Caroll Spinney

Last updated

Caroll Spinney
Carroll Spinney 2014.jpg
Spinney at the 2014 Montclair Film Festival
Born
Caroll Edwin Spinney

(1933-12-26)December 26, 1933
DiedDecember 8, 2019(2019-12-08) (aged 85)
Other namesEd Spinney
Occupations
  • Puppeteer
  • cartoonist
  • author
  • artist
  • speaker
Years active1955–2018
Spouses
  • Janice Spinney
    (m. 1960;div. 1971)
  • Debra Jean Gilroy
    (m. 1979)
Children3
Website www.carollspinney.com
Signature
Caroll Spinney signature.svg

Caroll Edwin Spinney (December 26, 1933 – December 8, 2019) was an American puppeteer, cartoonist, author, artist and speaker, most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street from its inception in 1969 until 2018.

Contents

Early life

Spinney was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, on December 26, 1933, to Chester and Margaret Spinney. He had two older brothers Bruce and Glenn. His mother, a native of Bolton, England, named him Caroll despite him being male because he was born the day after Christmas. He drew and painted from childhood, and developed a love of puppeteering when he saw a performance of "Three Little Kittens" at the age of five. This motivated him to purchase a monkey puppet from a rummage sale three years later and put on a puppet show utilizing the monkey and a plush snake. The following Christmas, his mother gave him a Punch and Judy puppet theater. He continued puppeteering throughout his childhood and adolescence and used his performances to raise money for college tuition. [1]

After he graduated from Acton High School (subsequently Acton-Boxborough Regional High School) in Acton, Massachusetts, Spinney served in the U.S. Air Force. [2]

Career

Comics and cartoons

While in the Air Force, Spinney wrote and illustrated Harvey, a comic strip about military life. [3] He also animated a series of black-and-white cartoons called Crazy Crayon. [4]

Early puppeteering

In 1955, Spinney relocated to Las Vegas, where he performed in the show Rascal Rabbit. [2] He returned to Boston, joining The Judy and Goggle Show in 1958 as a puppeteer "Goggle" to Judy Valentine's Judy. Throughout the 1960s, he performed on the Boston broadcast of Bozo's Big Top , where he played various costumed characters which included Flip Flop the Rag Doll, Mr. Rabbit, Kookie the Boxing Kangaroo as well as Mr. Lion, [5] who created cartoon drawings from the names of children participating in the show. [6] Through that decade, he was also a commercial artist and animator.[ citation needed ]

Spinney created a puppet duo consisting of two cats named Picklepuss and Pop, which he utilized throughout the 1960s. [7] Many years later, Spinney's Picklepuss and Pop puppets were characters in Wow, You're a Cartoonist! [8]

As a Sesame Street puppeteer

Spinney with Oscar the Grouch, May 2014 Carroll Spinney and Oscar the Grouch 2014.jpg
Spinney with Oscar the Grouch, May 2014
Spinney at the New York Comic Con in Manhattan in October 2010 10.9.10CarollSpinneyByLuigiNovi1.jpg
Spinney at the New York Comic Con in Manhattan in October 2010

Spinney first met Jim Henson in 1962 at a puppeteering festival, where Henson asked if he would like to "talk about the Muppets". As Spinney failed to realize the question was an employment offer, the conversation never came to pass. [9]

In 1969, Spinney performed at a Puppeteers of America festival in Utah. His show was a mixture of live actors and puppets but was ruined by an errant spotlight that washed out the animated backgrounds. Henson was once again in attendance and noticed Spinney's performance. "I liked what you were trying to do," Henson said, and he asked once more if they could "talk about the Muppets". This time, they did have the conversation, and Spinney joined the Muppeteers full-time by late 1969. [10]

Spinney joined Sesame Street for the inaugural season in 1969. However, he nearly left after the first season because he was not getting acceptable pay, but Kermit Love persuaded him to stay. [11] He performed Big Bird and Oscar in Australia, [12] China, [13] Japan, and across Europe. As Big Bird and Oscar, Spinney conducted orchestras across the US and Canada, including the Boston Pops, and visited the White House multiple times. [14] He provided the characters' voices on dozens of albums.[ citation needed ]

