‘Big Bird’ costume creator Kermit Love dies of heart failure at 91
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The man who helped Jim Henson create the beloved “Sesame Street” character Big Bird has died from congestive heart failure. He was 91.
Kermit Love died Saturday. He was a prolific costume designer for some of ballet’s most prominent choreographers, including luminaries like Twyla Tharp, Robert Joffrey and George Balanchine. His work creating costumes and masks caught Jim Henson’s attention.
Henson designed the original sketches of Big Bird and Love then built the three-metre-tall yellow-feathered costume for “Sesame Street,” which was first televised in the U.S. in 1969. It was Love’s idea to add a few feathers designed to fall off, to create a more realistic feel.
Love also helped design costumes and puppets for Mr. Snuffleupagus, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster, among other “Sesame Street” characters. He even appeared on the show himself as Willy, the fantasy neighborhood’s resident hot dog vendor.
According to the New York Times, Love always insisted he wasn’t the namesake of Henson’s famous frog.
Love also designed costumes and puppets for theatre, film and advertising, including the Snuggle bear from the fabric softener commercials.
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