When a young girl started crying at the beginning of Caroll Spinney’s lecture Wednesday night, he tried to comfort the child by presenting a fuzzy green puppet and talking in a voice from a children’s television show, not unlike how his characters act on “Sesame Street”.

Spinney, the voice of “Sesame Street” characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, spoke at the Illini Union about his television career and his characters’ impact on children.

Spinney has been a part of “Sesame Street” since 1969. He said he was interested in puppets since age five. When he was eight, he bought his first puppet, and for his ninth birthday his mom bought him a puppet theatre. Spinney said his mother did not realize that the puppet theatre would lead to the start of his career.

From a young age, Spinney wanted a career in television. He first started as Mr. Lion in “Bozo’s Big Top.” Jim Henson, director of “Seasame Street,” took note of Spinney’s voice on the show. He asked Spinney to play the voice of two characters for him on “Sesame Street.”

In the beginning, Spinney was told to play Big Bird as an unintelligent grown man. Spinney said that since “Sesame Street” was a kids’ show, he thought Big Bird should portray a six-year-old instead. Because of this portrayal, Big Bird has been able to connect with young kids.

“I’ve gotten letters from kids addressed to Big Bird,” Spinney said. “They say things like how they see Big Bird as one of their friends. One letter said, ‘Hi Big Bird, you’re my friend, and I hope I’m your friend, too.’”

Spinney said he’s also received letters from parents who tell him how much Big Bird has affected their kids. He received a letter from a boy’s parents telling him that their child spoke his first word because of Big Bird when he was seven years old. Spinney said the reason parents and kids enjoy Big Bird is because he brings compassion to the show.

“I told Jim that the world could use more compassion,” Spinney said. “And I told him that wouldn’t it be great if we could bring compassion into the show?”

Spinney said one of his favorite episodes was when Big Bird had to deal with death. He said every child has to go through death at some point, and because they were able to connect with Big Bird it would make death easier for them to handle. He again said the age of Big Bird is very important because it allows kids to connect with him, and Big Bird will definitely be an impact in their lives.

Some students who attended Spinney’s lecture expressed an appreciation for Big Bird’s role in their childhood. Anna Wetherholt, senior in LAS, said she felt the connection Spinney described.

“I came to see Caroll because his performance for Jim Henson’s memorial service really touched me, and Big Bird has really impacted me,” Wetherholt said.

Atoosa can be reached at [email protected].