Big Bird, Exposed

Photo Credit: Tribeca Films

We don't give much thought to the actual people behind our fictional childhood idols. Which is why the new documentariesI Am Big Bird and It's Me, Hilary: the Man Who Drew Eloise are so bittersweet. The former profiles Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who's been voicing and operating the beloved Sesame Street star of its title and Oscar the Grouch for 45 years; the latter is about Hilary Knight, the gay illustrator of the famous 1950s Eloise books.

"Fantasy is probably the most important drive in my life," Knight says in the HBO short, executive produced by Lena Dunham. The same could be said for Spinney, who at one point recalls being bullied as a teen for his love of dolls. It didn't stop him from pursuing his dreams--which in turn built a world of them for us.

Watch the trailer for I Am Big Bird below: