Big Bird Through the Years

The evolution of Big Bird.

Image	Production / Year	Notes
	Sesame Street Season 1 (1969-1970)	The original Big Bird is ungainly in design and characterization, with clumsy body movements and a hick-like voice. The arrangement of the feathers appears more haphazard-like. Caroll Spinney the actor of Big Bird, as been quoted saying, "He didn't look too keen. I thought he was one of the ugliest things I'd ever seen!" During the first season, Big Bird’s design is noticeably continuously modified. Among the puppet’s first changes are brighter orange legs, after his original set of legs caught fire by an incident when a klieg light fell only a couple feet away. Later, the Bird's overhanging eyelids get placed to indicate a happier expression that will make kids happier themselves.
	Sesame Street Season 1 (1970)	At the end of the first season, Big Bird's head is given a full makeover. His head now has more feathers, and also has different feet. The color used to be red, now orange.
File:BBird-FW70.jpg	The Flip Wilson Show Episode #1 (1970)	For Big Bird's appearances at the 1970 Emmy Awards and The Flip Wilson Show, due to purposes, a different puppet was used. The puppet's appearances at this point for the show looked similar to The Bird's looks in later years. Unlike other versions of Big Bird, this version has googly pupils like Cookie Monster.
	Sesame Street Season 2 (1970-1971)	Big Bird's head appears a bit shorter. His personality starts to change as the season goes on. Also, his feathers appear a bit darker.
	Sesame Street Season 3 (1971-1972)	More feathers are added to Big Bird's head, making him his current 8'2" size. Also, his eye focus is improved now.
	Sesame Street Season 4 (1972-1976)	During this period, Big Bird's head becomes considerably more almond-shaped. His eye focus has been improved even more. Sometime around season 5, the goofy quality in the characters voice is now gone unlike the last 5 seasons.
	Sesame Street Season 8 (1976-1978)	Big Bird's eye focus is now fully fixed. Some highlights are now evident on the bird's head. His head has been reshaped again. Also, his feathers appear a bit more lighter now.
	Sesame Street Season 10 (1978-1982)	Big Bird's head is now round again. This puppet onwards sports a similar look to the current puppet of today. One catch is that this version can shut its eyelids. This was why a new Big Bird model was made.
	Follow That Bird (1982-1988)	This version of Big Bird looks really similar to the one of today as well. There are minor tweaks and changed than the present one as of today. The quality in his eyelids is now fixed.
	Sesame Street Season 20 (1988-1993)	Big Bird's three highlights on his head now are very bright. Also, his neck was a bit longer during this time.
File:Bigbird90's.jpg	Sesame Street Season 25 (1993-2003)	Big Bird is now somewhat more vibrant in color, compared to the receding puppets. The three highlights on his head now become dark again, and his neck is now back to the way it was. His feathers also become a bit more fluffier.
	Sesame Street Season 35 (2004-present)	Big Bird now has even more fluffier feathers. The Bird appears to be more yellow than before. Also, his neck as it looks tends to jut out a bit. In blue-screen sequences (in Elmo's World: Doctors and episodes 4222 and 4265, for example), the blue lines on his eyelids are changed to gray rather than pink.
Alternate Big Bird Puppets and Characters
	The Blue Bird of Happiness (1985)	A blue version of Big Bird from Follow That Bird. The feathers and beak are light blue, but the tail is not entirely dyed. The head of this version is still used as practice for new puppeteers and was used during the screening for Garibaldo, Big Bird's counterpart in Vila Sésamo.
	Big Bird (1998-present)	This is Matt Vogel's Big Bird puppet. The feathers on his head are fluffier, and the blue lines of his eyelids are a slightly different color to not interfere with the blue-screen background used during the Journey to Ernie segments. When Matt performs Big Bird in street scenes, he has normal eyelid colors.
	Alternate (mid-1990s)	During the mid-to-late 1990s, an alternate Big Bird puppet was used during street scenes that required Big Bird to shut his eyes. This caused the in-need of this puppet. It was also used during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade performances during that time. It's eyes also appear to be a bit bigger than the original. This version looks pretty much the same as the other model that cannot shut its eyelids.
	Baby Big Bird (2006)	This is Big Bird as a baby in Sesame Beginnings. He appears to be much smaller than how he does now.
Predecessor Puppets and Planning
	Gourmet Bird (1963)	Jim Henson's earliest idea for a walk-around bird puppet was originally designed for a Stouffer's Food commercial which was never produced. The drawing on the right lays out the fundamentals for how the puppet would work, which are largely the same with those that would later be applied to Big Bird.
	Nutty Bird from Royal Crown Cola ads (1966)	While not a full-body puppet, Nutty Bird's silly appearance and warm color scheme (including his yellow base, with variations of orange and red) were traits that would be incorporated into Big Bird's design.
File:Jimhenson-bigbird.png	Design sketches for Sesame Street (1969)	Henson's finished color sketch of his initial "goofy" vision for Big Bird. Here, the bird looks noticeably slimmer than how the actual puppet came to be.