There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for Big Bird’s unfolding horror
Sesame Street social media turned Big Bird small—but why?
Aux Features Big Bird
“Uh oh! Does anyone know how to make me big Big Bird again?” the official Twitter/X account of Sesame Street’s Big Bird posted on January 24. Thus began Big Bird’s own Metamorphosis, in which the typically eight-foot-tall avian Muppet was shrunk down to a size smaller than a paperclip. As the situation unfolded over the following week, Big Bird questioned his identity: “Day 2 of being tiny. Does this mean that I am now just, ‘Bird’?” He also begged his friends and others for assistance: “Maybe I should ask for some help from grown-ups in government or college!”
Denizens of the Internet watched in dismay as new images of little Big Bird showed up on their feed every day. “boss I can’t come into work this week I need to make big bird big again,” one user tweeted. “Not sure if you guys care but something really bad happened to Big Bird from Sesame Street. He’s little now. He’s not big anymore. I’ve been crying all day,” another wrote. Those following this episode of physical and psychological horror had questions. Who had done this to Big Bird? And why?
Here’s the truth: what we’re witnessing unfold online is actually an event from Big Bird’s past. In the 2005 episode of the beloved PBS series, “The Adventures Of Little Big Bird, Part 1,” Big Bird gets shrunk by an errant spell cast by the Amazing Mumford, Sesame Street’s resident magician. (Mumford had intended to perform his big little trick on the letter M.) Typically optimistic, Big Bird is able to appreciate the new perspective that being small gives him—until he wants to reunite with his friends, who can’t hear him now that he’s tiny. This sets Big Bird on a long and perilous journey to get Mumford to set him back to rights, which eventually resolves happily in “The Adventures Of Little Big Bird, Part 2.”
Within the world of Sesame Street, Big Bird’s scary transformation seems only to have lasted a single afternoon. In this rebooted, social media-based version, however, the tiny Big Bird phenomenon has lasted for days. The official accounts of other Sesame Street characters—even ones not involved in the original storyline—have joined the campaign. On Monday, Elmo posted, “It’s 11:11, everybody make a wish for Big Bird to be big again!” “We are working on it! @SesameErnie did you get the microscope I asked for? #HelpBigBird,” wrote Bert. (“Microscope? I thought you said, microsoap! heeee heee heee,” Ernie replied.) Big Bird’s best friend Snuffleupagus, meanwhile, entreated librarians for help and promised that he’d go find a magnifying glass to better perceive his now-small pal.
While the videos and images accompanying Big Bird’s social media messages originate from the “Adventures Of Little Big Bird” episodes, it’s unclear if this retelling is going to play out exactly the way it did on television. In that version, Big Bird figured out right away Mumford’s trick was the culprit, while in this version, he still seems mystified as to the cause. It’s also unclear as to why Sesame’s social media managers decided to play out this experiment with this episode at this time. (Sesame Street has not responded to The A.V. Club’s request for comment.) Whatever the goal of the experiment—to find new ways of making Sesame Street relevant?—it’s undoubtedly a success: people are paying attention to what’s happening to Big Bird, and those people want answers. Here’s hoping they put an end to this abject suffering and once again restore Big Bird to his rightful size soon.
26 Comments
All those Twits(Xes?) it must be important!Oh no wait
“CONSUME YER SLOP OR JUST SIT THERE AND THINK ABOUT DEATH, PLEB!”
Don’t call it anything other then a Tweet. Its a Tweet on Twitter. I have it on good authority every time someone calls it Twitter, Elon cries a single tear, so we much continue to do it
The url is still twitter.com, so I’m calling it twitter.
Humm…how about an Xtacle? Boosh!
“OH MY GOD I NEED THAT!”
SEARS TOWER! SEARS TOWER!CANDLESTICK PARK!
It will always be the Sears Tower and New Comisky Park
Tweets on Twitter, written by Twats.
Have we just given up on trying to make Xcretion happen?
Quick! Somebody find Wayne Szalinski!
Honestly if you knew Big Bird carbon footprint, you would want him to stay small just to reduce it
The theme song specifically says the ‘air is sweet’ on Sesame Street but it doesn’t tell you that’s because of the antifreeze factory that just dumps batches of it into the water supply.
Sweet Jesus.This was on a Sesame Street DVD someone bought my kid when he was a toddler. I must have watched it dozens to hundreds of times with him and then his younger sibs.
Yeah but that was a DVD, grandpa! This is an Xtacle on X…you know, from the future!
I mean clearly someone has cursed him.
[ominous whisper and hand wave]smaller
“Maybe I should ask for some help from grown-ups in government or college!” Neither good places to find grownups, it turns out.
2005—-> Young children excited for Little Big Bird’s Mini adventure!!2024——> Internet warriors triggered!!What a world.
He IS kind of tragic looking.
And so the very next episode, they invited a more competent magic user to move to the Street.
It’s also unclear as to why Sesame’s social media managers decided to play out this experiment with this episode at this time.
It’s a commentary on what’s happening to children’s programming at David Zaslav’s Max, which is Sesame Street’s prison yard for at least another year.
It’s also unclear as to why Sesame’s social media managers decided to play out this experiment with this episode at this time.Brace yourselves everyone! I have some terrible news. Mr. Hooper, who ran the impractically small independent grocery store on Sesame Street, has unexpectedly passed away!
Oh no! Poor Mr. Looper!
“I’ve been crying all day”. Please check yourself into a mental hospital