Twitter Thread: Big Bird Introduces World To His Cousins

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Twitter Thread: Big Bird Introduces World To His Cousins

For whatever reason Big Bird decided to enlighten the world on his cousins from around the world. Little Bird is just straight up adorable. Then there's a very unsettling air about Garibaldo. No idea what kind of madness Garibaldo's up to. This is one of those threads that the world didn't know it needed, but definitely does. While we're on the topic of Big Bird though, we figured we might as well dive down a rabbit hole on the story of Sesame Street's infamous Big Bird. Where to begin?

Well, for starters Big Bird stands at a daunting 8'2. Just imagine seeing that guy out walking around the block. Doorways must be some kind of terrible hassle for the poor fellow. Big Bird seems to be quite the multitalented individual. He can roller skate, ice skate, dance, sing, write poetry, draw, and even rock out on a unicycle. Who wouldn't love to see that in action? Big Bird resides in a nest behind 123 Sesame Street, and has a teddy bear named Radar.

Moving on with our rundown of the illustrious history behind the infamous Big Bird, Big Bird also has an established reputation for making friends easily. Throughout the show he was always that one character who would welcome the new characters to the block. At one point in time Big Bird commented on his charisma during a TIME interview, saying that people might see the 8-foot Big Bird and feel more comfortable. Personally, I don't know if I'd want to give the homie a hug, or sprint away like my life depend on it. And on top of that it could just be helped out by the fact that he's a friendly bird. Like, imagine if he wasn't friendly for a second. Imagine if he'd been rocking a getup like that of his cousin Garibaldo, and played the part of the schoolyard bully instead? Thank goodness that's not the direction that the show's writers took his character arc.

Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries behind Big Bird is how old is the dude? Is he just a clueless, wide eyed adult or maybe a kid still figuring out how the world works? As it turns out, Big Bird's apparently permanently 6 1/2 years old. I guess by freezing his age at this point, the writers are able to paint Big Bird in a light where he's seen as nothing but a curious, adventurous kid who is actively figuring out the ways of the crazy world.

Let's take a quick look at some other fun facts about Big Bird. Big Bird almost went into space. Yes, literally at one point the team behind Sesame Street was looking into the logistics that'd be involved with sending the man behind the character (Caroll Spinney) into outer space on the disastrous Challenger space shuttle in 1986. They ultimately passed on sending Spinney into outer space because they couldn't quite crack the problem of getting an 8'2 bird suit up there. Geez. Another quick fun fact about Big Bird is that Carroll Spinney also was responsible for voicing Oscar the Grouch. How about that? Pretty neat. Overall, what a wonderful, legendary career Carroll Spinney had while playing the part of the world's most loved Big Bird. May you rest in peace, Carroll Spinney. As for the whole bit about Big Bird's cousins...we'd love to learn more about this wild Garibaldo character.