As Oscar, Spinney wrote How to Be a Grouch, a Whitman Tell-A-Tale picture book. With J. Milligan, he wrote the 2003 book The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers. Spinney narrated the audiobook Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis. [15] His work has been studied by other international puppeteers who structure their performance styles after his, most evidently with full-body puppet costumes. For example, in the Chinese performance of Da Niao on Zhima Jie , the costume is an exact physical replica of Big Bird. [16]

Though Big Bird and Oscar were his main characters, Spinney also performed as other characters. At one point, he created and performed Bruno the Trashman, a full-bodied puppet representing a garbage man, who also carried Oscar's trash can. Bruno was used until the foam plastic of the character broke down. [17] Spinney also performed as Granny Bird, Big Bird's grandmother. The puppet used for Granny Bird was actually a spare Big Bird puppet, and Spinney provided her voice. As Granny Bird's appearances were often alongside Big Bird (who is, as she stated, her "favorite grandson"), her voice was usually pre-recorded so that Spinney could perform Big Bird. Spinney reprised his role as Oscar the Grouch in Night at the Museum sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian in a cameo appearance next to Darth Vader. [18]

On October 17, 2018, Spinney officially announced his retirement from Sesame Street after 49 years. His last performances as Big Bird and Oscar were recorded as part of the series' landmark 50th season, which aired in 2020, albeit Spinney's final recording session as his characters were ultimately not used in the broadcast version of the episode. The roles of Big Bird and Oscar were handed over to Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson, respectively. [19] The Hollywood Reporter reported that Spinney was earning over $300,000 per year at the time of his retirement. [20]

Artwork

Some of Spinney's artwork includes the 1996 painting called Luna Bird, showing Big Bird walking on the Moon, and the 1997 painting Autumn, showing him playing in autumn leaves. [21] Spinney also drew the drawing of Mr. Hooper that sits near Big Bird's nest. [22]

Personal life and death

Spinney had three children from his first marriage to Janice Spinney, whom he married in 1960. [23] [24] Spinney and Janice divorced in 1971. [25] Spinney was married to his second wife, Debra Jean Gilroy, from 1979 until his death. [26] In 2015, Spinney was diagnosed with dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that causes muscle contractions. [27]

On November 8, 2019, Spinney and Big Bird (played by Matt Vogel) participated in a lighting ceremony, where, by mayoral proclamation, the day was named "Caroll Spinney Day" in New York City. [28]

Spinney died at his home in Woodstock, Connecticut, on December 8, 2019, at the age of 85. [29] [30] He was surrounded by his wife Debra and three children.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and honors

Spinney was honored with four Daytime Emmy Awards for his portrayals on the series and two Grammy Awards for his related recordings. Two recordings of Spinney's voice earned Gold Record status. For his body of work, Spinney received both a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994 and the Library of Congress' Living Legend award in 2000. [31]

At the 33rd Daytime Emmy Awards in 2006, Spinney received the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Lifetime Achievement Award. "I am elated and amazed to receive this honor from those who are committed to the best of what television and media have to offer, for doing what I've always wanted to do." [32]

Spinney is the subject of a full-length documentary by Copper Pot Pictures called I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story that premiered at the April 2014 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. [33]

Spinney was named one of The New Jewish Home's Eight Over Eighty Gala 2016 honorees. [34]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar the Grouch</span> Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street

Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character created by Jim Henson and Jon Stone for the PBS/HBO children's television program Sesame Street. He has a green body, no visible nose, and lives in a trash can. Oscar's favorite thing is trash, as evidenced by the song "I Love Trash", with a running theme being his collection of seemingly useless items. Although the term "Grouch" aptly describes Oscar's misanthropic interaction with the other characters, it also refers to his species. The character was originally performed by Caroll Spinney from the show's first episode until Spinney's retirement in 2018. Eric Jacobson began understudying for the character in 2015, and officially took on the full role after Spinney's retirement in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bird</span> Sesame Street character

