Caroll Spinney | |
|---|---|
 Spinney at the 2014Montclair Film Festival | |
| Born | Caroll Edwin Spinney (1933-12-26)December 26, 1933 Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 2019(2019-12-08) (aged 85) Woodstock,Connecticut, U.S. |
| Resting place | Spinney Family Cemetery, Woodstock, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Other names | Ed Spinney |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1955–2018 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | www |
| Signature | |
 | |
Caroll Edwin Spinney (December 26, 1933 – December 8, 2019) was an Americanpuppeteer, cartoonist, author, artist and speaker, most famous for playingBig Bird andOscar the Grouch onSesame Street from its inception in 1969 until 2018.
Spinney was born inWaltham,Massachusetts, on December 26, 1933, to Chester and Margaret Spinney. He had two older brothers, Donald and David. His mother, a native ofBolton,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 arummage sale three years later and put on a puppet show utilizing the monkey and a plush snake. The followingChristmas, his mother gave him aPunch 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 (subsequentlyActon-Boxborough Regional High School) inActon, Massachusetts, Spinney served in theU.S. Air Force.[2]
While in theAir Force, Spinney wrote and illustratedHarvey, acomic strip about military life.[3] He also animated a series of black-and-whitecartoons calledCrazy Crayon.[4]
In 1955, Spinney relocated toLas Vegas, where he performed in the showRascal Rabbit.[2] He returned toBoston, joiningThe Judy and Goggle Show in 1958 as apuppeteer "Goggle" toJudy Valentine's Judy. Throughout the 1960s, he performed on the Boston broadcast ofBozo'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 createdcartoon 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 inWow, You're a Cartoonist![8]
Spinney first metJim Henson in 1962 at a puppeteering festival, where Henson asked if he would like to "talk about theMuppets". 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 inUtah. 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 joinedSesame Street for the inaugural season in 1969. However, he nearly left after the first season because he was not getting acceptable pay, butKermit Love persuaded him to stay.[11] He performed Big Bird and Oscar inAustralia,[12]China,[13]Japan, and acrossEurope. As Big Bird and Oscar, Spinney conducted orchestras across theUS andCanada, including theBoston Pops, and visited theWhite House multiple times.[14] He provided the characters' voices on dozens of albums.[citation needed]
As Oscar, Spinney wroteHow to Be a Grouch, aWhitman Tell-A-Tale picture book. With J. Milligan, he wrote the 2003 bookThe Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers. Spinney narrated the audiobookStreet 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 ofDa Niao onZhima 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 carriedOscar's trash can. Bruno was used until the foam plastic of the character broke down.[17] Spinney also performed asGranny 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 inNight at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian in acameo appearance next toDarth Vader.[18]
On October 17, 2018, Spinney officially announced his retirement fromSesame 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 toMatt Vogel andEric Jacobson, respectively.[19]The Hollywood Reporter reported that Spinney was earning over $300,000 per year at the time of his retirement.[20]
Some of Spinney's artwork includes the 1996 painting calledLuna Bird, showingBig Bird walking on theMoon, and the 1997 paintingAutumn, showing him playing in autumn leaves.[21] Spinney also drew the drawing ofMr. Hooper that sits near Big Bird's nest.[22]
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 withdystonia, a neurological movement disorder that causes muscle contractions.[27]
Spinney died at his home inWoodstock, Connecticut, on December 8, 2019, at the age of 85.[28][29]
Spinney was honored with fourDaytime Emmy Awards for his portrayals on the series and twoGrammy Awards for his related recordings. Two recordings of Spinney's voice earnedGold Record status. For his body of work, Spinney received both a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 1994 and the Library of Congress' Living Legend award in 2000.[30]
At the33rd Daytime Emmy Awards in 2006, Spinney received theNational 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."[31]
Spinney is the subject of a full-length documentary by Copper Pot Pictures calledI Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story that premiered at the April 2014Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.[32]
Spinney was named one ofThe New Jewish Home's Eight Over Eighty Gala 2016 honorees.[33]
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.
| 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 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
