Big Bird's Mommy

DEBUT	1969

Big Bird's Mommy is the mother of Big Bird on Sesame Street. Unlike Grover's Mommy, who plays a dynamic role in her son's life, Big Bird's Mommy is a shadowy figure, and seems to have left most of his upbringing to his Granny Bird and aunt Nani Bird.

Big Bird shows Bob a photo of his mother in Episode 0030, received a letter from her in Episode 0077, and a coat in the mail from her Episode 0302. Subsequently, however, all known birthday and Christmas presents come from Granny Bird or the residents of Sesame Street.

In Follow That Bird, Big Bird is treated by the Feathered Friends as an orphan, cut off from other birds. His "Feathered Friends" profile lists him as having no parents. This makes some sense if a grandmother is his closest relative, but less so if Big Bird's Mommy is still around. In fact, Big Bird fantasizes about a Bird Family, including a Mommy Bird and Daddy Bird.

In Episode 4618, Big Bird's verse during "You're the Mom for Me" shows him honoring Mother's Day by giving Nina flowers, considering her a mother figure in his life.

Verbal references

• Episode 0077 — Big Bird receives a letter from his mother, and mentions her regular job to make ends meet by stuffing feather pillows.

• Episode 0323 — Gordon takes a picture of Big Bird that he says he can send to his mother.

• Episode 0471 — Big Bird mentions that his mother is a great whistler.

• Episode 0700 — Big Bird emulates the way his mother would scold him in order to retrieve a ball that has become stuck on the roof of the garage.

• Episode 0946 — Big Bird's sailboat boat ride causes him concern at first, exclaiming "My mommy didn't raise me to be a duck!"

• Episode 1040 — Big Bird tweets a song to calm Cody down that his mother used to tweet to him.

• Episode 1064 — Big Bird claims his mother taught him the American Sign Language gesture for "tree."

• Episode 1117 — Big Bird finds a Mother Goose book at the library and claims his mother used to read it to him when he was younger.

• Episode 1125 — In the song "Little Brother," Big Bird muses that if he had his own little brother, he could "introduce him to my mom and dad, and they'd be so glad." The same lyric is used in the re-written version, "Little Sister," in Episode 2703.

• Episode 1191 — "When I was born, my mother called me Big Bird."

• Episode 1257 — Big Bird shares memories of being fed by his mommy as a baby chick.

• Episode 1461 — Big Bird refuses to throw away a toy sailboat that she gave him when he was little.

• Episode 1474 — After telling a joke that receives a groan, Big Bird excuses himself saying he thinks he hears his mother calling.

• Bob Hope's World of Comedy — Big Bird mentions that his mother is "a yellow-breasted hornswabble talking tiki."

• In "Everyone in My Family" Big Bird recalls his mother helping to him learn to roller skate.