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| Sunday, 26 March 2006 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The Big Bird of children's TV You all know Big Bird from Sesame Street, don't you? But did you know that this eight feet, two inches tall yellow bird celebrated its birthday recently, on March 20 to be exact? Big Bird, or rather the character of the most famous bird in the world, was born in 1969, but it's described as six years old in the TV series. Although it's generally accepted to be a canary, it has referred to itself as a condor. Over 4,000 white turkey feathers, which have been dyed yellow, are used in the costume. The original bird was ungainly in design and characterisation; with clumsy body movements.
The character has been a regular since the show's premiere on November 10, 1969, and took a leading role in the early eighties. It has so far entertained millions of children from all corners of the world with its wide-eyed wonder and talents, including roller skating, ice skating, dancing, singing, writing poems, drawing and riding a unicycle. However, it's prone to frequent misunderstandings and in one instance, sang the whole alphabet as one word. Big Bird encourages children to learn new things, as it also doesn't know every thing and learns by inquiring about the outside world. Apart from this, it also provides other lessons on life, as well as alphabetical and numerical lessons. Big Bird lives alone in a large nest, behind 123 Sesame Street Apartment, and has been adopted by the general neighbourhood. It has a teddy bear named Radar; its nest also contains a bubblegum dispenser, a clock with no hands, feather duster, football helmet, a golf bag with one club, hurricane lamp, megaphone, a Roman bust, tricycle wheel, watering can, an old record player, umbrella, mailbox and at least four books. The role of the Big Bird was originally performed by Carol Spinney, while Daniel Seagren also stepped in occasionally into the bird's shoes. Since 2002, Big Bird has been brought to life by Matt Vogel (vogel is German for bird) and sometimes, by Rick Lyon too. The yellow bird has also starred in 'Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake' where it turned six (it was earlier described as a four-year old), 'Follow That Bird' and 'Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting' of 1989. It has also made appearances in the big screen, through 'Follow That Bird' and feature films like 'The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland', 'Big Bird in China' and 'Big Bird in Japan'. It has also appeared on 'The Muppet Show', another children's favourite. Big Bird is listed at No. 16 on the 50 Greatest TV Animals on TV's
'Animal Program'. It was recognised with a Star on Hollywood's Walk of
Fame in 1994, and has also been featured on a US postage stamp. |
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