 | |
| Written by | Caroll Spinney with J Milligan |
| Illustrator | Caroll Spinney |
| Published | April 29, 2003 |
| Publisher | Villard |
| ISBN | 0375507817 |
Japanese edition.
The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch) was published in 2003. Although the work's secondary title is "Lessons from a Life in Feathers," the book is partly an autobiography that begins shortly before Caroll Spinney joined the fledgling cast of Sesame Street Muppeteers. Interspersed with Spinney's remembrances are lessons that he learned from playing Big Bird and, to a lesser extent, Oscar the Grouch.
In addition to the hardback edition, a large-print version was released on October 1, 2003. There was also a Japanese translation by Yoshiko Funato.
Caroll Spinney held a signing of the book at the Muppets, Music & Magic event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2004.
Contents[]
- Introduction: My Life as a Bird
- Chapter 1: Listen to Yourself
- Chapter 2: Ask Him What He Means
- Chapter 3: Take a Pay Cut
- Chapter 4: Find Your Inner Bird
- Chapter 5: Try Adding More Feathers
- Chapter 6: Become Who You Always Were
- Chapter 7: Listen to Your Cabbie
- Chapter 8: Be a Grouch
- Chapter 9: Be Flexible
- Chapter 10: Give It a Month
- Chapter 11: Wing It
- Chapter 12: Make 'Em Laugh
- Chapter 13: Go To China
- Chapter 14: Write Your Own Story
- Chapter 15: Pretend You Can Dance
- Chapter 16: Hear The Music
- Chapter 17: Watch Your Step
- Chapter 18: Be Persistent
- Chapter 19: Eat Your Veggies
- Chapter 20: Be Honest With Your Audience
- Chapter 21: Don't Let Your Feathers Get Ruffled
- Chapter 22: Find Compassion
- Chapter 23: Be Good To Each Other
- Chapter 24: Give Something Back
- Chapter 25: Find Your Place In The World
- Chapter 26: Remember The Future
- Acknowledgements
Errata[]
- On page 35, Spinney recounts an early storyline (which he would often bring up in public appearances) where Big Bird wants to go to day care with the kids, but is dejected when he can't go, prompting the decision to portray Big Bird as a child. Spinney cites it as having been in the show's first year, and that the script was written by Jeff Moss, whom he cited as the head writer at the time. The latter claim is incorrect, as Moss would not become head writer until season 2 (Jon Stone was head writer in season 1). Said scene does not exist, as documented by the Wiki's episode guides for the first three seasons (the last two of which meet the criteria for Spinney's claim regarding Moss). However, in episode 0032, Big Bird dreams of being able to attend kindergarten someday, indicating that Big Bird was already designated as a child-like character from the beginning. Spinney's recollection could very well be a result of bad memory.
- On pages 139-40, Spinney erroneously identifies Big Bird's Brazilian counterpart as an alligator. He was likely thinking of Abelardo from the original run of Plaza Sésamo.
- Chapter 21 covers Spinney's memories of performing Elmo in the early years of the show. See: Baby Monster § Caroll Spinney.