Here’s rare footage of Big Bird meeting Mayor Kyle Testerman, as the two chatted, Testerman signed an official document making Big Bird an honorary citizen of Knoxville back in 1973. This was posted by Vimeo user TAMIS in August 3, 2017. The description mentions Knoxville, as the cast of Sesame Street visits the city in 1973. From the WSJK Public Television Collection at TAMIS. But this footage only includes Big Bird and no other cast so it’s possible there’s more footage of the Sesame Street cast at Knoxville.
In a 2019 article about Caroll Spinney the puppeteer of Big Bird, it mentions that Big Bird visited Knoxville with some of his "Sesame Street" friends in March 1973 for two free performances at the Stokely Athletic Center and around the time of those performances, the Knoxville News Sentinel ran a story about Caroll Spinney and his work inside the costume.
So there’s possibly more material of the Sesame Street cast in Knoxville that was filmed but haven’t surfaced anywhere online. So for now this seems the only available footage of one of the Sesame Characters making an appearance at Knoxville, Tennessee in 1973. But anyway, enjoy this rare piece of Sesame Street history.
Sources: muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Kyle_T...
archive.ph/2024.02.27-155821/...
Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
#lostmedia #sesamestreet