Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer and voice actor behind Sesame Streetgreats Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, will retire from the show after 50 years of embodying these characters.

Sesame Streetannounced Spinney's retirement on Wednesday morning, leading to an influx of well-wishes and goodbyes from generations of Americans – all of whom grew up with Spinney's characters over the past five decades. Puppeteers Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobsen will take over.

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The announcement was accompanied by a New York Times profile of Spinney, full of nostalgia for his career and characters and inspiring many to tweet their feelings about his legacy.

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