| Characters: | |
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| Big Bird | Oscar the Grouch |
| Understudy/successor: Matt Vogel Since 1997 |
Understudy/successor: Eric Jacobson Since 2015 |
Big Bird[]
Matt Vogel became Caroll Spinney's understudy for Big Bird in 1997. In most cases before Season 48, Vogel would manipulate the puppet to Spinney's vocals (either pre-recorded, dubbed in post-production, or provided live on set); however, there have been several appearances and performances where Vogel has provided the vocals for Big Bird as well, most notably in the Journey to Ernie segments that ran from 2002 to 2005. Spinney stopped puppeteering altogether in 2015, and retired from vocal work in 2018.[1]
Appearances where Matt Vogel performed Big Bird's voice (prior to season 48):
- Sesame Street
- All Journey to Ernie segments
- Episode 3802: Zoe and Big Bird are sick (most of the spoken dialogue in Scene 6)
- Episode 3816: Baby Bear's cousin Oliver returns (street scenes)
- Episode 3827: Prairie gets in touch with her inner Monster (street scene 4 only)
- Episode 3833: Telly and the Mysterious X (street scenes)
- Episode 3866: Telly celebrates Oscar's birthday (street scenes)
- Episode 3877: Elizabeth is visited by a Fairy Bubbleperson (street scenes)
- Episode 3907: Runaway Ts (street scenes)
- Episode 3972: Mumford makes the letter "S" disappear (street scenes)
- Episode 3987: Cousin Bear is afraid of shadows (street scenes)
- Episode 4009 (speaking vocals only)
- Episode 4012: Fun with a stick (street scenes)
- Episode 4016 (speaking vocals only)
- Episode 4028 (speaking vocals only)
- Episode 4036: Elmo helps Gordon with chess (street scenes)
- Episode 4042 (speaking vocals only)
- Episode 4048: Rosita meets a frog wearing a crown (street scenes)
- Episode 4055 (except when he introduces himself to Curly)
- Episode 4074: Telly joins the Letter of the Month Club (street scenes)
- Episode 4075: Cookie Monster writes a story (street scenes)
- Episode 4107 & Episode 4108: The Adventures of Little Big Bird (as Little Big Bird only)
- Episode 4130 ("It Takes a Street" only)
- Episode 4131 (ending only)
- Episode 4155 (for Big Bird's brief appearance at the beginning of the street scene)
- Episode 4503 (ending only)
- Elmo: High and Low
- Elmo: Playing Ball with Gloria
- A segment where Big Bird and Snuffy present The Spanish Word of the Day: teléfono (telephone) (First: Episode 3992)
- A segment with Laura Bush (First: Episode 4032).
- Super Grover: Something Big is Coming (First: Episode 4211)
- "Smarter, Stronger, Kinder"
- Elmo's World: Transportation
- Elmo's World: Singing
- Elmo's World: Exercise
- Elmo's World: Feet
- Elmo's World: Skin
- Elmo's World: Cameras
- Elmo's World: Happy Holidays! (except for Big Bird and Snuffy's Christmas card)
- Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic (original filmed version; song only in U.S. release)
- Out of This World (saying "Oh, oh, this way?" and singing "We Found Ernie" during Journey to Ernie portion)
- The Street We Live On (intro to Journey to Ernie)
- Elmo's Christmas Countdown (Speaking vocals for "I Want a Snuffleupagus for Christmas")
- Vine: December 12, 2013, November 27, 2014
- Sesame Afternoon Play promo (last line only)
- Elmo's Super Fun Hero Show
- Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas "The Twelve Days of Christmas" promo
- Facebook videos: (November 2016), (February 2017), (October 2017)
- Yellow Feather Fund videos (YouTube), (YouTube), (YouTube)
- 100 & Change video
- Billy on the Sesame Street (YouTube)
- Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala 2017
- Spread Kindness, Share the Laughter
- Trick or Treat with Sesame Street
- Traumatic Experiences
- Sesame Street Live - Let's Party!
- The Magical Wand Chase
- Sesame Beginnings (as Baby Big Bird)
- The Furchester Hotel
- Guest Appearances
- The Fashion Cafe (1997)
- The Oprah Winfrey Show (November 1998, May 2003)
- "Jerry Nelson: A 65th Birthday Celebration" (1999, Big Bird's first three lines only)[2]
- The Today Show (March 2001, December 2005, November 2015, January 2017, February 2017, November 2017)
- The Rosie O'Donnell Show (May 2002)
- Emmy Awards (2003)
- Access Hollywood (October 2006)
- The Sunny Side Up Show (Fall 2007)
- Macy's 150th Birthday Gala (October 2008)
- The Early Show (October 2011)
- Good Morning America (September 2013, January 2016, October 2017)
- Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (December 2014)
- YouTube Rewind: 2014 (December 2014)
- The Colbert Report finale (December 2014)
- Billy on the Street (February 2015)
- The Global Citizen Festival (September 2015)
- "Big Bird Interns at Funny or Die" (November 2015)
- Super Bowl 50 opening video (February 2016)
- Brandcast (May 2016)
- CBeebies Bedtime Stories (November 2016)
- Project for Awesome (December 2016)
- Chrissy Teigen's Instagram (December 2016)
- AT&T commercial (December 2016)
- Fun Kids (December 2016)
- Wired (February 2017)
- Vanity Fair (March 2017)
- 60 Minutes (March 2017)
- Carlo's Bakery (March 2017)
- HBO 'Ahhh' promo
- Chrysler web videos and commercials (July 2017)
- The Metrograph (November 2017)
- Entertainment Tonight (November 2017) (YouTube)
Spinney and Vogel on the set
Instances where Matt Vogel performed Big Bird to Caroll Spinney's voice (prior to season 46)
- Sesame Street
- Episode 3698: In scenes that feature Oscar in the same shot.[3]
- Episode 3790: In scenes that feature Oscar in the same shot.
