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Puppeteer Behind 'Big Bird' Dies at 85

VOA News

   You didn't know his name, but you certainly knew his voice and alter
   ego.

   Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch
   for nearly 50 years on TV's Sesame Street, died Sunday at his home in
   Connecticut. He was 85.

   The Sesame Workshop, which produces the show, says Spinney had been
   suffering from dystonia -- a disease that causes involuntary muscle
   movements.

   Spinney introduced Big Bird and Oscar on Sesame Street's first episode
   in November 1969. The show's young audience immediately embraced both
   characters.

   The yellow feathered Big Bird stood two and a half meters tall and had
   a child's view of the world -- he was filled with curiosity, questions,
   and innocence.

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