| Sesame Street Puppeteer Brings Show to Concord |
| AREA—“People are laughing creatures,” Acton raised says [sic] Carroll Spinney, the Sesame Street puppeteer who plays Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on television. Mr. Spinney will bring laughter to Concord with a new show, “Picklepuss and Friends” on Saturday, Jan. 30, 10 a.m., at the Concord Academy Performing Arts Center. The performance is for the benefit of the Brooks School of Concord.
Picklepuss is an endearing Tom cat who will star in a national television special this Spring with Mr. Spinney's puppets and folk music by Pete Seeger. Its tentative title is: “Birds, Bees, and Little Fishes”. The program in Concord will also feature “The Big Bad Dragon”, another Spinney special, and a somewhat traditional Punch and Judy performance. This Punch and Judy show is the one which brought Mr. Spinney to Sesame Street. Carroll Spinney put on his Punch and Judy at the National Puppeteer's Festival in Salt Lake City. Jim Henson, originator of Sesame Street, was in the audience and hired him on the spot. Mr. Spinney appeared on Dec. 22 at the White House Christmas party for children given by President and Mrs. Nixon. At that time he was lauded greatly. Carroll Spinney rarely gives performances other than on T.V. His characters are so fresh and imaginative that they even make adults stop in the midst of their busy lives to sit and join their little ones who are entranced with letters and numerals. To quote Carroll Spinney, “I believe in the whole idea which Sesame Street is promoting, that while children are entertained they can also be learning. They get the material while laughing and it is the firmest way to do this.” |
| Carroll Spinney Former Acton Resident Sesame Street Puppeteer To Perform in Concord by Louise Fadiman |
| Carroll Spinney is reported to be America's greatest puppeteer. He is Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. He will appear on Saturday, Jan. 30, 10 a.m. at the Concord Academy Performing Arts Center for the benefit of the Brooks School of Concord. All children from Concord, Acton and surrounding areas are invited. Tickets may be purchased at the door or from Mrs. M. Kahn, telephone 259-9212.
Mr. Spinney was raised in Acton and graduated from Acton High School. In fact, this reporter first knew him twelve years ago when I wrote a column for the Beacon about the area's social events. Spinney was a beginning entertainer who gave puppet shows for children's birthday parties. Now that he is famous, it is gratifying to interview him from another perspective. Carroll Spinney is an ebullient man, overflowing with wit and ideas. It is easy to understand why children love him when he appears as Big Bird or Oscar the Grouch. His humour is found in his phraseology: “In Acton I was always the skinny kid who collected bugs.” Now that his mother no longer lives nearby, I asked him how he makes his puppets. His mother was the one who originally sewed and even designed them. Spinney replied that he often makes them himself: “I cut one out, glue it together. Then my wife sews the seams. I didn't take Home Ec,” was his quip. Here are some of Spinney's ideas: “Basically people are laughing creatures. Even the people who may be plotting the destruction of the world could be thinking of a joke at the moment, and you might reach them through humour.” To quote Mr. Spinney again, “All types of entertainment for children can contain learning experiences. I believe in the whole idea which Sesame Street is promoting, that while children are being entertained they can also be learning. I wish I had studied to be a teacher earlier. Now I am a teacher with Big Bird.” Spinney is more than Big Bird. He illustrates film strips of classic children's stories for Cooper Films. These movies are sold for distribution through school systems. He also produces one animated cartoon a year for Tech Films in Watertown. His last film, “Microbacteriology, Millipore Filter System,” won two gold medals, one in Atlanta, the other in Bucharest, Romania. Recently he made a film, “Benjamin” for the Massachusetts Epilepsy Society. The film is narrated by Loretta Long, who is known as Susan on Sesame Street. Currently, Carroll Spinney lives in Woodstock, Connecticut, which he loves. He relates it to his Acton upbringing: “I love it here. It is extremely rural, more like Acton was in 1940. It is also like Acton because it has a North, South, East, West, and Center.” He further speaks of the Acton woods, “Growing up in Acton I was always the skinny kid who collected bugs. I was interested in terrariums, fish, and strange plants, picture [sic] plants especially, which I found in the Acton woods.” The next national television special which will be put out in the Spring, starring Spinney's new puppet character, “Picklepuss”, with Pete Seeger and his folk music, will be called “Birds, Buds, and Little Fishes.” Mr. Spinney's early Acton interests are continuing. Recently one of Carroll Spinney's performances was acclaimed with enthusiasm. He appeared at the Christmas party for children which President and Mrs. Nixon gave at the White House. Spinney was Chairman of the 35th Annual Festival of Puppeteers at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut. Every child is a Sesame Street fan. Even the White House wants to see puppets. Children from this area are lucky to be able to see Carroll Spinney in person. “The Big Bad Dragon,” another of his specials, and a traditional Punch and Judy Performance will be on the program with “Picklepuss and Friends.” |
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