Kermit Love, Co-Creator of Big Bird, Dies at 91

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

It’s hard to believe that Big Bird and Snuffleupagus were created by a costume designer named Kermit Love. He also worked for some of ballet’s most renowned choreographers. He just passed away, at age 91 — which the New York Times reported with some not-so-subtle subtext:

The cause was congestive heart failure, said Christopher Lyall, Mr. Love’s partner of 50 years.

Mr. Love played Willy the Hot Dog Man on the show — a character I do not remember — and helped design Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster, but he insisted he was not the namesake of the famous frog.

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