Changes: Big Bird in China

Revision as of 02:40, 19 May 2006

Big Bird in China was a 1983 special produced by the Children's Television Workshop which originally aired on NBC. In the first international special based on Sesame Street, Big Bird, Barkley, and their new friend Xiao Foo travel through China to find Feng Huang, the Phoenix bird.

Highlights include Chinese landmarks like the Great Wall of China and Beijing, Big Bird learning the "little duckling dance", and a song to teach Chinese words. A character called the Monkey King appears to help Big Bird and Xiao Foo in their quest.

The production was released onto DVD on February 10, 2004. The DVD lacks about a minute of the original production, in which Big Bird is looking for someone who speaks "American". Also changed in the DVD version is Telly's dialogue. Brian Meuhl originally performed Telly in this special, but on the DVD, Marty Robinson looped over Telly's lines.

Cast

Human Cast

Quyang Lien-Tze as Xiao Foo

Arabella Hong as the Shopkeeper

Hua Zhi-Ping as the Storyteller

Quan She-Zhen, Liu Xia-Shen, Xiu Tien-Ed, Lu Fu-Hai, Wu Chu-Lian, Li Jiang, Chou Yi-Ping, Zhang Xin-Tien as The Monkey King

Wang Kwen Wei and Ting Bao-Yi as Lion Dogs

La Ja-Lin as the Dancing Phoenix

Katherine Lakoski as the Singing Phoenix.

North Hsin Hua Street Kindergarten Students as the Duck Dancers

Muppet Performers

Caroll Spinney as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch

Brian Muehl as Barkley, Telly Monster

Frank Oz as Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover

Jerry Nelson as Two-Headed Monster

Richard Hunt as Two-Headed Monster

Cheryl Blaylock

Ed Christie

Martin P. Robinson

And Jim Henson as Ernie

Crew

Directed by Jon Stone
Written by Joseph A. Bailey and Jon Stone
Executive Producer: Jon Stone
Music by Dick Lieb
Associate Producer: Tish Sommers
Associate Director: Ozzie Alfonso
Art Director Victor DiNapoli
Editor: Ken Gutstein
Audio: Blake Norton
Sound Effects: Dick Maitland
Location Coordinator: Peter Chow

External Links

Tough Pigs Journal: Big Bird in China

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:Title.bbchina.jpg|frame|''Big Bird In China'' title card.]]
-'''Big Bird in China''' was a [[1983]] special produced by the Children's Television Workshop which originally aired on NBC. In the first international special based on ''[[Sesame Street]]'', [[Big Bird]], [[Barkley]], and their new friend Xiao Foo travel through China to find Feng Huang, the Phoenix bird.
+'''Big Bird in China''' was a [[1983]] special produced by the Children's Television Workshop which originally aired on NBC. In the first international special based on ''[[Sesame Street]]'', [[Big Bird]], [[Barkley]], and their new friend [[Xiao Foo]] travel through [[China]] to find Feng Huang, the Phoenix bird.
-Highlights include Chinese landmarks like the Great Wall of China and Beijing, Big Bird learning the "little duckling dance", and a song to teach Chinese words. A character called The Monkey King appears to help Big Bird and Xiao Foo in their quest.
+Highlights include Chinese landmarks like the Great Wall of China and Beijing, Big Bird learning the "little duckling dance", and a song to teach Chinese words. A character called [[the Monkey King]] appears to help Big Bird and Xiao Foo in their quest.
 The production was released onto DVD on February 10, [[2004]]. The DVD lacks about a minute of the original production, in which Big Bird is looking for someone who speaks "American". Also changed in the DVD version is [[Telly Monster|Telly's]] dialogue. Brian Meuhl originally performed Telly in this special, but on the DVD, [[Marty Robinson]] looped over Telly's lines.