When I was eight, I bought my first puppet. It was a monkey, and I paid five cents for it. I collected some scrap wood and built myself a puppet theatre. I made 32 cents with my first show, which I thought was pretty good, and that’s when I knew I would be a puppeteer when I grew up. 
 
 I’d worked on a few different shows before I got the job playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch in the first season of Sesame Street, in 1969. I had no idea I’d still be doing it more than 45 years later. 
 
 Experience: I watched my friend executed on death row Read more 
 
 Big Bird is actually a puppet; my right arm is his neck, and my right hand moves his head, with my little finger controlling his eyebrows, moving them up and down to show when he’s thinking. I can change his expression by tilting his head toward the camera at a different angle. My left hand is in the left wing, which is linked to the right wing with fishing wire. I can’t see anything outside the suit when I’m in it, so I wear a little monitor strapped to my chest, which shows me what the viewers see at home. 
 
 In the early days, each scene was very simple and I could memorise my lines on the spot, but the show evolved and the storylines became much more elaborate as the years passed, so now I keep my cues and my lines taped to the inside of the costume. 
 
 Experience: my face was stolen online Read more 
 
 At first, Big Bird wasn’t a major character, and Jim Henson, who developed the characters, said to play him like a goofy yokel from the country. But it felt more natural to me to play him as a child, like a big kid. When I tried it out, Jim and the writers agreed, and soon Big Bird grew into a worldwide superstar. I knew Sesame Street was being broadcast in other countries – 160 of them – but I didn’t know just how big it was until I was flicking through a children’s book in 1972. In the back there were pictures of kids’ cartoons. All the big guys were there: Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy, and dancing along with them were Big Bird and Oscar. I thought, “Oh my gosh, I’m with Mickey Mouse!” 
 
 I met huge stars like Jimmy Stewart, appeared on shows like The West Wing and Saturday Night Live, and sang with legends Michael Jackson and Ray Charles. His agent said to me, “What’s it like singing with Ray Charles for the second time?” and I said, “What, I’ve sung with him before?” It’s easy to lose track. I’ve met eight first ladies, including Michelle Obama, and I found out Barack is my ninth cousin twice removed, although I’ve never met him. Six years ago he sent me a letter for my birthday, saying, “Congratulations on your first 75 years” and it’s still hanging in our front hall. Michelle told me that when her daughters found out they were related to Big Bird, they squealed and danced around the kitchen. 
 
 I once got a letter from Nasa, asking if I would be willing to join a mission to orbit the Earth as Big Bird, to encourage kids to get interested in space. There wasn’t enough room for the puppet in the end, and I was replaced by a teacher. In 1986, we took a break from filming to watch takeoff, and we all saw the ship blow apart. The six astronauts and teacher all died, and we just stood there crying. 
 
 Experience: I’ve slept with 3,000 men Read more 
 
 The show is still huge, especially in New Zealand and Australia, and in South Africa, where they have their own version – they recently ran a storyline to encourage parents to let their children play with kids who have HIV. 
 
 I still perform as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, but not as regularly as I used to, so I’ve got more time to spend with my wife, and also for painting. I tend to draw Big Bird in situations he couldn’t possibly get into on the show, like snorkelling or windsurfing. 
 
 It’s amazing to think that people watch our puppets all over the world, and now a documentary has been made about my life. But I don’t think it’s changed me, I don’t have a swollen head. Perhaps the show keeps me young – I’m still playing a six-year-old even though I’m 81. I guess that makes me the world’s oldest child star. 

 Big Bird puppeteer talks 46-year career, Challenger flight he almost took 
 
 share share tweet pin email 
 
 He's 8 feet tall, yellow and beloved by children all over the world. 
 
 For 46 years, Big Bird has been played by one man: Caroll Spinney. And a newly-released documentary, titled "I am Big Bird," goes behind the beak to tell the story of Spinney's life and career. 
 
 TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager recently paid a visit to "Sesame Street" to chat with Big Bird/Spinney about what makes our feathery friend one of the most beloved characters of all time. 
 
 Here's what we learned: 
 
 1. Spinney, 81, has been playing Big Bird since "Sesame Street" first began in 1969. He calls the role "a dream come true." 
 
 Samantha Okazaki / TODAY Bringing life to Big Bird requires a lot of coordination, both physically and technically. Before donning the 8-foot-tall costume, Spinney is equipped with a chest monitor and ear pieces so he can coordinate his movements. Big Bird’s head is supported by Spinney’s right arm, and if you listen closely you’ll hear that his voice actually comes through his chest, not his beak! 
 
