Big Bird

The 50th anniversary of Sesame Street continues, and this weekend New York City will celebrate in style.

This Sunday, the Empire State Building will be lit in yellow and green in honor of the iconic Sesame Street sign.

At a special advance lighting ceremony held today, the Mayor’s Office of New York City declared it “Caroll Spinney Day” in honor of the puppeteer who performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since the debut of Sesame Street in 1969. Spinney, who recently retired from the role, was in attendance to receive an official proclamation from Anne del Castillo, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Big Bird flipped the ceremonial switch.

Caroll Spinney Day

“From the very beginning, New York City has been our hometown, as well as the physical and emotional inspiration for Sesame Street,” says Steve Youngwood, president of media and education and chief operating officer, Sesame Workshop. “We are thrilled to celebrate our milestone anniversary with the Mayor’s Office and the landmark Empire State Building — partners who also celebrate diversity, embrace innovation and encourage us all to reach for the skies.”

Earlier this year, the corner of 63rd and Broadway in New York City was given the honorary distinction of being named Sesame Street in honor of the series’ legacy.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube