Hey Gang!
I recently had the honor to meet one of the Sesame Street Original puppeteers, Carroll Spinney who manipulates Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. I brought my camera to record the event and was able to ask him a few questions. Caroll was such a fun person to be around and his wife Debra was also so sweet. I hope someday to meet him again and maybe ask him some more questions about his part in Sesame Street.

All I can say is that I was on Cloud 10 (one better than cloud 9)

If you do watch the video, towards the very end, he has something special for us members here at Puppets and Stuff. 

Enjoy!
Sonny

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54583627

How cool that must have been. I'm happy for your opportunity. (Just a tiny bit envious as well)

How awesome - I loved the artwork, but then I heard him saying he met Jim at the Puppeteers of America festival and was head-over-heels. I'm making plans to attend just that festival right now!

Thank you so much for the little extra surprise!

By the way, you're book will be worth a fortune! One of a kind indeed.

That is just way cool!!  THANKS for sharing and for remembering all of us here at P&S while you were enjoying your AWESOME moments!!!

Wow. That was SOOOoooo cool!
Being born in '69 I have a special affinity for Sesame Street.

Very good video!  You rock Sonny!  Thanks for remembering everyone here at Puppets and Stuff.

While I am not currently a member of PofA (Puppeteers of America), I would encourage folks to join them or at least a local regional guild in their area.  Both the national festivals and the regionals are worth attending and you get to meet some really great people.

 

I just happen to be reading abook right now called "street gang" the complete history of sesame street. by Micheal Davis. It is a very good read. Thank you So much for sharing that video! It was neet to hear him talk about it, and to put a face to that name.

PofA.....I'm going to look into that.

Thanks for the video Sonny, that would have been a blast!

I read Spinney's book "The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)" a few years ago. It would be awesome to have a personally inscribed copy like that. You're lucky to have met him in person, he seemed like a really interesting guy in the book. I'd recommend reading it to anyone here, it was a fairly quick read but fun and informative. I think that I even wrote about it here when I read it, but if I did my review was probably lost in the Great Content Massacre of 2009 a month or two ago.

 

Ron G.

http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Bird-Genius-Oscar-Grouch/dp/0375507817