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1 of 12Caroll Spinney joined Sesame Street in its inaugural 1969 season playing both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.Courtesy Robert Fuhring -
2 of 12In the first year of Sesame Street, Oscar the Grouch was orange.Courtesy Debra Spinney -
3 of 12Caroll Spinney and Jim Henson are seen on the set of Sesame Street in 1969, the first year of the show.Courtesy Bill Pierce -
4 of 12Caroll Spinney with Oscar the Grouch and Picklepuss, one of his first puppet creations.Courtesy Debra Spinney -
5 of 12Caroll Spinney tests a puppet in the concept stage.Courtesy Debra Spinney -
6 of 12Caroll Spinney filming Big Bird in China with Lisa Ouyang.Courtesy Debra Spinney -
7 of 12Caroll Spinney with his children and Oscar the Grouch at his child's birthday party.Courtesy Debra Spinney -
8 of 12Caroll Spinney and Oscar the Grouch shooting Sesame Street in Hawaii.Courtesy Gary Miller -
9 of 12Caroll Spinney takes a break from shooting a cameo in The Muppet Movie.Courtesy Debra Spinney -
10 of 12Caroll Spinney with First Lady Hillary Clinton on Sesame Street. Spinney has worked with all the first ladies since the Nixon administration.Courtesy Sesame Workshop -
11 of 12Caroll Spinney is seen with First Lady Michelle Obama. Spinney is a distant cousin of President Barack Obama.Courtesy Richard Termine—Sesame Workshop -
12 of 12Caroll Spinney performs on a recent season of Sesame Street and continues to perform as Big Bird and Oscar to this day.Courtesy Copper Pot Pictures
The documentary I Am Big Bird, out on May 6 in theaters, VOD and iTunes, takes a look at the life of Caroll Spinney, the man who has brought life to Sesame Street‘s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since the first season of the show in 1969.
Take a look back at the legendary puppeteer’s career playing these iconic characters.
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