Spinney article

OverUnderAround

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Bird brained
April 27, 2006

Caroll Spinney has played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on ''Sesame Street" for 37 years -- enough time for Oscar to turn from orange to green, Snuffy to be revealed, and a little red monster named Elmo to achieve world domination. At the Daytime Emmys tomorrow, Spinney will accept a Lifetime Achievement Award. We caught up with him by phone to discuss fantasy, reality, and the Muppets in-between. -- JOANNA WEISS

Q. I have to admit, my toddler likes Big Bird, but her first love is Elmo.

A. He's adorable.

Q. But it strikes me that he sometimes gets on Oscar's nerves.

A. Oscar is a refined individual. He doesn't speak bad English. He may have his coarse ways, but I say there's no sense in reinforcing bad English. [Also,] Elmo's too helpful and nice. Oscar is too . . . you know. One time he was so unpleasant I had to ask the producers, ''Why is he even on the show?" He's just rude to Gordon, called him ''Chrome Dome." . . . They said, ''Oscar is an example of how it takes all types."

Q. Still, I have to say, lately Oscar seems almost nurturing. He reads bedtime stories to his worm.

A. Wherever I can, I take the edge off.

Q. Snuffleupagus has changed, too, since I was a kid. He's real now.

A. Well, he was always real, but he had the annoying thing of going around the corner. Back in 1984, a group said, ''This is child abuse that people are not believing Big Bird." So they decided they would have to reveal him. They did it all in one show. If you miss Thursday, the next day he's leaning against Hooper's store chatting with people.

Q. Is there anything you refused to do as Big Bird?

A. I had a 20-minute argument on the phone with Mr. Rogers over fantasy. I was going to be on his show. The script came: Mr. Rogers says, ''What's it like in there, Caroll? Take off the head." I called him up and said, ''Fred, this is something that can't be." He said, ''We don't believe in fantasy. That's why we call it 'make believe.' "

Q. How was that resolved?

A. I said, ''Jim [Henson] does not want this, and I honor that." And he says, ''Well, then you won't be able to be in my little house. You'll only be able to be in make-believe land."

Q. Kids understand a lot. But parts of ''Sesame Street" are clearly meant to go over their heads . . .

A. [Once] Big Bird was supposed to look at the camera and say, ''Hey, kids, want to impress your mommy and your daddy? Just go in and tell them that 'E equals MC squared' and you learned it on 'Sesame Street.' " The director said, ''No, we're not doing that. That's fatuous." I thought it might be fun. But maybe he was right.

_________________________


Source: http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2006/04/27/bird_brained/

That Fred Rodgers story is amazing!
Who would have thought two of the nicest guys on TV arguing!
Of course Caroll was right.
 

minor muppetz

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That article sounds cool, but parts of it sound like this is made up. It's interesting that Caroll Spinney thought that Snuffy being thought of as imaginary was annoying.
 

zeldazipple

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I only glanced at this but I would easly visuialise this happinging, and I find the whole thing to be hellerious. I just had this picture of Fread Rogers on one phone and Caroll Spinney on the other both argieing like a couple of 5 year olds about what is real and what isnt. I wouldn't have done it and I'm glad Caroll stood up to what he believed in as it should be.
And Minor muppetz I believe this could have been true at some point I mean didn't Carol once meation that he was glad he could switch from Big Bird to Oscar he said if he didn't he would be in councilling for the rest of his life. lol This auctally came from Jim Henson the Works.
Not to talk anyone down but I haven't cared much for Fread Rogers because he always liked to point out that everything was ' make believe ' nothing wrong with it but when you're 3 years old that could shatter you're whole outlook when you're world evolvs around this ' reailty' no one was hurt by believeing things were real I think a lot of harm is done by saying youre wrong by believeing in something.
How I always looked at it is that something is real as long as you believe it is. If Jim Henson did not believe this way he wouldn't have had the imagination that he had. A lot of how you create a believeable world is by auctally believeing the world exsists.
 

travellingpat

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That interview is pure Caroll, all the humor and wonderful stories...great article
 

Ilikemuppets

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Great interview, thanks for that. But I have to say, That what I like About Fred Rogers, he was always honest about things, and didn't have to make things up. He was always strait forward with you. I didn't grow up believing in things like Santa and all of that stuff, so watching his show was never a problem for me.
 
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