David Farnor | On 16, Dec 2015

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story is now available to watch online on VOD service We Are Colony with exclusive bonus features.

The documentary chronicles the life of Carroll Spinney, a man known to big kids and little kids alike as Big Bird.

Playing both Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird since 1969, the Sesame St puppeteer had a career that spanned both happiness and isolation – and this film brings his story to the screen for the first time. How did he get involved with Jim Henson’s team? And what was it like having someone else inherit his iconic role?

Full of behind-the-scenes glimpses, how Spinney operates the puppet emerges as an act of Olympic agility, using one finger to move the bird’s eyes, one hand to move his left arm and every ounce of concentration to look a monitor strapped to his chest that shows him what is happening around him (because his head is located somewhere mid-neck, he cannot see a thing). This bizarre piece of contortion leads to all kinds of amusing problems, as we see him both on-set and on the road, from microphone faults to filming on the Great Wall of China.

The behind-the-scenes fascination is a natural fit for We Are Colony, which specialises in bonus content. Available now to buy and rent from £1.99, the streaming site’s package includes an array of exclusive special features, including an original Crazy Crayon episode featuring Big Bird and deleted scenes featuring people such as Michael Jackson and Michael Buble. (For more on I Am Big Bird, you can read our full review of the film here.)

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