Origins
In his memoir, Caroll Spinney (the puppeteer who plays Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch) notes that he was inspired to pitch the special to CTW after visiting China on a tour with Bob Hope. This first trip was to film the Bob Hope on the Road to China, a two hour NBC special airing September 16, 1979. The special featured Big Bird, along with the likes of Shields & Yarnell and Mikhail Baryshnikov with musical numbers by Peaches & Herb and Crystal Gayle. It was produced by James Lipton.
Spinney devised the storyline and suggested locations for Big Bird in China. However, the program's credits do not acknowledge this and instead state, "Created by Jon Stone". Spinney also notes that, when filming on location in Beijing, Guilin, and Suzhou, he experienced much tension and difficulty due to animosity from Stone.
Read more about this topic: Big Bird In China
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