Big Bird

Lore & Background

Big Bird was performed by Caroll Spinney from 1969 to 2018. Matt Vogel began as an understudy in 1996 before becoming the character's full-time performer in 2018. Spinney was sick during the taping of a few first-season episodes, so Daniel Seagren took over the role. He also performed Big Bird when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969 and on Hollywood Squares in the 1970s. The costume was built for Jim Henson to perform, but when Henson tried it on, Kermit Love did not think that Henson was walking like a bird is supposed to walk, and so Henson decided not to perform Big Bird. Frank Oz was offered the part, but since he disliked performing full-body characters, he turned down the job.

The Big Bird costume did not have any openings that would allow the actor to see; a small television was strapped to the actor's chest to allow him to navigate. The camera was set up for Spinney by technician Walt Rauffer, on the suggestion of director Bob Myhrum. Rauffer rigged the camera to a harness strapped to Spinney's chest; Spinney reported that they called the camera 'the electronic bra'. When Big Bird's performer is performing on location and cannot get a video feed, a small hole is made in the costume to allow him to see. In such cases, Big Bird wears a necktie to cover the hole.

In scenes where Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch (both characters performed by Spinney) interact, a second puppeteer operated Oscar to Spinney's vocals. Beginning in 1997, Vogel would operate Big Bird and Oscar was performed by Spinney as usual until 2015. In 2015, due to being diagnosed with dystonia, Spinney no longer puppeteers the Big Bird suit full-time. Matt Vogel took over puppetry duties, manipulating the puppet to Spinney's vocals. Spinney continued to provide Big Bird's voice on the series for seasons 46 and 47. On October 17, 2018, Spinney announced his official retirement from both his characters.

Reader's Guide

Big Bird is a central figure on Sesame Street, representing a childlike innocence and curiosity. His significance lies in his role as a gentle, six-year-old character who learns about the world alongside the show's young audience. The character's design—an eight-foot-two-inch flightless bird—and his many talents (roller skating, ice skating, dancing, swimming, singing, writing poetry, drawing, and riding a unicycle) make him memorable. His frequent misunderstandings, such as singing the alphabet as a single word or mispronouncing names like 'Mr. Looper' for Mr. Hooper, add humor and relatability. In 2000, Big Bird was named a Living Legend by the United States Library of Congress. The character also entered US political discourse when Mitt Romney referenced him during the first presidential debate on October 3, 2012, as an example of spending cuts. Big Bird's legacy includes international adaptations, such as a blue bird named Pino in the Dutch version and a green parrot cousin named Abelardo Montoya in the Latin American version. The costume, built by Kermit Love, weighs ten pounds for the body and four pounds for the head, and is partially assembled using turkey tail feathers, with Sesame Workshop rejecting roughly 90 percent of feathers selected.

Did You Know?

• The Big Bird costume has no openings for the performer to see; a small television is strapped to the actor's chest.
• Big Bird's species has been variously described as a canary, golden condor, lark, ibis, or turkey, but he is always flightless.
• During the first presidential debate on October 3, 2012, Mitt Romney used Big Bird as an example of spending cuts.