Original Big Bird puppeteer Caroll Spinney helps light up the Empire State building for 'Sesame Stre

(8 Nov 2019) Big Bird threw the switch Friday (8 NOV. 2019) to symbolically light up the Empire State Building in green and yellow to mark Sesame Street's 50th anniversary. Bird was joined by its original puppeteer Caroll Spinney who was honored with a city proclamation naming Nov. 8 as Caroll Spinney Day by the mayors office. Spinney retired from the series in 2018 after playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since the shows debut in 1969. Spinney, who turns 86 in December, was joined by his wife Debra. The mission of Sesame Street hasn't changed in the 50 years the children's educational program has been on the air according to Steve Youngwood, President of Media and Education and Chief Operating Officer, Sesame Workshop. "We were founded to harness the power of media, to help educate kids and help make them stronger, smarter and kinder," Youngwood said, "what's obviously changed is the definition of media and how kids consume media and what it means to help them." The actual lighting of the Empire State Building will be at dusk on Sunday, Nov. 10. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...