This story definitely wins the internet for 2021.
In the most wholesome of news, it turns out that Sesame Street’s Big Bird has cousins all over the world, characterised — just like humans — by different colours.
“Different countries often have their own co-production of Sesame Street, incorporating their culture, along with their own versions of ‘Big Bird’ and ‘Oscar the Grouch'”, Twitter account, Muppet History shared.
Confirming that Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch do indeed have their own versions was Big Bird himself via his own Twitter account (ah, 2021).
“I heard my friends on Twitter were asking about my cousins around the world! It’s true, I have a lot of bird cousins in different countries. Here’s a little bit about them,” he wrote.
I heard my friends on Twitter were asking about my cousins around the world! It’s true, I have a lot of bird cousins in different countries. Here’s a little bit about them:
— Big Bird (@BigBird) February 5, 2021
Following on from the initial Tweet, the thread introduced Big Bird’s cousins from Mexico, The Netherlands, Turkey, Portugal and Little Bird, another cousin who “stops by Sesame Street every once in a while.”
Abeldardo is from Mexico and the pair “reunited” in California during a road trip, while Pino, Big Bird’s cousin from the Netherlands, is “a few years younger” than our yellow furry friend but is the same height.
This is Pino, he lives in The Netherlands. He’s a few years younger than me, but we’re the same height! pic.twitter.com/LCHAMvhVHC
— Big Bird (@BigBird) February 5, 2021
Cousin Minik Kuş is from Turkey “but he’s no turkey himself!”, Big Bird said, confirming that he is in fact a “canary bird just like me.”
The original voice-over artist, Caroll Spinney, 85, who voiced both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, died in 2019 after suffering from dystonia, a neurological movement disorder. He was instrumental in bringing the large yellow character to life in the US.
“Caroll was an artistic genius whose kind and loving view of the world helped shape and define Sesame Street from its earliest days in 1969 through five decades, and his legacy here at Sesame Workshop and in the cultural firmament will be unending,” Sesame Street’s representatives said in a statement.
“His enormous talent and outsized heart were perfectly suited to playing the larger-than-life yellow bird who brought joy to generations of children and countless fans of all ages around the world, and his lovably cantankerous grouch gave us all permission to be cranky once in a while.”