Big Bird facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Big Bird |
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| Sesame Street character | |
Big Bird as seen at Sesame Place.
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| First appearance | Episode 0001 (November 10, 1969) |
| Created by | Jim Henson, Kermit Love |
| Portrayed by | Caroll Spinney (1969–2015) Daniel Seagren (1969–1970, Sesame Street; episode 83 and The Ed Sullivan Show) Matt Vogel (1998–present) |
| Voiced by | Caroll Spinney (1969–2018) Matt Vogel (2002–present) |
| Birthday | March 20 |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Grandsonny, a nickname given to him by his Granny Bird Bird, by his best friend, Mr. Snuffleupagus |
| Species | Canary, Muppet |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Granny Bird (grandmother) |
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Big Bird is a famous yellow Muppet character from the children's TV show Sesame Street. He is a very tall, bright yellow bird, standing over eight feet (249 cm) tall! Big Bird is known for being able to do many things. He can roller skate, ice skate, dance, swim, sing, write poetry, draw, and even ride a unicycle.
Big Bird lives in a big nest right behind the 123 Sesame Street brownstone. He has a special teddy bear named Radar, who is his best friend. In 2000, Big Bird was even called a "Living Legend" by the United States Library of Congress. This shows how important and loved he is!
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Who Plays Big Bird?
For a long time, Caroll Spinney was the main performer who brought Big Bird to life. He played Big Bird starting in 1969. As Caroll Spinney got older, new performers began to learn how to play Big Bird. One of these new performers is Matt Vogel. Today, Matt Vogel performs Big Bird most of the time.
Sometimes, Caroll Spinney was sick or busy. In those cases, other performers like Daniel Seagren would step in. Daniel Seagren even played Big Bird on The Ed Sullivan Show! The Big Bird costume was first built for Jim Henson, who created the Muppets. But when he tried it on, it didn't look quite right. So, he decided not to perform Big Bird himself.
Seeing Inside the Costume
It's tricky to perform Big Bird because the person inside can't see out easily. For many years, Caroll Spinney had a small TV screen strapped to his chest. A camera on the outside of the costume would show him where he was going. He even called this camera his "electronic bra"!
When Big Bird is filmed outside or in places without a video feed, a small hole is sometimes made in the costume. To cover this hole, Big Bird might wear a necktie. This is also how performers see during Sesame Street Live shows.
Big Bird's Costume and Look
Big Bird's costume was designed by Jim Henson and built by Kermit Love in 1969. The performer is completely inside the costume. They use their right hand to control Big Bird's head and neck. Their left hand becomes Big Bird's left wing. The right wing is stuffed and moves with a special fishing line connected to the left hand.
The Big Bird costume is quite heavy. The main body suit weighs about ten pounds, and his head weighs four pounds. It can also get very hot inside the suit!
Big Bird Around the World
Did you know Big Bird doesn't look the same everywhere? In the Dutch version of Sesame Street, Big Bird is blue! His name there is Pino.
Big Bird's look and personality have changed over the years. When he first started, he had fewer feathers and looked a bit shaggy. His personality was also a bit more clumsy. Over time, he got more feathers, looked fluffier, and became the sweet, innocent character we know today. Even though Muppets don't really age, Big Bird is written to act like a six-year-old child.
The feathers for Big Bird's costume come from turkeys. The company that supplies them says Big Bird is their "toughest customer" because they need so many perfect feathers!
What Kind of Bird is Big Bird?
Many people wonder what kind of bird Big Bird is. The book "G" is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street says he is a canary.
However, Big Bird has given different answers himself! In one Sesame Street episode, he said he was "more of a condor". On Hollywood Squares, he once said he was a lark. In the film Don't Eat the Pictures, a character named Osiris called him an ibis. He also said he was a "golden condor" on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Even though he's a bird, Big Bird is always described as being unable to fly.
Big Bird and the 2012 Election
Big Bird was mentioned during a presidential debate in 2012. One of the candidates, Mitt Romney, said he liked Big Bird but would cut funding for public television to save money.
Later, the other candidate, Barack Obama’s team, made a funny advertisement. It jokingly called Big Bird an "evil genius" and suggested Romney was more worried about Big Bird than about serious financial issues.
Sesame Workshop, the company that makes Sesame Street, asked both campaigns to stop using their characters. They explained that they are a non-political organization and don't support any candidates.
Big Bird himself later appeared on Saturday Night Live. He made jokes about the situation, saying he got "a million Tweets" when he was mentioned. When asked if he had a political statement, he replied, "No. I don't want to 'ruffle any feathers'".
Other Fun Appearances
Follow That Bird
In 1985, Big Bird starred in his own movie called Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird. In the movie, a social worker tries to make Big Bird live with other birds like him. But Big Bird isn't happy and runs away! He goes on a big adventure across the country.
Along the way, he meets helpful people like a friendly truck driver. But he also has to watch out for two tricky carnival owners who want to kidnap him. Meanwhile, his friends from Sesame Street, like Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch, try to find him and bring him home safely.
TV Shows and Movies
Big Bird has appeared on many other TV shows and in movies. In the 1970s, he was often a guest on The Hollywood Squares. He sometimes called the host, Peter Marshall, "Mr. Marshmallow"!
He also appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and was a guest star on The Muppet Show. You can even spot him in the movies The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan. Big Bird was also in the holiday special A Muppet Family Christmas. In it, he convinced the Swedish Chef not to cook him for Christmas dinner by offering him chocolate-covered birdseed!
Images for kids
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Harness with small monitor worn by Caroll Spinney when performing Big Bird in the 1970s
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A walk-around character of Big Bird, at a theme park.
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Barbara Bush participates with Big Bird in a taping of the children's television show Sesame Street at United Studios, 1989.
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Michelle Obama participates in a Let's Move! and Sesame Street public service announcement taping with Big Bird in the White House Kitchen, 2013.
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Big Bird with Michelle Obama on Billy on the Street, with host Billy Eichner.
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See also
In Spanish: Big Bird para niños
