Caroll Spinney – the man behind (or, inside) Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, who has been on Sesame Street since the very first episode in 1969, who taught us all how to read and be good people – is retiring.
According to the New York Times, Caroll will officially hand over his signature characters to Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson, who have been keeping Big Bird and Oscar warm since it became too difficult for Caroll to keep up with the challenges of performing.
Although he will be retiring from performing, Caroll plans to remain a part of the Sesame Street family in more of an ambassadorial role. We hope this means more public appearances, much like his recent convention circuits.
The weight of this changing of the guards will not be lost on the world. Caroll Spinney has been a fixture in our childhoods for 50 years and over 4,000 episodes of Sesame Street, and he is responsible for bringing life to what might be the most influential character in children’s television history.
We thank Caroll for five decades of brilliant work, and we hope he enjoys his retirement!
Click here to help us celebrate the career of Caroll Spinney on the ToughPigs forum!
by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
