MAN BEHIND BIG BIRD REVEALS CHARACTER'S YOKEL ROOTS

MAN BEHIND BIG BIRD REVEALS CHARACTER'S YOKEL ROOTS

NEW YORK (Wireless Flash) -- There's a shocking secret behind Big Bird's yellow feathers -- the famous lovable bird started out as a slack-jawed country hick. That's according to Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who has provided Big Bird's body and voice for the past 31 years. Spinney says the when he first portrayed Big Bird, he used a Gomer Pyle-like country accent that Muppets creator Jim Henson absolutely loved. However, a few months into the first season, Spinney decided to change Big Bird's voice to make him sound less like a backwoods rube and more like a 6-year-old child. It worked because Big Bird is now one of the most beloved TV characters among children and even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Spinney will be revealing other "Sesame Street" secrets on an upcoming special, "Sesame Street Unpaved," which will air December 8 on the Noggin cable channel.