The puppeteer who portrayed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch is retiring after nearly 50 years on Sesame Street.
Puppeteer Caroll Spinney is retiring from the cast of Sesame Street. He announced his retirement on the show’s official Twitter page on Wednesday after spending the bulk of his life as the man behind Sesame Street's most iconic characters, including Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
Spinney is finally retiring at the age of 84, which is a ridiculous age to retire at, but apparently puppeteering keeps you young and spritely.
Having fallen in love with puppeteering at an early age, Spinney would practice throughout his childhood, even putting on shows to pay for his college tuition. After a brief stint in the US Air Force, he went on to do puppeteering full-time in Las Vegas and Boston throughout the 50s and 60s.
He first met Jim Henson, the creator of Sesame Street, at a puppetry festival in 1962. The two would forge a bond over the years that eventually saw Spinney take on the persona of Big Bird when Sesame Street debuted in 1969. Not only did Spinney perform in the giant muppet costume, but he also provided the voice of the enormous yellow bird.
From there, Spinney flourished. He traveled the world with the cast of Sesame Street, eventually getting his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his face on a US postage stamp, and was declared a “Living Legend” by the US Library of Congress.
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He has 6 Daytime Emmys, 2 Gold Records, 2 Grammys, a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award, and 4 honorary doctorates.
Not only is Spinney an accomplished puppeteer, he’s also a published author and illustrator. He co-authored his autobiography, The Wisdom of Big Bird, as well as creating the pictures that are scattered throughout. He’s also starred in his own feature-length film, Follow That Bird, and was the subject of a 2014 documentary, I Am Big Bird.
“Even as I step down from my roles, I feel I will always be Big Bird. And even Oscar, once in a while!” Spinney said in a statement. “They have given me great joy, led me to my true calling – and my wonderful wife! – and created a lifetime of memories that I will cherish forever.”