Big Bird Joins Mr. Hooper

#BigBird and #Oscar were two of my favorite characters on #SesameStreet growing up. I was therefore incredibly sad December 8, 2019, when I learned that Caroll Spinney, who portrayed both of these characters in one respect or another up until 2018 when he had to stop physically playing Big Bird due to balance issues.

Every time I saw pictures of the man behind Sesame Street's nicest character and perhaps the most negative character to be featured on a children's show, I marvelled at just how positive he always seemed to be. I loved Big Bird throughout my childhood growing up, and was particularly excited about his friendship with the always wonderful Mr. Snuffleupagus. I watched hours of Sesame Street growing up, first on public broadcasting and then on CBC, for a total of about four hours a day. My mother loved the fact that I was so into the show, and I think it was one of the contributing factors as to how I learned how to read when I was still in Kindergarten.

According to Spinney, who was on Sesame Street from 1969 until his retirement from the physical role in 2018, the original concept of Big Bird revolved around the notion that he would be a country bumpkin of sorts, and it took Spinney convincing Sesame Street creator Jim Henson to allow him to portray the big yellow bird as a 6-year-old, which we know was a recipe for success. While he stopped playing the physical role of Big Bird in 2018 due to his dystonia, he continued to voice the part of Big Bird until his death.

Sesame Street released a statement earlier December 8, expressing their love for their longtime castmate.

"His enormous talent and outsized heart were perfectly suited to playing the larger-than-life yellow bird who brought joy to generations of children and countless fans of all ages around the world, and his lovably cantankerous grouch gave us all permission to be cranky once in a while," the company said in a statement.

One of my favorite Big Bird storylines revolved around Mr. Snuffleupagus, his painfully shy but fiercely loyal friend who was never around quite long enough for Big Bird to prove he was not imaginary. I waited anxiously, as did everyone else my age at the time, for the moment when the grownups would finally see that Snuffy was not made up, and felt the same frustration that Big Bird felt when no one believed him. In fact, it was because of a string of high profile abuse cases that the decision was made to make Snuffy real and have the adults believe Big Bird; it was believed that to continue having Snuffy invisible to the adults would be akin to showing children that adults wouldn't believe them if they told the truth, according to Smithsonian.com. The reveal was a two-year process, but finally, in its 17th season, Sesame Street showed the adults that Mr. Snuffleupagus was as real as Big Bird himself.

The other storyline - one that Spinney said left him in need of a towel after it was shot because he was in tears - was the one where his beloved "Mr. Looper," the store owner Mr. Hooper, died. It was a storyline that broke my young heart, but one that was handled with such sensitivity that you could almost feel the legitimate pain of the actors on the show. For me at that time, Big Bird encapsulated everything I felt about Mr. Hooper dying; a lack of understanding about the permanence of death, anger that he was not coming back, and gradual acceptance that while things wouldn't ever be the same, it would one day be all right.

Spinney noted that playing Oscar, on the other hand, was almost "therapeutic" after portraying the sunnily optimistic, childlike Big Bird, because he could live with the exact opposite attitude about life for a bit. Oscar, for sure, was also a hit in my house, so much so that I do recall for one of my birthdays, I requested an Oscar the Grouch cake, and my mother made and decorated it beautifully. There was something about the way Spinney portrayed the perennial grouch that, in spite of his overarching testiness, made him warm and friendly. I don't know if it was the joy he got from his pet worm Slimey or how he interacted with young kids, but he was definitely special.

I've no idea how Sesame Street will adapt Big Bird's vocals now that Spinney is gone. Puppeteer Eric Johnson took over the role of Oscar a couple of years ago, including his voice. To me, though, Spinney will always be Big Bird; preternaturally curious, joyous, and loving. His loss will mean that things won't be the same on Sesame Street, and while things won't be the same, hopefully we shall learn to adapt to his absence.