Caroll Edwin Spinney (December 26, 1933, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA - December 8, 2019, Woodstock, Connecticut, USA) was an American puppeteer, cartoonist, author and speaker most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street since 1969. He is usually credited as Caroll Spinney but has sometimes been credited using the alternate spelling Carroll Spinney or under the name Ed Spinney.
While in the Air Force, Spinney wrote and illustrated Harvey, a comic strip about military life. He also animated a series of black-and-white cartoons called Crazy Crayon.
In 1955, Spinney relocated to Las Vegas, where he performed in the show Rascal Rabbit. He returned to Boston, joining The Judy and Goggle Show in 1958 as a puppeteer "Goggle" to Judy Valentine's Judy. Throughout the 1960s, he performed on the Boston broadcast of Bozo's Big Top, where he played various costumed characters which included Kookie the Boxing Kangaroo as well as Mr. Lion, who created cartoon drawings from the names of children participating in the show. Through that decade, he was also a commercial artist and animator.
Spinney created a puppet duo consisting of two cats named Picklepuss and Pop, which he utilized throughout the 1960s. Many years later, Spinney's Picklepuss and Pop puppets were characters in Wow, You're a Cartoonist!
Spinney first met Jim Henson in 1962 at a puppeteering festival, where Henson asked if he would like to "talk about the Muppets". As Spinney failed to realize the question was an employment offer, the conversation never came to pass.
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.
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. He has performed the Big Bird and Oscar characters in Australia, China, Japan, and across Europe. As Big Bird and Oscar, he has conducted orchestras across the US and Canada, including the Boston Pops, as well as visited the White House multiple times. He has provided the characters' voices on dozens of albums.
| Year | Image | Character | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-2018 | 
|
Big Bird | Sesame Street |
| 1969-2018 | 
|
Oscar the Grouch | Sesame Street |
| 2008 | 
|
The Grouch of Hearts / Oscar the Grouch | Abby in Wonderland |
| 1999 | 
|
Oscar the Grouch | The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland |
| 1999 | 
|
Big Bird | The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland |
| 1996 | 
|
Big Bird | Elmo Saves Christmas |
| 1996 | 
|
Oscar the Grouch | Elmo Saves Christmas |
| 1993 | 
|
Big Bird | Sesame Street Stays Up Late! |
| 1993 | 
|
Oscar the Grouch | Sesame Street Stays Up Late! |
| 1987 | 
|
Big Bird | A Muppet Family Christmas |
| 1987 | 
|
Oscar the Grouch | A Muppet Family Christmas |
| 1986 | 
|
Big Bird | The Muppets: A Celebration Of 30 Years |
| 1986 | 
|
Oscar the Grouch | The Muppets: A Celebration Of 30 Years |
| 1985 | 
|
Big Bird | Follow That Bird |
| 1985 | 
|
Oscar the Grouch | Follow That Bird |
| 1985 | 
|
Bruno the Trashman | Follow That Bird |
| 1981 | 
|
Oscar the Grouch | The Great Muppet Caper |
| 1979 | 
|
Big Bird | The Muppet Movie |
| 1978 | 
|
Big Bird | Christmas Eve on Sesame Street |
| 1978 | 
|
Oscar the Grouch | Christmas Eve on Sesame Street |