Carroll Spinney never wanted to be in the spotlight. This is probably a good thing, considering he’s constantly overshadowed by a six foot eight inch primrose-yellow bird.
Carroll Spinney is Big Bird. He originated the role in 1969 and continues to play it today at the age of 81. Recently a documentary debuted chronicling Spinney’s time on Sesame Street. Titled “I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story” the film provides an intimate look at the man behind the bird.
Spinney’s story starts back in Waltham, Massachusetts. After seeing a puppet show at the age of five, he instantly knew what he wanted to do with his life.
“Somehow, I was shy enough to not care about being seen,” he told ABC News. “And I figured if I could ever get on a TV show with a character that I enjoyed doing, it might even get famous.”
As a young man, Spinney performed puppetry on local children’s TV and around town. It was at a puppetry festival where he first met Jim Henson. Spinney’s performance at the festival was severely affected by a major technical glitch, but Henson was still impressed with Spinney’s ideas. He approached Spinney after the show and said, “I liked what you were trying to do.”
And so began collaboration for the ages. It was Spinney’s idea to make Big Bird a perennial six-year old with an innocent, child-like view of the world. He also provides the voice and, of course, wears the costume.
Operating the costume is incredibly complicated. Spinney’s left arm controls BB’s left wing, but his right arm controls Big Bird’s head. The head weighs five pounds with moveable eyes and an 18-inch long beak. A loop of fishing line around his left wrist also controls Big Bird’s right wing.
Spinney can’t even see outside of the costume directly. Instead, visibility is through an LED screen placed inside the suit. When Big Bird appears in public, Spinney uses a slightly different suit – one with an eyehole which is covered up by a tie.
Big Bird’s voice is very similar to Spinney’s own, only higher. Originally, Big Bird was conceived as a goofy guy. As Spinney developed the voice, however, he also changed the character. As recounted to NPR, Spinney told Henson that “I think Big Bird might be more useful to the show if he were a child learning all the things we were teaching in show.”
If you’re like us, you probably never thought much about the person inside the suit. That’s really a testament to the amazing talents of Spinney. Despite being shoved into a claustrophobia-
Turns out, Big Bird is more than just a big bird. Inside the costume, there’s an even bigger hero.
