When Will Lee died, the production staff decided not to cast another actor as neighborhood grocer Mr. Harold Hooper. Instead, they wrote a special episode dealing with the loss of a loved one ("Goodbye, Mr. Hooper"). When the other cast members talk to Big Bird about the death of loved ones, some are visibly near tears. A child psychologist was brought in to help the writers. The episode announcing Mr. Hooper's death was scheduled for a public holiday, and was publicized in many newspapers so parents could be prepared to answer their children's questions. They were very careful not to say that Mr. Hooper died in a hospital, to avoid making children fear going to the hospital. In polls, fans have consistently voted this episode as the most moving and memorable.
Kermit the Frog was retired from Sesame Street in 2001. He however appeared in a segment of Elmo's World in 2009 and in the Sesame Street 50th Anniversary special in 2019 for a short visit.
The Count was born on October 9, 1,830,653 B.C.
In 2004, Cookie Monster revealed that, before trying cookies for the first time, his name was Sid.
Big Bird is 8'2" tall.