Sesame Street Turns 40!!
You may have noticed the current Google Doodle is based on Big Bird, as Sesame Street celebrates it's 40th anniversary.
I grew up on Sesame Street, of course. Loved Oscar the Grouch when I was feeling devious, Cookie Monster when I was hungry, The Count when I was ... okay, no fan of math, I hated The Count. I had the toys and other Sesame Street goodies growing up (and later many things from The Muppets). When I was in middle school, my family even traveled to Dallas, where we took in a Sesame Street themed amusement park. I always marveled at Jim Hensen's fantastic creations and even dreamed for a short while of becoming a puppeteer. As I've grown older, it's still a joy to watch Sesame Street with my increasing brood of nieces and nephews as they grow older. There is a deep appreciation of Sesame Street's willingness to tackle weighty issues such as diversity and racial issues.
Throughout this entire time, though, perhaps the one character who meant the most to me was Big Bird. Growing up, I was always the biggest and tallest kiddo in the room. I was the weirdo kid with imaginary friends, not so different from Mr. Snuffulufugus ... even now as an adult, I joke around and call my best friend Angela "Snuffy" because often we are not at the same events at the same time. My height and weight continue to be issues and while I'm not 8 feet tall, as Big Bird is, I certainly can relate to being relagated to the back row of every group photograph.
One time my alma mater, Hastings College, brought in artist Caroll Spinney to Hastings, Neb., as part of the Artist's Lecture Series. Caroll has voiced and animated Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since Sesame Street went on the air. While his presentation was very moving, at the end of the night, I was invited to a special reception with Caroll at a professor's home. He brought Oscar the Grouch out and let us hug his furry green body. Students in the room asked Oscar to say, "Git 'R Done!" to much laughter and delight.
During the evening, I found myself alone with Caroll for a moment in the kitchen. I explained how my size helped me relate to Big Bird on many levels. I was tearing up in front of him with emotion reserved for one of my heroes. It was at that moment that Caroll summoned Big Bird, who gave me a very sweet message about how I was special and unique because of my size. It was a very powerful, heartwarming moment. One big hug later and we were back at the party. Maybe I'm a total dork, but I believe that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear, even if that teacher is in the form of one of our childhood heroes.
Meeting Caroll Spinney and in turn, Big Bird, came during a very low point in my life and helped set in motion a series of events that enabled my life to eventually get better. I will forever be grateful for that conversation.
"Bad days happens to everyone, but when one happens to you, just keep doing your best and never let a bad day make you feel bad about yourself" ~Big Bird
http://www.google.com/search?q=sesame+street&ct=bigbird-hp&oi=ddle
