Caroll Spinney

Caroll Edwin Spinney (born December 26th, 1933) has performed both Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird on Sesame Street for 42 years. In a 2008 Washington Times article, Spinney said that even though performing Big Bird is physically demanding work, the 78-year-old has no intention of stopping, saying, "I can't imagine willingly walking away from Big Bird & Oscar ." He has described his experience as Big Bird as "a lot like growing up to be Mickey Mouse... only taller!"

Spinney was born in Waltham, MA & was an accomplished artist before he started working as a live performer. He attended The Art Institute of Boston's College of Art & Design. While in the military, he created a comic strip under the name Ed Spinney. In the early 1960s he created an animated cartoon series called Crazy Crayon under the same name.

In 1955, Spinney headed to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he created the show Rascal Rabbit. He returned to Boston in 1958, appearing in the summer series The Judy & Goggle Show as a puppeteer opposite Judy Valentine, performing Goggle the bird.

When Judy & Goggle was moved out of its slot for station WHDH-TV's returning programming, both Spinney & Valentine were offered a berth on the Boston broadcast of Bozo's Big Top in 1959. Spinney played a variety of hand-puppet creations, usually in one-off skits, & also played Bozo's grandmother Grandma Nellie (in full clown-make-up) & several recurring costumed characters. These included Flip-Flop the Rag Doll, Kookie Kangaroo (a failed boxer), & Mr. Lion, "the fastest draw alive." The latter role combined Spinney's performing & cartoonist skills, creating quick sketches for the kids.

In the 1960s, Spinney created 2 cat puppets, Picklepuss & Pop, who he performed in various venues, including stage shows & some Bozo broadcasts. Picklepuss & Pop would later go on to perform with the Muppets just once, in the 1988 Jim Henson Play-Along video ''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Wow,_You're_a_Cartoonist! Wow, You're a Cartoonist!]''. In 1969, Spinney met Jim Henson at the Puppeteers' of America Festival in Salt Lake City, following an ambitious experimental presentation (hosted by Picklepuss), which combined different live-puppetry techniques with film projections. The show went awry due to various technical issues & other problems, but afterwards, Henson told him that he "liked what you were trying to do." Henson then asked Spinney if he wanted to work with him on a new children's show being developed. Spinney went on to star as the man behind Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird.

As Big Bird, Spinney traveled the world -- in the TV specials Big Bird in China & Big Bird in Japan, & in special Sesame Street episodes that took him to New Mexico & Hawaii. He has also starred in a feature film, Follow That Bird.

Spinney has guest starred as his characters on many other programs, including The Flip Wilson Show, Scrubs, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, 1 vs 100, The Muppet Show, & over 141 episodes of Hollywood Squares.

Spinney wrote an autobiography in 2003 titled The Wisdom of Big Bird (& the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch ): Lessons from a Life in Feathers. Caroll Spinney also wrote & illustrated How to Be a Grouch, a 1976 picture book that explains the world from Oscar 's point of view. Spinney also drew the picture of Mr. Hooper that Big Bird drew after Mr. Hooper died, & designed 1 of his characters, Bruno the Trashman. Spinney has also performed as Granny Bird, Big Bird's grandmother. The puppet used for Granny Bird is a spare Big Bird puppet, & Spinney provides her voice. As Granny Bird's appearances are often alongside Big Bird, (who is, as she stated, her "favorite grandson"), her voice is usually pre-recorded so that Spinney can perform Big Bird. His artwork was featured in a 2010/2011 exhibit at ToonSeum. A recently announced documentary about Spinney is in production.

Spinney currently resides in Woodstock, Connecticut, w/ his wife, Debra. The couple have 3 children.

Muppeteer Credits

 * Sesame Street: Granny Bird, Big Bird,  Oscar the Grouch ,  Bruno the Trashman , Big Bird (animated), ("The Street We Live On"),  Oscar the Grouch (animated) ("The Street We Live On"), Baby Monster (1969), Bennett Snerf (Anything Muppet version), Hippie, Lefty the Salesman (occasional), Shivers the Penguin (early 80s), Squeaky the Elf, Yellow Submarine Pumpkin pilot, various Anything Muppet characters
 * Wow, You're a Cartoonist!: Picklepuss & Pop
 * Christ mas Eve on Sesame Street:  Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird
 * The Muppet Movie:  Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird
 * The Great Muppet Caper:  Oscar the Grouch 
 * The Muppets Take Manhattan:  Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird
 * Follow That Bird:  Oscar the Grouch , Big Bird &  Bruno the Trashman 
 * A Muppet Family Christ mas:  Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird
 * Sesame Street: 20 & Still Counting:  Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird
 * Jim Henson's memorial service: Himself & as both  Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird
 * The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson: Big Bird
 * Elmo Saves Christ mas:  Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird
 * The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland:  Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird
 * Elmo 's Christmas Countdown:  Oscar the Grouch  & Big Bird
 * See also Big Bird Filmography &  Oscar the Grouch  Filmography for all other films, guest appearances & specials

Awards & Honors
Dates Unknown 1994 2000 2006 2007
 * Spinney has earned 4 Daytime Emmy Awards, 2 Gold Records, & 2 Grammy Awards.
 * As Big Bird, Spinney was honored with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
 * As Big Bird, Spinney was awarded the Library of Congress Living Legend Award in April 2000. According to the Library of Congress website, "the award is selected by the Library's curators & subject specialists to honor artists, writers, activists, filmmakers, physicians, entertainers, sports figures & public servants who have made significant contributions to America's diverse cultural, scientific & social heritage."
 * Daytime Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award
 * Outstanding Performer In A Children's Series (tie):, Spinney as Oscar the Grouch  & Kevin Clash as Elmo (transcript)