Big Bird Tells All

Big Bird’s been around for 40 years, but there’s still plenty to learn about our giant feathered friend.  For instance, did you know he’s actually a Giant Golden Condor?  (I didn’t.)

Over at the New York Times, Big Bird tells all in Q & A session with some of his biggest fans.  Here are the highlights:

• For a long time, everyone thought that Snuffy was Big Bird’s imaginary friend, but creators became concerned that they were modeling the idea that adults don’t believe things that children tell them.  So an episode was written to “introduce” Big Bird’s very real friend to the rest of the neighborhood.
• Big Bird is controlled by the exact same system that Jim Henson set up forty years ago.  There have been no upgrades in technology inside the bird costume itself, though Caroll Spinney says he “has replaced the batteries.”
• Sesame Street’s “Old School” DVDs showing episodes from the early seasons are actually labeled as “not for young children” because they feature kids riding bikes without helmets and riding in cars without seat belts.
• Big Bird’s favorite book is the Audobon Book of Birds.

For more on what the big guy has to say, see the full interview.

Related Posts:

• Cookie Monster Makes Lunch out of Lifetime Achievment Award
• First Lady Celebrates Sesame Street
• American Apparel Teams Up with Sesame Street
• Breast Cancer Claims Sesame Street Star
• Kids Book Review: Breakin’ Down the Bus

Tags: big bird, caroll spinney, Jim Henson, sesame street