Big Bird in China
Encyclopedia
Big Bird in China was a 1983 special produced by the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) and CCTV
. It was originally broadcast on May 29, 1983 on NBC
. The special was based on the popular television series Sesame Street
. Big Bird
, Barkley and Little Xiao Fu travel through China to find Feng Huang, the Phoenix
bird.
The story starts in New York's China Town where Big Bird spies an old scroll with a picture of a beautiful phoenix on it. The shop keeper explains that the phoenix is magical and lives in China. It won't be easy to find and Big Bird will have to find the four places pictured on the scroll, and in each place he'll get a clue from a monkey to find the phoenix. There is a sand timer which he must beat in solving the clues given by the monkey. Big Bird thinks "Well, what a good thing it would be if a great big American bird went to meet that beautiful Chinese bird! I mean, she could tell me everything about China, and then I could come home and tell everybody here!" So, he sets out with Barkley on a boat and makes it to China.
Highlights include Chinese landmarks like the Great Wall of China
and Beijing
, Big Bird learning the "little duckling dance", and a song to teach Chinese words. A character called The Monkey King appears in the special; despite an appearance that has scared many youngsters, he helps Big Bird and Xiao Fu in their quest. Big Bird wears a tie for the entire movie which is a change from his normal appearance. Oscar decides to try and dig his way to China from his trash can and when he gets to China he finds it boring and goes straight home.
The production was released onto DVD February 10, 2004. The DVD lacks about a minute of the original production, in which Big Bird is looking for someone who speaks "American," though it can be seen on the VHS version).
(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.
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
. It was originally broadcast on May 29, 1983 on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. The special was based on the popular television series Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. Big Bird
Big Bird
Big Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
, Barkley and Little Xiao Fu travel through China to find Feng Huang, the Phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
bird.
The story starts in New York's China Town where Big Bird spies an old scroll with a picture of a beautiful phoenix on it. The shop keeper explains that the phoenix is magical and lives in China. It won't be easy to find and Big Bird will have to find the four places pictured on the scroll, and in each place he'll get a clue from a monkey to find the phoenix. There is a sand timer which he must beat in solving the clues given by the monkey. Big Bird thinks "Well, what a good thing it would be if a great big American bird went to meet that beautiful Chinese bird! I mean, she could tell me everything about China, and then I could come home and tell everybody here!" So, he sets out with Barkley on a boat and makes it to China.
Highlights include Chinese landmarks like the Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Big Bird learning the "little duckling dance", and a song to teach Chinese words. A character called The Monkey King appears in the special; despite an appearance that has scared many youngsters, he helps Big Bird and Xiao Fu in their quest. Big Bird wears a tie for the entire movie which is a change from his normal appearance. Oscar decides to try and dig his way to China from his trash can and when he gets to China he finds it boring and goes straight home.
The production was released onto DVD February 10, 2004. The DVD lacks about a minute of the original production, in which Big Bird is looking for someone who speaks "American," though it can be seen on the VHS version).
Origins
In his memoir, Caroll SpinneyCaroll Spinney
Caroll Edwin Spinney, sometimes credited as Carroll Spinney or Ed Spinney , is an American puppeteer most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the children's television show Sesame Street.-Life and career:...
(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
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
. 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
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...
with musical numbers by Peaches & Herb
Peaches & Herb
Peaches & Herb was an American vocalist duo, once comprising Herb Fame and Francine "Peaches" Hurd Barker...
and Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s...
. It was produced by James Lipton
James Lipton
James Lipton is an American writer, poet, composer, actor and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He is the executive producer, writer and host of the Bravo cable television series Inside the Actors Studio, which debuted in 1994...
.
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
Jon Stone
Jon Stone is best known for writing and producing Sesame Street, and is credited with helping develop characters such as Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch. He is regarded by many as one of the best children's television writers. He started working for children's programs in 1955...
". Spinney also notes that, when filming on location in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Guilin
Guilin
Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of far southern China, sitting on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city...
, and Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, he experienced much tension and difficulty due to animosity from Stone.
