Stephanie D'Abruzzo responds about Caroll Spinney

[antsamthompson9]

Have either of them ever worked for Sesame Street? I know Drew did for Elmopalooza

Victor Yerrid was a puppet builder for Sesame in the '90s.

 

[MuppetSpot]

Fascinating, how they both work for Henson in the 90’s and didn’t meet until Greg The Bunny

 

[gravy]

UPDATE: Caroll has just posted this statement on his Facebook regarding his dystonia.

“Let’s start by saying It was a great weekend appearing at Great Lakes Comic Con with my fellow Sesame Street cast mates. I always love meeting each and every one of my fans when we are out and about doing these appearances. It’s unfortunate that this has to be said but none the less it needs to be done. I’m slowing down! There, I said it...

There were some statements made by people claiming how “sad” it is that I’m being propped up at appearances, shouldn’t be doing them, and other related things that truly hurt to be heard. The fact is I’m 85 years old and also battle daily with the devastating symptoms of dystonia. There is no cure. Some days are better than others. For those that don’t know, some symptoms include involuntary muscle contractions, slow repetitive movements, cramps, and this also leads to an abnormal posture at times. The muscle issues for me are more prominent in one arm than the other but overall it affects the whole body in different ways. Some other less visible things this disease causes are light sensitivity in my eyes, twisting movements, and voice box spasms. This is why I can be very soft spoken or wear sunglasses indoors on certain days. It’s all related neurologically and also affects the ability to focus on a task at hand sometimes.

It's handy to have a great support team in Deb, my wife of 40 years and my agents at In Person Productions. They help me get through these issues that can be tough even under the best circumstances.

An important thing I want to address here is for those that think I’m somehow being forced into appearances... I have dedicated my life to making a difference for all children. I’ve played a 6 year old for 50 years while being a miserable grouch in tandem. I have 7 Emmy awards, two Grammy honors, and my voice on multiple gold certified records. This is all leading to one point: I’m the boss of my team and what I do. I may have retired but I’m not ready to relegate myself to solitary confinement yet. Now that I’m not as active with day to day programming on Sesame Street, I have more time to get out and about to meet the world. My fans’ stories, pictures, smiles, and tears are uplifting to the soul and are why I keep going!

I hope this sheds a little light on some things that may be deceiving in appearance when seen from a stranger’s prospective.

Hope to see you all soon!

Love from Caroll, Deb, and Big Bird. “Have a rotten day” from Oscar ”