Big Bird is a Muppet character designed by Jim Henson and built by Kermit Love for the children's television show Sesame Street. An eight-foot two-inch (249 cm) tall bright yellow anthropomorphic bird, he can roller skate, ice skate, dance, swim, sing, write poetry, draw, and ride a unicycle. Despite this wide array of talents, he is prone to frequent misunderstandings, on one occasion even singing the alphabet as one long word, pondering what it could mean. He would refer to grocer Mr. Hooper as "Mr. Looper", among other mispronunciations. He lives in a large nest behind the 123 Sesame Street brownstone and right next to Oscar the Grouch's trash can. He also has a teddy bear named Radar. In Season 46, Big Bird's large nest is now sitting within a small, furnished maple tree, and is no longer hidden by used construction doors.

<i>The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland</i> 1999 musical adventure comedy film

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland is a 1999 American musical adventure comedy film directed by Gary Halvorson in his feature film debut. This was the second of the two theatrical feature films to be based on the children's television series Sesame Street, after Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird. It stars Mandy Patinkin and Vanessa Williams alongside Muppet performers Kevin Clash, Caroll Spinney, Steve Whitmire, and Frank Oz.

Martin P. Robinson is an American puppeteer who works for the Jim Henson Company. He is best known for his work on Sesame Street, having performed the characters of Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Oscar the Grouch's pet worm Slimey, Oscar's niece Irvine, Buster the Horse, and Shelley the Turtle for over 40 years. He also designed, built, and performed the Audrey II puppets for Little Shop of Horrors. Robinson performed the characters Riff the Cat and Clef the dad on Allegra's Window, and was an animatronic puppeteer for Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He was responsible for training the puppeteers on Sesame Tree, and performed the Cat in the Hat in the second season of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kermit Love</span> American puppet designer

Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love was an American puppet maker, puppeteer, costume designer, and actor in children's television and on Broadway. He was best known as a designer and builder with the Muppets, in particular those on Sesame Street.

Julie on Sesame Street was a variety special broadcast in the United States on ABC on November 23, 1973 at 9 PM ET / PT. Sponsored on ABC by technology/telecommunications conglomerate GTE, the special starred Julie Andrews and Perry Como, and they were joined by several of Jim Henson's Muppets from the PBS children's series, Sesame Street. No human members of the Sesame Street cast appeared in this special. Andrews and "special guest star" Como interacted with the Muppet characters, sharing comedic banter and singing songs such as "It's Not Easy Being Green" and "Picture a World" on the Sesame Street "neighborhood" set.

<i>Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird</i> 1985 feature film featuring Sesame Street characters

Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird is a 1985 American musical road comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis and written by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. Based on the children's television series Sesame Street created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, it was the first theatrical feature-length Sesame Street film. It stars Muppet performers Caroll Spinney, Jim Henson and Frank Oz alongside Sandra Bernhard, John Candy, Chevy Chase, Joe Flaherty, Waylon Jennings, and Dave Thomas with Sesame Street regulars Linda Bove, Emilio Delgado, Loretta Long, Sonia Manzano, Bob McGrath, Roscoe Orman, Alaina Reed, and Kermit Love in supporting roles and the voices of Laraine Newman, Brian Hohlfeld, Cathy Silvers, Eddie Deezen, and Sally Kellerman. It tells the story of Big Bird being assigned to the Dodo Family by a social worker working for the Feathered Friends as he soon runs away from them to get back to Sesame Street as he is searched by the social worker, his friends, and two con artists.

<i>Big Bird in China</i> 1983 television film directed by Jon Stone

Big Bird in China is a 1983 television special based on the children's television series Sesame Street produced by Children's Television Workshop and China Central Television. It was originally broadcast on May 29, 1983, on NBC. Big Bird, Barkley and Little Xiao Fu travel through China to find Feng Huang, the Phoenix bird.

