"Sesame Street," whose opening theme song and goofy cast of characters are familiar to generations of children, is turning a ripe, middle-aged 40. To celebrate, "Big Bird" and friends recently had a get-together with the show's creators and loyal fans.

Sesame Street creator Joan Ganz Cooney (R) stands with Gary E. Knell, the President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, during a 40th anniversary street naming celebration in New York, November 9, 2009. [Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS]

The show premiered on November 10, 1969, a sunny daytime interlude in a strife-torn decade.

Denizens have been calling Sesame Street home for four decades now, and "Big Bird" is still its biggest star.

Caroll Spinney has been playing the giant flightless emu from the very start.

Before every show, as he has done so many times before, he wriggles into the feathered yellow body suit.

He then adjusts the tiny television monitor harnessed to his chest that lets him see the outside world.

When he recites Big Birds's droll one-liners, he uses his hands to support the head and animate the mouth and eyes.

Spinney was 35 on the first show. He is now 75.