Think you know everything there is to know about Sesame Street?
You don’t.
You might know that Frank Oz turned down an offer to play Big Bird, but you probably don’t know that until a last minute change of heart by NASA, Big Bird was supposed to go to space aboard the Challenger.
Or you may know that Oscar the Grouch got his voice from a cantankerous cabbie, but you’d be surprised to learn that a fire in his trash can almost led to Caroll Spinney’s untimely demise.
Caroll Spinney’s stories are the stuff of legend and the inspiration for the movie I Am Big Bird The Caroll Spinney Story.
He has been a constant presence in our lives for over 40 years, his path weaving through American history like that of Forrest Gump.
His time inside the Big Bird costume on Sesame Street has taught him about the world and about himself.
The big screen documentary I Am Big Bird peels away the instances in Caroll Spinney’s life that inspired his creation of characters that influenced generations of children.
And, as the yellow feathers give way to white hair, it is the man, not the puppet, who steals your heart.
