Sesame Street Unpaved

Date: 1998
Author: David Borgenicht
Publisher: Hyperion
ISBN: 9780786864607
Purchase: Amazon (Hardcover)

Description

Page 139 of Sesame Street Unpaved comes right in the heart of a section featuring various celebrities who have visited Sesame Street over the years with a bit of commentary here and there. Just above a picture from Mister Rogers' visit to Sesame Street, the text reads as follows:

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD...

Fred Rogers once asked Big Bird to be on his show, and Spinney said he'd love to do it. Spinney then received a script for the episode that required him to remove his costume and talk about how Big Bird works. Spinney declined, explaining, "Fantasy is one of the wonderful things of childhood, and it only lasts a little while." Mister Rogers understood, but explained that on his show, Big Bird could then only be seen in the Land of Make-Believe. In the end, Spinney did the show, but Big Bird stayed in the Land of Make Believe with King Friday and Lady Elaine Fairchild [sic].