Sesame Street
Caroll Spinney, the legendary puppeteer behind beloved Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, died today, December 8th 2019, at age 85 at his home in Connecticut, after living with...
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Carol Spinney is dead - RIP Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch
- Thread starter Computer Boy
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Dust off the Mr. Hooper scene?
It's unreal to think about the fact this dude voiced Big Bird for 50 years. Spinney had been voicing these characters for much longer than 90% of this website has been alive. You almost never see actors play the same character for more than a decade, but Spinney just kept going and I have to respect that, especially since it's a show as influential as Sesame Street.
RIP man, you deserve it.
RIP man, you deserve it.
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Here's a different scene where Mr. Hooper is still alive featuring what I consider to be Caroll Spinney's best song on the show (but as Oscar the Grouch rather than Big Bird) and one that is very appropriate for this time of year.
Childhood is fleeting, but this man managed to keep it alive well into his elderly years. The Big Blue Bird of sadness may have visited us today, and it'll make Follow That Bird that much more hard to watch, but take comfort: Jim and Carol have now reunited.
Godspeed, Mr. Spinney.
Godspeed, Mr. Spinney.
Save the Loli
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Mitt Romney finally killed Big Bird. RIP.
Big bird can finally see Mr Hooper again.
F my big grouchy bird friend
F my big grouchy bird friend
At least Jim and hooper won't be lonely anymore.
Ah man, that’s legitimately incredibly sad.
Once again, thank you for making Sesame Street an important part of my early childhood, Caroll Spinney.
Edited to avoid double-posting: A neat video I found. I've posted it earlier today in a different but still relevant thread.
The fact that Spinney has performed such a physically demanding and challenging puppet for nearly a half century is nothing short of amazing.
Edited to avoid double-posting: A neat video I found. I've posted it earlier today in a different but still relevant thread.
The fact that Spinney has performed such a physically demanding and challenging puppet for nearly a half century is nothing short of amazing.
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Mako_Spark
kiwifarms.net
Vale, a modest and unassuming man who made magic from two of the world's most famous puppets... if you haven't seen the doco on him\. I highly recommend it. Thanks for being around ti create these
I forget where I heard or read it, but I believe Big Bird was envisioned as having the curious, childlike nature of a five year-old/kindergartner. With that in mind, it helps explain the character better in retrospect and makes the Mr. Hooper scene all that more powerful -- especially when considering how many five year-old children viewed that episode in real time and found themselves having to cope with the death of a favorite character for the first time. Big Bird's reactions, especially the confusion, to the fact Mr. Hooper was never coming back probably matched up closely with those of the target viewing audience.
I'm not sure why I didn't recall Carol was also the puppeteer behind Oscar until hearing news of his passing, but it just goes to show how versatile he was in giving life to two characters who were quite the opposites of each other in both personalities and ease of portrayal.
Agreed. I knew he used his hands to move Big Bird's mouth, but I didn't know everything else contained in the video you posted. The fact Carol was able to do that for as long as he did, and still have fun doing it the entire time, is a huge testament to his dedication. I hope he is somehow remembered for his years of service and contributions to the Sesame Street franchise. To say the show lost a good guy somehow seems understated.
RIP, Carol Spinney. Ⓕ
RIP.
He preformed another large suited Muppet character that was basically a guy that hauled around Oscar's can.
muppet.fandom.com
A great performer.
He preformed another large suited Muppet character that was basically a guy that hauled around Oscar's can.
Bruno the Trashman
Bruno the Trashman is a sanitation engineer on Sesame Street who acts as personal chauffeur to Oscar the Grouch. He was first seen on the show in Episode 1259. During the 1970s, the Sesame Street cast made live performances across the country, but there was no effective way to get Oscar to enter...
muppet.fandom.com
A great performer.
Big Bird and Oscar were a huge part of my childhood and so many others. He did his job well and inspired millions to see the world the the eyes of a child.
Awww, I don’t what to say, but I hope Mr. Spinney is looking at us up from heaven. RIP. 
RumblyTumbly
kiwifarms.net
This is really sad. Oscar was my favorite of the SS puppets, and he also brought a ton of heart and humor to Big Bird.
One of my favorite Big Bird moments actually came in a mini-doc about Jim Henson. They actually had some of the Muppets interviewed as part of the bit, and Big Bird recalled singing "It Ain't Easy Being Green" at Jim Henson's memorial.
"They wanted me to sing the song...and I sang it...even though I'm yellow"
I mean come on, that's adorable! lol
Follow That Bird is also one of the best examples I can think of for how to do a straight up kids movie right. Its cute, funny, has a good message that isn't battered over the kids' heads, and has some creative and heartfelt moments. No cynicism, and not a lot of stuff for the adults, but as something to entertain children, it is about as good as it gets. And Big Bird's "Blue Bird" song and Oscar's "Grouch National Anthem" were my favorite parts as a kid.
One of my favorite Big Bird moments actually came in a mini-doc about Jim Henson. They actually had some of the Muppets interviewed as part of the bit, and Big Bird recalled singing "It Ain't Easy Being Green" at Jim Henson's memorial.
"They wanted me to sing the song...and I sang it...even though I'm yellow"
I mean come on, that's adorable! lol
Follow That Bird is also one of the best examples I can think of for how to do a straight up kids movie right. Its cute, funny, has a good message that isn't battered over the kids' heads, and has some creative and heartfelt moments. No cynicism, and not a lot of stuff for the adults, but as something to entertain children, it is about as good as it gets. And Big Bird's "Blue Bird" song and Oscar's "Grouch National Anthem" were my favorite parts as a kid.
Reminder that we could have lost him far sooner than we did:
Not that this makes his passing any less sad, but the fact he lived this long instead of being another casualty in one of the worst shuttle disasters of all time is definitely a good thing in hindsight.
Not that this makes his passing any less sad, but the fact he lived this long instead of being another casualty in one of the worst shuttle disasters of all time is definitely a good thing in hindsight.
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