Carroll Spinney And A Dancing Big Bird: Thoughts On Childhood Ending

A few years ago, I went to the Magic City Con. A nice man and his wife gave a talk about a Muppet that would talk, dance and travel the world. This bird fished for boots, saw masks made with Vaseline and strips of tape, and walked under mile-high sunflowers. He also attended festivals and may have once gone to the moon if not for a chance accident.

Carroll Spinney didn’t remember his performance in Elmo Saves Christmas or dancing with his wife on video. But he was very kind and signed the print that I got for my younger brother. For him, being Big Bird and Oscar made an impact on every kid who would watch PBS from a young age.

Remembering The Bird

Carroll Spinney died. He was in his home on December 8, with his family. While obviously he was retiring due to age and health, it is still a blow. Sesame Street has changed quite a bit over the years, owing in part to HBO acquiring the franchise and a good portion of the established cast leaving. These included mainstays like Sonia Delgado, who played Fix-It Shop repairwoman Maria.

Despite all the changes, many of us can still find vintage Sesame Street from back when the show was revolutionary and defiant of the status quo. It featured people of different ethnicities on camera before…