Caroll Edwin Spinney has performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street for almost 50 years. Spinney is an American puppeteer, cartoonist, author and speaker most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street since 1969. Spinney first met Jim Henson in 1962 at a puppeteering festival, where Henson asked if he would like to “talk about the Muppets”. As Spinney failed to realize the question was an employment offer, the conversation never came to pass. Spinney joined Sesame Street for the inaugural season in 1969. However, he nearly left after the first season because he was not getting acceptable pay, but Kermit Love persuaded him to stay. He has performed the Big Bird and Oscar characters in Australia, China, Japan, and across Europe. As Big Bird and Oscar, he has conducted orchestras across the US and Canada, including the Boston Pops, as well as visiting the White House multiple times. He has also provided the characters’ voices on dozens of albums over the years.
