‘Big’ man inside is retiring

The puppeteer behind lovable characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch will be flying the coop. Caroll Spinney — who has portrayed the iconic Muppets on “Sesame Street”since 1969 —announced his retirement on Wednesday, while reflecting on his joyful journey. “Big Bird brought me so many places, opened my mind and nurtured my soul,” Spinney said. “Before I came to Sesame Street, I didn’t feel like what I was doing was very important. “Big Bird helped me find my purpose.” The 84-year-old Spinney has been playing Big Bird and Oscar since the television show’s debut in 1969. He even met his wife, Debra, on the set in 1973. Spinney once recalled how Muppet creator Jim Henson came to him with the idea for a tall, feathery figure and a garbage-loving cynic after the two men met at a puppetry festival in 1962. “He said, ‘Why don’t you come down to New York and talk about the Muppets?’ ” Spinney told NPR in 2003. “‘I have some characters I want to build. One is a tall, funny-looking bird and the other’s going to be this grouchy character who’s going to live in a pile of trash in the gutter.’ ” Spinney operated the 8-foot-2 inch Bird until 2015, when he had to stop due to health issues. But the artist has continued to provide voices for both Big Bird and Oscar since then. He has earned six performing Emmys, a Lifetime Achievement Emmy, two Gold Records and two Grammy honors. His life and career were documented in the acclaimed 2014 movie “I Am Big Bird.” “I always thought: How fortunate for me that I got to play the two best Muppets,” Spinney told The New York Times. “Playing Big Bird is one of the most joyous things of my life.” Matt Vogel, now Kermit the Frog and Count Von Count, will take over as Big Bird and Oscar.