There are certain aspects of childhood that carry through from one generation to the next. Since its inception, Sesame Street has been one of those pieces. Created by The Muppets originator Jim Henson, the show was intended to entertain and teach a young audience. Human characters would interact with the Muppet personalities and demonstrate valuable life and educational lessons. Though the furry, fuzzy and feathered creatures became international sensations, little was known about the people who operated them allowing them to maintain their anonymity in spite of being worldwide stars. I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story sheds some light on the man who’s brought life to the lovable yellow bird and his grouchy friend for nearly 50 years.
Beginning like David Copperfield, the documentary starts with Spinney’s childhood. He shares delightful stories about the support of his artist mother and wretched tales about his abusive father. Fostering a love for puppetry early in life, in his 20s Spinney sought full-time work in the industry and was eventually notice by Henson who invited him to New York to work on Sesame Street. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, but once he found his characters’ voices and wife Debbie it all fell into place. Since then, Spinney seems to have lived the dream of meeting other celebrities (though Paul McCartney remains on the bucket list) and travelling the world, all behind the guise of Big Bird. His life has also been touched by tragedy, but he’s always made it through the darkness.
In spite of the setbacks Spinney’s experienced, this is still a fairy tale story of a boy who found his perfect place in life. Seeing clips from earlier in the PBS series brings to mind youthful memories of watching the show and stands as a reminder of its influence and entertainment value. Interweaving talking heads with archival photos, scenes from the show and home video creates an evocative experience that not only summons one’s personal familiarity with the show but also makes Spinney’s involvement tangible for audiences. In addition, although it is chronicling the puppeteer’s life, the story is not only told by him but through the perspectives of his friends, family, co-workers (labels that mean little in his world) and biographers.
Spinney is depicted as a bit of a loner, which for better or worse is aligned with the isolation generated by the characters he portrays. He recalls how he proposed Big Bird’s childlike innocence to writers and how a cab driver inspired the voice of Oscar the Grouch. Anecdotes of how his unintentional persistence led him to true love, death-defying filming in China, plucky college kids who helped themselves to feathered souvenirs and Mitt Romney‘s costly threat against Big Bird combine to illustrate Spinney’s dedication to his characters — whom he refers to as his children — and the world’s fascination with the show. Filmmakers don’t shy away from the more difficult topics either, from Henson’s untimely death (including Spinney’s/Big Bird’s heartbreaking rendition of “It’s not Easy Being Green” at the funeral), to the tragic murder of a woman on his property to the gradual transition of less screen time in favour of attracting an even younger audience with Elmo. Yet at 81, his story continues.
Though most adults have grown beyond their fascination with Sesame Street, this documentary is a welcome reminder of the good ol’ days and an even better history of one of the men who was there from the beginning — and still is to this day. Filmmakers expertly lace together a seemingly complete record of the amiable man behind (or inside) the famous Muppets so that audiences come away feeling as if they know Spinney and a twinge of wishing the magic never had to end.
Directors: Dave LaMattina and Chad N. Walker
Starring: Caroll Spinney, Jim Henson and Frank Oz