 2. Muppets creator Jim Henson handpicked Spinney for the role of Big Bird. He saw Spinney perform at a puppet show and asked it him to join his new television venture, "Sesame Street." Henson and Spinney went on to become close friends, up until Henson's untimely death in 1990. Spinney paid tribute to his friend and mentor at Henson's memorial service, donning the Big Bird costume and singing Kermit the Frog's signature song "Bein' Green" — and breaking hearts in the process. 
 
 3. It's been 46 years since Spinney first wore the Big Bird costume, but he has no plans to retire anytime soon. He says he'd like to make it to 50 years, and ideally go beyond that, provided it doesn't change "the value of the performance." 
 
 "I Am Big Bird" 
 
 4. Big Bird is not Spinney's only "Sesame Street" character. He also plays Oscar the Grouch! While Oscar's personality is quite different from Spinney's, he enjoys playing the role because of the differences and because Oscar is "kind of cool." And while Oscar may have been consistently grouchy for all these years, he's been known to change his colors. In Sesame Street's first year, Oscar was orange, before switching to his iconic green. 
 
 5. NASA reportedly approached Spinney in the '80s with the idea of sending Big Bird into space to get children more interested in the space program. While initially nervous about the venture, Spinney eventually said yes, but it was later determined that Big Bird "would not fit in the spacecraft." 
 
 In an eerie twist of fate, the shuttle that Spinney would've been sent up on was the Challenger. NASA sent teacher Christa McAuliffe, who died along with the rest of the crew when the shuttle exploded on January 28, 1986. Spinney watched the launch and explosion from the "Sesame Street" set: "It made my scalp crawl to think I was supposed to be on that." 
 
 Samantha Okazaki / TODAY The original Birdman: It's not uncommon to see Spinney walking around the set as half man, half bird. The bottom half of his costume is a felt-like material that is actually quite comfortable (once you get used to the webbed feet, of course!). 
 
 6. The character of Big Bird was initially a goofy grown-up. Spinney had the idea that Big Bird would be more useful as a surrogate child, representing all the kids watching him on television. "Sesame Street" producers agreed, and from then on, Big Bird was portrayed as a 6-year-old, albeit the tallest bird in his class at 8-foot-2 tall. 
 
 What's a day in the life of Caroll Spinney (aka Big Bird) like? Check out these behind-the-scenes photos from the set of "Sesame Street": 
 
 Samantha Okazaki / TODAY Taking a stroll down the famous Sesame Street, it's hard to miss Big Bird's cozy nest. For a perpetual 6-year-old, Big Bird sure has a flair for interior design. And it wouldn't be complete without a photo of his best friend, Snuffy! 
 
 Samantha Okazaki / TODAY A quick peck! TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager stops mid-interview to steal a kiss from Big Bird. 
 
 Samantha Okazaki / TODAY Outside of the costume, Caroll Spinney is an avid artist. He sketched this piece as a baby gift for Jenna, who's expecting her second child this August. 
 
 Samantha Okazaki / TODAY In addition to Big Bird, Caroll has played the character of Oscar the Grouch since 1969. Some days he takes a break from the confines of the can, and voices Oscar from a comfy director's chair. His wife, Debra, is never far from his side to help with lines or give words of encouragement. 
 
 Samantha Okazaki / TODAY Caroll continues to play an active role in Oscar the Grouch's life. Here he lends a hand (literally!) to the newest wave of puppeteers.
– Big Bird was almost a passenger on the doomed Challenger space shuttle in 1986. Caroll Spinney, who has played the Sesame Street character for 46 years, has a new documentary—I Am Big Bird—and he discussed the dark tidbit while discussing the film with Today. NASA thought that if Big Bird went into space, more kids would be interested in the space program, and though Spinney was worried about the idea, he agreed to go up in the Challenger. Ultimately, though, NASA decided Spinney "would not fit in the spacecraft" while wearing the bulky costume. "It made my scalp crawl to think I was supposed to be on that" while watching the launch and subsequent explosion, Spinney says. He also wrote about the Challenger incident in the Guardian late last month, prompting NASA to confirm the story's accuracy Monday, NBC News reports. "In 1984, NASA created the Space Flight Participant Program to select teachers, journalists, artists, and other people who could bring their unique perspective to the human spaceflight experience as a passenger on the space shuttle. A review of past documentation shows there were initial conversations with Sesame Street regarding their potential participation on a Challenger flight, but that plan was never approved," the statement reads. Spinney says he was replaced on the flight with teacher Christa McAuliffe.