeted one with a strategically placed backstop wall:

And the NYCGov Tumblr cut off Kermit's lower half with the edge of its photo:

Deputy Mayor Howie Wolfson went for the face shot (though if you look closely you can see some of the black apron that makes up Kermit's lower half):

But darn it, New York Times, you just had to blow the lid off this one without a thought to those who would prefer to imagine Kermit the Frog as a living, breathing, felt being. Hope you enjoy that last shred of our childhood you just stole.

[h/t Hannah Agatston / Twitter]

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Adam Martin