Big Bird in China

[CherryPizza]

Anyone who's read Caroll Spinney's memoir The Wisdom of Big Bird will be familiar with the basic story as to how this special came to be:

• Caroll tours China with Bob Hope and falls in love with the place
• Caroll is determined to take Big Bird back there
• Caroll and his wife Debra work together on a story, incorporating parts of China they think should be included
• Caroll pitches the idea to CTW, it gets approved
• The project gets assigned to Jon Stone, who harbours ongoing, unwarranted animosity towards Caroll, and has no personal insights or interests in China
• The trip is made to China, the special is recorded, it comes out well, but Caroll has a difficult time because of Jon's short fuse

With these basic facts in mind, whenever I watch this special, I can't help feeling that it's a bit much to open the special with the credit, "created by Jon Stone"

 

[CensoredAlso]

Heh, well that's true, it sounds like Carroll had a great deal to do with the vision. But Jon Stone was the director and obviously worked for the position over the years. That's the way it often goes in the business. At least Carroll's idea was listened to and allowed to happen. I personally would have given him further credit though.

 

[frogboy4]

I remember meeting Caroll at his book signing in San Francisco many years ago. That's where I first met Dave Goelz. He was sitting in the audience with the rest of us. I got to chat with him a little bit. It was exciting.

Caroll seemed incredibly kind-hearted. His stories in the book have inspired me through the tough lean times an artist often goes through. I particularly like his story about subbing for a Bert and Ernie sketch with Jim.

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Seeing Oscar up close was amazing. Such a simple and beautiful puppet. Watching him perform the character live was such a treat. There's little in this world like it. It's like watching a musician improvising live with a fine instrument.

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The China story is a very special one. I really would have liked the book to be thicker and more in-depth. It left me wanting more. I hope he writes another!

 

[Drtooth]

I remember meeting Caroll at his book signing in San Francisco many years ago. That's where I first met Dave Goelz. He was sitting in the audience with the rest of us. I got to chat with him a little bit. It was exciting.

Wow. You go to the signing to meet Carol, and you see Dave Golez as well. Amazing. Man, meeting Carol was one of the most profound moments of my life. I almost met Hanna or Barbera at an animation gallery, but I was so increadably shy, I couldn't even be in the same room with him. Luckily, such was not the case with Carol.

But back on subject, I like the appearance of Son Goku. No. not DBZ... the actual Monkey King he was based off of. Nice little way to get kids to know Chinese legend and mythology. Just like the Japan special, talking about the Moon Princess. Lovely little work.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Definitely, I learned so much about Chinese and Japanese culture from those specials, and to this day I'm fascinated with them. And I think it's always good when different countries can come together and work on a project.

I like that the Chinese special showcases so many children and particularly a little girl in the lead role (especially with what we know now). You get a chance to see the country in a truly positive light, apart from its government. (As we know, governments and people are not one in the same.)

The Japanese special is a little darker and more melancholy. Big Bird and Kaguya-Hime have both come to love Japan and don't want to have to leave. And the idea that the Bamboo Princess is someone so rare and special, who made an impact on everyone she met, though it was only for a short while. I actually tear up during parts of this show.

 

[GelflingWaldo]

I can't help feeling that it's a bit much to open the special with the credit, "created by Jon Stone"

Well credits are sometimes a finicky and quirky thing. Often times screen credits such as "created by" are allocated based on regulatory/legal/union stipulations. So while Caroll may have come up with the concept for the special and did a lot of the creative work to develop it, Jon (through writing the special) ended up doing those particular things required to warrant a "created by" credit.

 

[minor muppetz]

I think that Caroll Spinney (and his wife) should have at least gotten a "story by" credit (or a "based on an idea by" credit).

I think Jim Henson: The Works mentioned that Jim Henson wrote an outline/ first draft for The Mupet Movie, yet he didn't get any kind of writers credit for that.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Yes if I was in charge of the credits (which I wasn't lol) I probably would have credited Caroll with "based on an idea" or "developed by." Although it's possible Caroll didn't want a big fuss.

 

[Drtooth]

Definitely, I learned so much about Chinese and Japanese culture from those specials, and to this day I'm fascinated with them. And I think it's always good when different countries can come together and work on a project.

Almost makes you wish they had more specials like it. I mean, if you count Basil hears a Noise, Celebrate all over the World and the Shalome Sesame miniseries, they had about 5 excursions to different countries. It would have been great to see Big Bird go to places like France, England, Austrailia and other countries like that.

 

[dwmckim]

Frogboy

I've read Wisdom several times yet don't seem to remember any anectode about subbing for a Bert/Ernie sketch, maybe this was a story he mentioned at the book signing but not the book iteself? Can you give more detail?