Sesame Street legend Caroll Spinney retires from Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch roles

EW ^ | October 17, 2018

[SMGFan]

Caroll Spinney has been with Sesame Street since the beginning. For nearly 50 years, since the show first debuted in 1969, he breathed life into two of the most popular puppets, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, for viewers. Now, at the age of 84, Spinney is stepping down from his post and passing the reins to two new actors.

“Big Bird brought me so many places, opened my mind and nurtured my soul,” he said in a statement announcing his retirement. “And I plan to be an ambassador for Sesame Workshop for many years to come. After all, we’re a family! But now it’s time for two performers that I have worked with and respected – and actually hand-picked for the guardianship of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch – to take my alter-egos into their hands and continue to give them life.”

[SMGFan]

I was watching back in 1969 when it began. Along with Captain Kangaroo

[G Larry]

Oh! Oh! OH!

Me, Me, Me!

I'll never be too old to play Oscar the Grouch!!!!

[Phillyred]

Get Big Bird off the dole!

[hal ogen]

Hasn’t this taxpayer - funded program wasted enough money?

[albie]

“Opened his mind and nurtured his soul”?! Playing a giant politically correct bird who’s on the government dole for 50 years!? So is his retirement an EBT card, no limits, secrion

[wbill]

In 1969, it could be argued that there was a need for children's educational shows such as this. I grew up on Sesame Street and the Electric Company, and Mr Rogers (and also a dozen other kid's PBS shows...but it's not worth the digression).

Should it have been taxpayer funded? Certainly debatable, but I received a fair bit of education from those taxpayer dollars, as did all my classmates.

But now - Captain Kangaroo and Mr Rogers are long gone. The Electric Company is entertainment for kids, not education. And Sesame Street, IIRC, is a cash cow for HBO, though supporters of PBS probably want to keep that bit quiet.

Time to cut the cord, IMO.

[jalisco555]

I watched uncounted hours of this show with my son back in the 80's. So much that I even started dreaming about it and started to wish I could live there. I'm sure it's gone downhill since then but it was great stuff at the time and a real bonding thing with my son and I. Plus, they knew that part of their audience was adults and made a point to aim some of the humor at us.

Now, Barney the Dinosaur, on the other hand...

[Pilgrim's Progress]

Does that mean that Big Bird is no longer a Scientologist?

[stylecouncilor]

Ping

[Buckeye McFrog]

That suit looks like it must be heavy as hell. Impressed that he can still walk around in it at 84.