The man inside Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, will be 76 in December. But Big Bird himself is always 6. This may seem counterintuitive, given that the actors, as opposed to the Muppet characters, on “Sesame Street” have all gotten older and their personal relationships have changed. Do you know that at one time, Luis was merely Maria’s boss, and she was dating David? Do you even remember David? And do you know that Susan has been married to three different guys, curiously all named Gordon (the same actor has portrayed Gordon for the past 35 years, but there were two others before him.)
And in Big Bird’s long stretch of being 6 years old, the Muppet characters haven’t been consistent. Big Bird was very much 6 when I was watching “Sesame Street,” but there was no Abby Cadabby or Zoe or Baby Bear then, and Elmo was only a minor character. And likewise, when was the last time you saw
Herbert Birdsfoot, or the non-CGI
Twiddlebugs, or
Mr. Don Music? Rumor has it that Mr. Music was written out because too many little kids adopted his dramatic flair for banging his head on the piano. And yet all the while, Big Bird has remained 6.
Well, Big Bird may remain 6 years old forever, and I don’t envy that position in the slightest. But “Sesame Street” itself is 40. Few shows survive for 40 years, particularly with original cast members – Spinney, Loretta Long (Susan) and Bob McGrath (Bob) have been around the whole time. And those of us who are old enough to remember the “Sesame Street” of yore with its comical Muppets, trippy animation, and wistful Joe Raposo songs may make a habit of complaining about the new, more sanitized Elmo-centric “Sesame Street.” But all of us born in the past 40 years are lucky to have grown up with “Sesame Street,” no matter when we encountered it.
So why not celebrate today. Have a birdseed milkshake or an ice cream sundae with pickles and sardines on it. Break into a chorus of
“I Love Trash” or the James Taylor classic “Jellyman Kelly” (sorry; they don't seem to have posted that one.) And pay a visit to the all the monsters and grouches in your neighborhood. I’m sure they’d appreciate it.
Sesame Street Official Web Site