<i>The Muppet Alphabet Album</i> 1971 studio album by Sesame Street

The Muppet Alphabet Album is a Sesame Street learning album based on the children's television series. It was first released in 1971 by Columbia, then reissued in 1976, and by Golden Music in 1990, and by Sony Wonder in 1996, and by Koch Records in 2008. Sony Wonder and Koch Records's reissues included Elmo singing a version of the song, "ABC-DEF-GHI", and called it "Sing the Alphabet". The album features one song for each letter in the alphabet, performed by a variety of Sesame Street characters. Each of the songs uses a different musical style.

Matthew James Vogel is an American puppeteer, actor and director. Vogel has worked for Sesame Workshop and The Muppets Studio. He has performed for the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Oobi. He has been the performer of Kermit the Frog since 2017 and the full-time performer of Big Bird since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Jacobson</span> American puppeteer

Eric Jacobson is an American puppeteer. He is best known for his involvement with the Muppets, performing Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle for The Muppets Studio, as well as Sesame Street characters Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, and Guy Smiley—all roles that he inherited from the characters' original performers, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, and Jim Henson.

Out to Lunch is a prime-time television special that was broadcast on December 10, 1974, on ABC, from 9 to 10pm ET. It mixed the Sesame Street Muppets and the cast of The Electric Company along with guest stars Elliott Gould, Barbara Eden and Carol Burnett. This is the first and one of the few Sesame Street-related productions directly produced by The Jim Henson Company, then-named Henson Associates.

Elmo's Christmas Countdown is a 2007 television Christmas film, featuring the characters from Sesame Street. It was first aired on December 23, 2007, on ABC and starred Ben Stiller.

A wide variety of characters have appeared on the American children's television series Sesame Street. Many of the characters are Muppets, which are puppets made in Jim Henson's distinctive puppet-creation style. Most of the non-Muppet characters are human characters, but there are many characters that are animated.

"I Love Trash" is a song with music and lyrics by Jeff Moss. It was sung by the Muppet character Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. The song was first sung in the first season of the series and has been re-taped several times.

Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration is a television special which was first broadcast on PBS on March 6, 1994 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the educational television series Sesame Street. Its home-video version, Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years was released on October 29, 1993. Caroll Spinney plays Big Bird, reading the title card in a voiceover. Celebrity guests and the Muppets sing songs together.

Sesame Street, Special is a pledge-drive special that is based on the children's series, Sesame Street. It aired on PBS stations in March 1988 as part of PBS' March fundraiser.

<i>Sesame Streets 50th Anniversary Celebration</i> 2019 TV Special

Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration is a 2019 musical television special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street. Hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the special aired on November 9, 2019, on HBO, followed by a November 17 airing on PBS. It stars the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, including Kermit the Frog, from the past and present. Many retired cast members and characters reunited on the street for the first time in years since their last appearances. This is the final Sesame Street special to feature long-time Muppet performer Caroll Spinney, who performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for 50 years as well as the cast members Emilio Delgado and Bob McGrath, who played Luis and Bob, respectively, for 45 years.

