Carroll Spinney, 69, who has portrayed the everlasting 5-year-old Big Bird since 1969 on the children's show Sesame Street, shares an embarrassing story of a photo opportunity with Patricia Nixon in his new book, The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers.

Spinney shared other stories and anecdotes May 18 with a standing-room-only crowd when he visited Hicklebee's Children's Bookstore on Lincoln Avenue.

Spinney's visit was organized by the bookstore and the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose. After signing several pre-ordered copies of his short, hardback book, Spinney answered questions and even led the crowd in a rendition of "I Love Trash," accompanied by the green and scraggly Oscar the Grouch—whom Spinney also portrays on Sesame Street.

Many of the attendees wanted to know how Big Bird and Oscar can interact if Spinney plays both. The answer: He'll record Oscar's lines and another puppeteer will manipulate Oscar in synch with his lines while Spinney plays Big Bird.

"As you may know, Oscar usually isn't very nice to Big Bird," Spinney said, "and it's always been an interesting experience to sort of get into an argument with yourself."

Spinney brought the actual Oscar puppet—or Muppet—that he uses on the show. The late Jim Henson, who died in 1990, created the Muppets in 1958. The term Muppet is a mix of the words marionette and puppet. Spinney partly dedicated his book to Henson.

During Sesame Street's three decades on public television, Henson and Spinney created three Oscars. The first Oscar was orange. The second Oscar, who was green, had eyes that moved, which Spinney had trouble operating.

"What also made Oscar such a problem to manipulate was that Jim made him using his own hand," Spinney said.

The third Oscar's eyes didn't move and "I told Jim, 'Hey, why not use my hand?' and it made such a difference."

Other stories Spinney shared were how for 14 years Big Bird's best friend, the wooly mammoth­like Snuffleupagus, always had a knack for disappearing just as Big Bird left to find his friends and introduce him. The show's producers decided that Snuffleupagus' recurring disappearing act sent the wrong message to children, implying that adults wouldn't believe them if they had something important to tell.

"I actually remember that," said Holly Schnaars, who with her husband, Scott, and their 1-year daughter, Ella, dropped by the bookstore to have Spinney sign their copy of his book. She happened to catch an episode a few years ago. "And I remember thinking, 'Hey! Everybody can see Snuffy! When did that happen?' "

Another person asked which character Spinney identifies with the most. He said Big Bird; however, "playing a grouch has been very therapeutic in many instances over the years," he admitted with a self-conscious chuckle.

Spinney also touched on the politics involved with the Muppets being sold and recently bought back by Henson's estate from the German media company EM.TV earlier this month. He also shared a short anecdote about an incident during a shooting of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood that caught him off guard. Big Bird was to pay the show's host, Fred Rogers, a visit. At one point, Rogers turned to Big Bird and said, "OK, Carroll, take off the head and show everybody how this outfit works."

Spinney protested, to which Rogers argued that he didn't want to promote fantasy.

"I told him, 'I guess that's where we differ,' " Spinney said with a chuckle.

What doesn't make him chuckle is how funding has affected the show. In the 1970s the nonprofit studio the Children's Television Workshop, which makes Sesame Street, shot 130 hour-long episodes per season. Later the number dropped to 65, and now there are only 26 per season.

But fewer new episodes doesn't put a dent in the affections of those who grew up on the show, like former Willow Glen resident Margaret Panzica. She was in town from Phoenix, Ariz., visiting her family when she happened to spot the author-signing poster outside Hicklebee's.

"I grew up with Sesame Street and couldn't pass up the chance to meet him," Panzica said.

Several dozen parents, children and nostalgic admirers apparently felt the same way, enjoying Spinney's stories, asking questions and getting books signed during the two-hour visit. His book is partly observances of life in general but also autobiographical. In the book he tells how as a young puppeteer at age 35, he met Henson and developed the voices and characters who eventually became Big Bird and Oscar.

"Much of the puppeteer comes out in the characters," Spinney said. "Kermit essentially was Jim in every respect," he said about Henson's primary Muppet, Kermit the Frog.

"He was a sweet man," Spinney said, "and we all miss him dearly."