Caroll Edwin Spinney

 Caroll Edwin Spinney (December 26, 1933 - December 8, 2019)

Spinney was a puppeteer, cartoonist, author and speaker most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street from its inception in 1969 until 2018. After he graduated from Acton High School (subsequently Acton-Boxborough Regional High School) in Acton, Massachusetts, Spinney served in the US Air Force. While in the Air Force, Spinney wrote and illustrated Harvey, a comic strip about military life. He also animated a series of black-and-white cartoons called Crazy Crayon. In 1955, Spinney relocated to Las Vegas, where he performed in the show Rascal Rabbit. Throughout the 1960s, he performed on the Boston broadcast of Bozo's Big Top. 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. In 1969, Spinney performed at a Puppeteers of America festival in Utah. His show was a mixture of live actors and puppets but was ruined by an errant spotlight that washed out the animated backgrounds. Henson was once again in attendance and noticed Spinney's performance. "I liked what you were trying to do," Henson said, and he asked once more if they could "talk about the Muppets". This time, they did have the conversation, and Spinney joined the Muppeteers full-time by late 1969. 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, and has visited the White House multiple times. He also provided the characters' voices on dozens of albums. On October 17, 2018, Spinney officially announced his retirement from Sesame Street. He was married twice, and has three children from his first marriage. Spinney died on December 8, 2019 in his home after living with Dystonia for many years. He was 85 years old.