Editing Caroll Spinney (section)

===As a ''Sesame Street'' puppeteer===
[[File:Carroll Spinney and Oscar the Grouch 2014.jpg|220px|thumb|Spinney with [[Oscar the Grouch]], May 2014|alt=|left]]
[[File:10.9.10CarollSpinneyByLuigiNovi1.jpg|thumb|right|Spinney at the [[New York Comic Con]] in [[Manhattan]] in October 2010]]

Spinney first met [[Jim Henson]] in 1962 at a puppeteering festival, where Henson asked if he would like to "talk about the [[The Muppets|Muppets]]". As Spinney failed to realize the question was an employment offer, the conversation never came to pass.<ref>{{cite book|last=Spinney|first=Caroll|title=The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)|date=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/24 24]|publisher=Villard |isbn=0-375-50781-7|url=https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/24}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stephenson|first1=Kathy|last2=Horiuchi|first2=Vince|title=Q is for 'quiz': Celebrating 40 years of 'Sesame Street'|work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]|date=November 15, 2009}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Spinney|first=Caroll|title=The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)|date=2003|pages=[https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/63 63–65]|publisher=Villard |isbn=0-375-50781-7|url=https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/63}}</ref> He performed Big Bird and Oscar in [[Australia]],<ref>{{cite web|title=I AM BIG BIRD: Exclusive OSCAR IN AUSTRALIA| date=July 30, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klA6NmAHiOc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/klA6NmAHiOc| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=Copper Pot Pictures|access-date=June 30, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[China]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Spinney|first=Caroll|title=The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)|date=2003|pages=[https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/82 82–83; 88]|publisher=Villard |isbn=0-375-50781-7|url=https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/82}}</ref> [[Japan]], and across [[Europe]]. As Big Bird and Oscar, Spinney conducted orchestras across the [[United States|US]] and [[Canada]], including the [[Boston Pops Orchestra|Boston Pops]], and visited the [[White House]] multiple times.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/11/nyregion/public-lives-30-happy-years-as-an-8-foot-tall-yellow-bird.html|title=30 Years as an 8&nbsp;foot bird|last=Wadler|first=Joyce|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=July 1, 2017|date=November 11, 1998}}</ref> He provided the characters' voices on dozens of albums.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

As Oscar, Spinney wrote ''How to Be a Grouch'', a [[Western Publishing|Whitman Tell-A-Tale]] picture book. With J. Milligan, he wrote the 2003 book ''The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers''. Spinney narrated the audiobook ''Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street'' by Michael Davis.<ref>{{cite book|title=Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street Audio CD – Abridged, Audiobook, CD|isbn = 1593161409}}</ref> His work has been studied by other international puppeteers who structure their performance styles after his, most evidently with full-body puppet costumes. For example, in the Chinese performance of [[Big Bird|Da Niao]] on ''[[Zhima Jie]]'', the costume is an exact physical replica of Big Bird.<ref>{{cite web|title=I AM BIG BIRD: Exclusive TRAINING CHINESE BIG BIRD| date=August 7, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_YaZmujaO4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/i_YaZmujaO4| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|publisher=Copper Pot Pictures|access-date=June 30, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Though Big Bird and Oscar were his main characters, Spinney also performed as other characters. At one point, he created and performed Bruno the Trashman, a full-bodied puppet representing a garbage man, who also carried [[Sesame Street (fictional location)#Oscar the Grouch's trash can|Oscar's trash can]]. Bruno was used until the foam plastic of the character broke down.<ref>{{cite book|last=Spinney|first=Caroll|title=The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)|date=2003|pages=[https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/62 62]|publisher=Villard |isbn=0-375-50781-7|url=https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/62}}</ref> Spinney also performed as [[List of Sesame Street Muppets#G|Granny Bird]], Big Bird's grandmother. The puppet used for Granny Bird was actually a spare Big Bird puppet, and Spinney provided her voice. As Granny Bird's appearances were often alongside Big Bird (who is, as she stated, her "favorite grandson"), her voice was usually pre-recorded so that Spinney could perform Big Bird. Spinney reprised his role as Oscar the Grouch in ''[[Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian]]'' in a [[cameo appearance]] next to [[Darth Vader]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Night At The Museum 2|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/night-at-the-museum-2/cast/306359/|work=[[TV Guide]]|access-date=May 9, 2018}}</ref>

On October 17, 2018, Spinney officially announced his retirement from ''Sesame Street'' after 49 years. His last performances as Big Bird and Oscar were recorded as part of the series' landmark 50th season, which aired in 2020, albeit Spinney's final recording session as his characters were ultimately not used in the broadcast version of the episode. The roles of Big Bird and Oscar were handed over to [[Matt Vogel (puppeteer)|Matt Vogel]] and [[Eric Jacobson]], respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/arts/television/sesame-street-big-bird.html|title=Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, Leaves 'Sesame Street' After Nearly 50 Years|first=Dave|last=Itzkoff|work=The New York Times|date=October 17, 2018|access-date=October 17, 2018}}</ref> ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' reported that Spinney was earning over $300,000 per year at the time of his retirement.<ref>{{cite news|last=Guthrie|first=Marisa|title=Where 'Sesame Street' Gets Its Funding — and How It Nearly Went Broke|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sesame-street-gets-funding-how-it-went-broke-1183032|access-date=April 20, 2019|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 6, 2019}}</ref>