What Was Caroll Spinney's Net Worth and Salary?
Caroll Spinney was an American puppeteer and cartoonist who had a net worth of $8 million at the time of his death in 2019. Caroll Spinney was most famous for playing the characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the television series "Sesame Street."
Spinney met Jim Henson at a puppeteering festival in 1962. He joined "Sesame Street" for its inaugural season in 1969. At one point, he almost left the show because he was not getting paid enough. Spinney won a Grammy Award in 1971 for Best Recording for Children for "Sesame Street." He also won a News & Documentary Emmy Award for "Sesame Street" in 1974. Spinney won five Daytime Emmy Awards for "Sesame Street," including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. In 1994, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.
Early Life
Caroll Spinney was born Caroll Edwin Spinney on December 26, 1933, in Waltham, Massachusetts. He was the son of Chester and Margaret Spinney. He grew up with two older brothers, Bruce and Glenn. During his youth, Caroll enjoyed painting and drawing and also developed a love of puppeteering after seeing a performance of "Three Little Kittens" at the age of five. This motivated him to purchase a monkey puppet from a rummage sale a few years later and begin developing his own puppet shows. He was later gifted a Punch and Judy puppet theater by his mother. Throughout his teen years, he continued performing and raised money for college tuition. After he graduated from Acton High School, he served in the U.S. Air Force.
Career
While in the Air Force, Spinney wrote and illustrated "Harvey," a comic strip about military life. He also animated a series of black-and-white cartoons called "Crazy Crayon." In 1955, following his time in the service, Caroll moved to Las Vegas, where he performed in the show "Rascal Rabbit." He returned to Boston in 1958 to join "The Judy and Goggle Show" as a puppeteer. Throughout the 1960s, he performed on the Boston broadcast of "Bozo's Big Top," where he played various costumed characters which included Flip Flop the Rag Doll, Mr. Rabbit, Kookie the Boxing Kangaroo, and Mr. Lion. During this time, he was also working as a commercial artist and animator. He also created a puppet duo consisting of two cats named Picklepuss and Pop, which he utilized throughout the 1960s.
In 1962, Spinney met Jim Henson at a puppeteering festival. At that time, Hensen attempted to engage Caroll in a conversation about the Muppets, which Spinney failed to realize was an opportunity to potentially land a job working with Henson. Later, in 1969, Spinney performed at a Puppeteers of America festival in Utah. Hensen was in attendance and, after the show, asked Spinney again if they could "talk about the Muppets." This time, Caroll realized a possible job opportunity was on the table. The conversation went well and Spinney joined the Muppeteers full-time by late 1969.
He also joined Sesame Street for its inaugural season in 1969. He nearly left after the first season because he was not getting acceptable pay, but Kermit Love persuaded him to stay. Caroll performed as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch in Australia, China, Japan, and across Europe. He also played those characters with orchestras across the U.S. and Canada, including the Boston Pops. He visited the White House multiple times while in character and provided the characters' voices on dozens of albums.
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In the character of Oscar, Spinney wrote "How to Be a Grouch," a picture book. He also wrote the 2003 book "The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers" along with J. Milligan. He narrated the audiobook "Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street" by Michael Davis. His work has been studied by other puppeteers who have structured their own performance style after his, especially by adopting full-body puppet costumes.
Though Spinney primarily performed as Big Bird and Oscar, he also performed as a number of other characters. At one point, he created Bruno the Trashman, a full-bodied puppet that represented a garbage man who carried Oscar's trash can. He also performed as Granny Bird, Big Bird's grandmother. In October 2018, Caroll officially announced his retirement from "Sesame Street" after 49 years. His last performances as Big Bird and Oscar were recorded as part of the series' landmark 50th season, which aired in 2020. The roles of Big Bird and Oscar were handed over to Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson.
Personal Life and Death
In 1960, Spinney married Janice Spinney. The couple had three children together. They divorced in 1971. Caroll then married Debra Jean Gilroy in 1979. They remained married until Spinney's death. In 2015, Caroll was diagnosed with dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that causes muscle contractions. On November 8, 2019, Spinney and Big Bird, played by Matt Vogel, participated in a lighting ceremony that was dubbed "Caroll Spinney Day" in New York City by mayoral proclamation.
On December 8, 2019, Spinney died at his home in Woodstock, Connecticut, at the age of 85. He was surrounded by his wife, Debra, and his three children.
Connecticut Property
In February 1999, Caroll paid $32,000 for a 7-acre wooded property in Woodstock, Connecticut. Over time, he built multiple structures, including a 4,300-square-foot main house.
