Caroll Spinney

Caroll Spinney was a puppeteer, cartoonist, and speaker who was best known for performing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street for almost 50 years. He started out on Bozo's Big Top where he played various characters and puppets. In 1969, Caroll met Jim Henson and got an invitation to work on Sesame Street which he accepted. While on the show, Spinney created a new puppeteering technique, doing it while inside a character costume. This technique was used for some of his other characters like Bruno the Trashman and Shivers the Penguin. In 1967, he created and performed two puppet cats called Picklepuss and Pop which were rebuilt as Muppets in 1988 in their only appearance with the Muppets, in a home video. How did Caroll Spinney make the mouth of the Pop costume move and how did he puppeteer Picklepuss when he couldn't see out? I learned that he had dystonia in 2015 which stopped him from puppeteering but was still able to voice his characters. It was sad to hear that he retired in 2018 after filming the 50th season. What's worse was that a year later, Caroll died at home after living with dystonia for so long. Luckily, understudies Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson took over the roles of Big Bird and Oscar after Spinney's retirement. Fans all over the world were probably heartbroken that the legendary puppeteer on Sesame Street was gone forever. But he will never be forgotten by his wife Debra Spinney as well as his friends on the show. Caroll Spinney, even though you're gone, Big Bird and Oscar will go on making millions of kids very happy. You've been everywhere from New York to London to Japan. Right now, rest in peace and enjoy watching your successors perform your characters from heaven. You are a fantastic man Caroll. Sesame Street isn't the same without you Spinney!