References

  1. Spinney, Caroll (2003). The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch). Villard. pp.  9–11. ISBN   0-375-50781-7.
  2. 1 2 "A Life Inside Big Bird". NPR. May 5, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  3. "Caroll Spinney".
  4. "I AM BIG BIRD: Exclusive CRAZY CRAYON". Copper Pot Pictures. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2017 via YouTube.
  5. Nyren, Erin (December 8, 2019). "Caroll Spinney, Puppeteer Behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, Dies at 85". Variety. Retrieved December 9, 2019. Before joining "Sesame Street," Spinney worked at "Bozo's Big Top" in Boston following his service in the Air Force, which he joined at 19. He portrayed several characters including Kookie the Boxing Kangaroo and Mr. Lion, though he eventually left the show, winding up in Salt Lake City, performing at the fateful festival where he met Henson.
  6. Copperpotpics (July 31, 2012). "I AM BIG BIRD: Exclusive THE BOZO YEARS". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  7. Spinney, Caroll (2003). The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch). Villard. pp.  18–19. ISBN   0-375-50781-7.
  8. "The Art of Caroll Spinney Comes to Pittsburgh". Tough Pigs. November 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  9. Spinney, Caroll (2003). The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch). Villard. p.  24. ISBN   0-375-50781-7.
  10. Stephenson, Kathy; Horiuchi, Vince (November 15, 2009). "Q is for 'quiz': Celebrating 40 years of 'Sesame Street'". The Salt Lake Tribune .
  11. Spinney, Caroll (2003). The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch). Villard. pp.  63–65. ISBN   0-375-50781-7.
  12. "I AM BIG BIRD: Exclusive OSCAR IN AUSTRALIA". Copper Pot Pictures. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2017 via YouTube.
  13. Spinney, Caroll (2003). The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch). Villard. pp.  82–83, 88. ISBN   0-375-50781-7.
  14. Wadler, Joyce (November 11, 1998). "30 Years as an 8 foot bird". The New York Times . Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  15. Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street Audio CD – Abridged, Audiobook, CD. ISBN   1593161409.
  16. "I AM BIG BIRD: Exclusive TRAINING CHINESE BIG BIRD". Copper Pot Pictures. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2017 via YouTube.
  17. Spinney, Caroll (2003). The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch). Villard. pp.  62. ISBN   0-375-50781-7.
  18. "Night At The Museum 2". TV Guide . Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  19. Itzkoff, Dave (October 17, 2018). "Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, Leaves 'Sesame Street' After Nearly 50 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  20. Guthrie, Marisa (February 6, 2019). "Where 'Sesame Street' Gets Its Funding — and How It Nearly Went Broke". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  21. "Caroll Spinney". Caroll Spinney. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  22. Davis, Michael (December 26, 2008). Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. Penguin. ISBN   978-1-4406-5875-4.
  23. Fallon, Kevin (May 3, 2015). "My Secret Life as Big Bird: The Dark Past and Sunny Days of Caroll Spinney". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  24. Hageman, William (May 4, 2015). "Caroll Spinney is Big Bird, for 45 years now". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  25. O'Sullivan, Michael (June 25, 2015). "'I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story' goes inside the fluffy feathers". The Washington Post . Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  26. Coffey, Denise (November 13, 2015). "Big Bird Offers This Advice: Believe in Yourself". Hartford Courant . Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  27. Dalton, Andrew (December 8, 2019). "Sesame Street puppeteer Caroll Spinney dies at age 85". AP News. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  28. "Empire State Building to Light Tower in Celebration of Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary; The Mayor's Office of New York City Declares "Caroll Spinney Day" to Honor Puppeteer Behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch" (Press release). Sesame Workshop. November 8, 2019. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020.
  29. McFadden, Robert D. (December 8, 2019). "Caroll Spinney, Big Bird's Alter Ego on 'Sesame Street,' Is Dead at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  30. "Remembering Legendary Puppeteer Caroll Spinney". Sesame Workshop. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  31. "Caroll Spinney, AKA "Big Bird" to Address Nation's Pediatricians". AAP.org. American Academy of Pediatrics. October 15, 2011. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  32. "Sesame Street's Caroll Spinney, alter ego of Big Bird and Oscar to receive National Television Academy'S Lifetime Achievement Award". emmyonline.com. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  33. DeMara, Bruce (April 23, 2014). "Hot Docs: Inside Big Bird, and the man who (still) plays him". Toronto Star . Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  34. "Caroll Spinney". The New Jewish Home. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
Preceded by
None
Performer of Big Bird
1969–2018
Succeeded by
Preceded by
None
Performer of Oscar the Grouch
1969–2018
Succeeded by
Preceded by
None
Performer of Bruno the Trashman
1979–1993
Succeeded by
None