- Episode 3831: In Scene 7, where Oscar and Big Bird appear together.
- Episode 3838: In Scene 5, when Oscar and Big Bird are in Hooper's Store.
- Episode 3845: Vogel briefly performs Big Bird in Scene 1, in the first flashback where Fluffy is tap dancing in Oscar's can. After Fluffy returns inside Oscar's can, Spinney takes over. Vogel later performs the bird during "Great Big Beautiful World."
- Episode 3851: In Scene 3, Vogel briefly performs Big Bird as he and Elmo practice the tango.
- Episode 3863: In Scene 3, when Oscar declines attending Big Bird's show-and-tell, Vogel performs Big Bird.
- Episode 3997: Spinney performs Big Bird for Scene 1 and parts of Scene 2, but because the storyline is mainly about Oscar, Vogel performs Big Bird in other instances where he and Oscar share a scene.
- Episode 4021: At the end of Scene 2, from the line "The same as when you meet a bird for the first time, Gulliver" and singing "How Do You Do?" with the cast.
- Episode 4041: An Oscar-centric episode, Vogel puppeteers Big Bird for his cameo at the beginning of Scene 1, where he briefly interacts with Oscar, and in Scene 3.
- Episode 4039: Vogel performs Big Bird to a vocal track in a scene where he visits the Mail It Shop, and again in the closing scene.
- Episode 4109: Vogel performs Big Bird during the song "Everyone Needs a Friend" to Spinney's vocals.
- Episode 4187: Vogel performs Big Bird to Spinney's vocals in chroma key sequences and in the final musical number "This Is My Home."
- Episode 4203
- Episode 4206: Vogel performs Big Bird in a brief shot showing the aftermath of his crash, where he is wedged inside the low wall in front of 123 Sesame Street.
- Episode 4266: In scenes where Big Bird and Oscar appear in the same shot.
- Episode 4512: Vogel performs Big Bird for the entire street story, while Spinney provides the voice.
- The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
- Vogel puppeteers Big Bird for the songs "What I Am," "Elmo's Got the Moves," and "That's Cooperation."
- Two bumpers where Big Bird and Snuffy introduce the letter of the day and an alphabet segment.
- Music Works Wonders: In the scene immediately following "All Over the World," as characters leave the scene starting with Oscar. Big Bird adds "And I'll get a few more birds!"
Oscar the Grouch[]
Oscar on Last Week Tonight
By 2015, Eric Jacobson became Spinney's understudy for Oscar the Grouch; often lip-syncing to a prerecorded vocal track by Spinney, and other times doing the voice himself. Spinney stopped puppeteering altogether in 2015, and retired from vocal work in 2018.[1]
Appearances where Eric Jacobson performed Oscar's voice (prior to season 48):
- Sesame Street
- Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas "The Twelve Days of Christmas" promo (YouTube)
- Billy on the Sesame Street (YouTube) and Facebook video
- The Real Grouches
- Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala 2017
- Sesame Street Presents the 80s
- Trick or Treat with Sesame Street
- Sesame Street Live - Let's Party!
- The Magical Wand Chase
- Sharing Things teaser
- Facebook video: October 2017
- Guest Appearances
- The Sunny Side Up Show (February 2015)
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (April 2016)
- Sesame Studios YouTube Promo (May 2016)
- Today (January 2017, February 2017)
- Ellen (January 2017)
- "Sesame Street Spreads Kindness at Fast Company" (January 2017)
- Wired (February 2017)
- Vanity Fair (March 2017)
- NYC Film Green Designation Program 2017 (June 2017)
- Chrysler web videos (July 2017)
Caroll Spinney's final performances[]
Caroll Spinney reading his lines on the Sesame Street set, on his last day before retiring (October 18, 2018).[1]
Though Caroll Spinney ceased puppeteering in 2015 due to physical setbacks, he continued to regularly voice Big Bird and Oscar for Seasons 46 and 47 of Sesame Street and in select prerecorded material, including the following:
- Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas
- Sesame Street in Communities videos
- IBM commercials (September 2016, January 2018)
- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade song performances (2015, 2016)
- HBO promo (YouTube)
- "Try a Little Kindness" music video (YouTube)
- Episode 4920 cold open
- Episode 5022[4] (vocals cut from final, broadcast episode)
Sources[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The New York Times "Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, Leaves Sesame Street After Nearly 50 Years" by Dave Itzkoff, Oct. 17, 2018
- ↑ According to Stephanie D'Abruzzo, via personal communication with Anthony T.
- ↑ On-set photo
- ↑ @sesamestreet Oct 19, 2018
