Carol Spinney is dead - RIP Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch

[Computer Boy]

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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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 Dystonia for some time.

Since 1969, Caroll’s kind and loving view of the world helped shape and define Sesame Street. His enormous talent and outsized heart were perfectly suited to playing the larger-than-life yellow bird who brought joy to countless fans of all ages around the world, and his lovably cantankerous grouch gave us all permission to be cranky once in a while. In these characters, Caroll Spinney gave something truly special to the world. With deepest admiration, Sesame Workshop is proud to carry his legacy – and his beloved characters – into the future. Our hearts go out to his beloved wife, Debra, and all of his children and grandchildren. We will miss him dearly.

 

[Henry Bemis]

Dust off the Mr. Hooper scene?

 

[Duncan Hills Coffee]

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.

 

[sasazuka]

Dust off the Mr. Hooper scene?

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.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

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.

 

[Zbk3VmLfujjzjxBd43tL]

Mitt Romney finally killed Big Bird. RIP.

 

[CausticMinory]

Big bird can finally see Mr Hooper again.

F my big grouchy bird friend

 

[A Grey Cat]

At least Jim and hooper won't be lonely anymore.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

Ah man, that’s legitimately incredibly sad.

 

[Brit Crust]

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.

 

[Mako_Spark]

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

 

[sasazuka]

Another fun Caroll Spinney moment, offscreen as Oscar the Grouch singing World War II-era Pepsi and War Bond radio jingles during this Rapid T. Rabbit segment featuring Telly Monster.

 

[Kiwi Lime Pie]

Dust off the Mr. Hooper scene?

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.

The fact that Spinney has performed such a physically demanding and challenging puppet for nearly a half century is nothing short of amazing.

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. Ⓕ

 

[Bluey]

RIP.

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.

 

[Quixotic Son]

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.

 

[CakeCutey]

Danm that sucks.
Rest in piece Big Bird may you find enteral peace.

 

[FluffyTehFennekin]

Awww, I don’t what to say, but I hope Mr. Spinney is looking at us up from heaven. RIP.

 

[Overcast]

Fuck man. Not Big Bird.

Rest in Peace Mr. Spinney. You did God's work.

 

[RumblyTumbly]

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.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

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.