Cast
- Carroll Spinney as Big BirdBig BirdBig Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
/Oscar the GrouchOscar the GrouchOscar the Grouch is a Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street. He has a green body , has no nose , and lives in a trash can. His favorite thing in life is trash; evidence for this is the song "I Love Trash". A running theme is his compulsive hoarding of seemingly useless items... - Brian Muehl as Barkley/TellyTellyThe word telly may refer to:* A colloquial term for television* Telly Monster* Telly Awards* Telly Home Entertainment Server*Telly , a range of computer systems*Telly Addicts UK game show*Indian Telly Awards...
- Frank OzFrank OzFrank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...
as Bert/Cookie MonsterCookie MonsterCookie Monster is a Muppet on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Om nom nom nom" . He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples,...
/GroverGroverGrover is a Muppet character on the popular television show Sesame Street. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a monster who almost never uses contractions when speaking or singing.... - Jerry NelsonJerry NelsonJerry Nelson is an American Muppet puppeteer, known for his wide range of characters, singing abilities, and his frequent partnership with Richard Hunt.-Early years:...
as Two-Headed Monster, head one/Oscar the Grouch (assistant)/Cookie Monster (assistant) - Richard HuntRichard Hunt (puppeteer)Richard Hunt was an American puppeteer best known as a Muppet performer. Hunt's Muppet roles included Scooter, Beaker, Janice, Statler, and Sweetums.-Early years:...
as Two-Headed Monster, head two/ErnieErnieErnie is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Service's long-running children's television show, Sesame Street. He and his roommate Bert form a comic duo that is one of the program's centerpieces, with Ernie acting the role of the naïve troublemaker and Bert the world-weary foil...
(assistant)/TellyTelly MonsterTelly Monster, known usually as just Telly, is an eternally worrying, fuchsia monster Muppet on Sesame Street. He is puppeteered by Martin P. Robinson....
(assistant) - Jim HensonJim HensonJames Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
as Ernie - Martin P. RobinsonMartin P. RobinsonMartin P. Robinson is a puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company. He originally built, designed, and performed the puppets for Little Shop of Horrors. He is perhaps best known for his work on Sesame Street. He has performed the characters of Telly Monster, Slimey the Worm, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Tony...
as Telly (February 10, 2004 DVD version only) - Ouyang Lianzi (Lisa Ouyang) as Xiao Foo
- Katherine Lakoski as The Singing Phoenix
- Ting Bao-Yi as Lion Dog
- Arabella Hong as The Shopkeeper
- Lu Ja-Lin as The Dancing Phoenix
- Wang Kwan-Wei as Lion Dog
- Hua Ziu Ping as The Storyteller
- Monkey King (Sun WukongSun WukongSun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices...
): Chou Yi-Ping, Liu Xio-Shen, Zhang Xin-Tien, Xu Tien-Ed, Quan She-Zhen, Li Jiang, Lu Fu-Hai, Wu Chi-Lian
Crew
- Directed by: Jon StoneJon StoneJon Stone is best known for writing and producing Sesame Street, and is credited with helping develop characters such as Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch. He is regarded by many as one of the best children's television writers. He started working for children's programs in 1955...
- Written by: Joseph A. Bailey and Jon Stone
- Executive Producer: Jon Stone
- Music by: Dick Lieb
- Associate Producer: Tish SommersTish SommersLetitia "Tish" Sommers was an author, a women's rights activist, and the co-founder and first President of the Older Women's League. Sommers was raised in Los Angeles and was originally a dancer...
- Associate Director: Ozzie AlfonsoOzzie AlfonsoOzzie Alfonso was the director and one of three Senior Producers of 3-2-1 Contact from season 2 to 8 when the series stopped production. He was also one of the writers for the series from season 3 through 8. Following production of the daily series, Alfonso was the director of all the 3-2-1 Contact...
- Art Director: Victor DiNapoliVictor DiNapoliVictor DiNapoli is an American television director and production designer. He is sometimes credited as Victor Di Napoli.-Positions held:* Senior Scenic Artist on Sesame Street* Art Director on Barney Live! In New York City...
- Editor: Ken Gutstein
- Audio: Blake Norton
- Sound Effects: Dick Maitland
External links
- Photo of Big Bird with Bob Hope from their 1979 special
- http://www.toughpigs.com/journalchinavsjapan1.htmTough Pigs Journal featuring photos from this special and Big Bird in JapanBig Bird in JapanBig Bird in Japan was a 1989 special by the Children's Television Workshop . The special was based on the popular television series Sesame Street...
] - Ouyang Lianzi page on Muppet Wiki