--- description: How TIME should celebrate 100 years, according to Big Bird title: Big Bird’s Big Words on the Power of His Home: 100 Years of TIME image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8e927a6b2f2ffcc/698a3aa4db29871414268c22/BIG-BIRD-cover-wide16x9.jpg?branch=production --- Feb 28, 2023 # Big Bird’s Big Words on the Power of His Home Nov. 30, 1970 by [Big Bird](/author/big-bird/) ## Big Bird Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Artwork by Bill Pierce _When TIME set out to tackle the debate over children’s TV in late 1970, a year after_ Sesame Street _premiered, correspondent Mary Cronin was sent to interview one of the show’s puppeteers—and ended up posing her questions_[ _directly to Oscar the Grouch_](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,943296,00.html "undefined") _instead. The story sent the message to TIME’s grownup readers that Sesame was a cultural phenomenon, and that its medium could serve a higher purpose than just entertainment. The past half-century has borne out that verdict, as well as the wisdom of the editors’ choice of cover subject: Big Bird. Here, in the tradition of Cronin’s work, TIME asked Big Bird to weigh in, as only he could, on the enduring power of his home—and how to celebrate a centennial. —Lily Rothman_ [_Buy a print of the Sesame Street – 1970 cover here_](https://timecoverstore.com/featured/sesame-street-1970-bill-pierce.html "undefined") **_Read the Original Story From 1970:_**[_Who’s Afraid of Big, Bad TV?_](https://time.com/6258549/sesame-street-time-cover-1970/ "undefined") **Sesame Street seems like a special place.** All my friends live there. We have a lot of fun. We play all kinds of games, and we learn a lot together. **What can kids learn from seeing what life is like there?** I’ve learned everything I know on Sesame Street! I guess I’d say that it’s a place where everyone is included and everyone is kind to one another. And if you’re ever having a bad day or a tough time, there is always a friend nearby to help you feel better. **What about grownups?** [**What can they learn?**](https://time.com/5720741/big-bird-sesame-street-interview/ "undefined") Sometimes when new neighbors move in or people come to visit, I hear them say that they’ve never lived in a place that is so kind and welcoming. And I agree! Well, I’ve never actually lived anywhere else, but I guess that’s what grownups could learn—to be super welcoming. **You must meet people everywhere you go who are interested in what goes on on Sesame Street. Why do you think that is?** It’s true! Everywhere I go, people have heard of Sesame Street! I’m not sure why. I guess maybe it’s a little unusual to have birds, monsters, fairies, grouches, snuffleupaguses, and humans all living in the same neighborhood, learning and having fun together. Do you have that in your neighborhood? **I wish! Anything new happen lately on Sesame Street?** Well, in the last couple of years, we’ve had some terrific new neighbors move in, [like my friend Ji-Young](https://apnews.com/article/sesame-street-asian-american-muppet-ji-young-390bd29ba9d986524b242e9fa69695be "undefined") … and we’ve started some new traditions, like Neighbor Day. The whole neighborhood comes! Everyone is invited, people share foods they love making with their families, and there’s music too. **TIME is turning 100 this year. How should we celebrate?** That’s a big number! You’re going to need a REALLY big cake for all of those candles. Maybe you could invite all your friends to come share. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/a-century-of-impact/6258433/big-bird-interview-time-centennial/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/a-century-of-impact/6258433/big-bird-interview-time-centennial/"},"headline":"Big Bird’s Big Words on the Power of His Home","datePublished":"2023-02-28T12:00:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:12:44.720Z","description":"How TIME should celebrate 100 years, according to Big Bird","url":"https://time.com/collections/a-century-of-impact/6258433/big-bird-interview-time-centennial/","keywords":["100 Years of TIME","franchise","Magazine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8e927a6b2f2ffcc/698a3aa4db29871414268c22/BIG-BIRD-cover-wide16x9.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Big Bird","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/big-bird/"}],"creator":"Big Bird","articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8e927a6b2f2ffcc/698a3aa4db29871414268c22/BIG-BIRD-cover-wide16x9.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/100-years-of-time/","name":"100 Years of TIME"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/a-century-of-impact/6258433/big-bird-interview-time-centennial/","name":"Big Bird’s Big Words on the Power of His Home"}}]}] ```