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Puppeteer who played Big Bird on 'Sesame Street' retiring after nearly 50 years

Caroll Spinney said Thursday will be his last day as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
(L-R) Puppeteer Caroll Spinney, Sesame Street co-founder and TV producer Joan Ganz Cooney, and Sesame Street cast members pose under a '123 Sesame Street' sign on November 9, 2009 in New York City.

The puppeteer who has played Big Bird on "Sesame Street" is retiring after nearly 50 years on the show.

Caroll Spinney tells the New York Times that Thursday will be his last day on the program, which he joined from the start in 1969. In addition to Big Bird, the 84-year-old was also Oscar the Grouch.

Spinney says "I always thought, how fortunate for me that I got to play the two best Muppets?"

Spinney says the physical requirements of performing the characters had become difficult and he developed problems with his balance. He stopped doing the puppeteering for Big Bird in 2015 and now only provides the voices for him and Oscar.

His apprentice, Matt Vogel, will succeed him in the Big Bird role. He also plays Kermit the Frog.

Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Caroll Spinney and The Muppets attend The 2017 Sesame Workshop Dinner at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 31, 2017 in New York City.

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