Facebook | Sesame Street Circus Spectacular

Police On Lookout After $124,000 Big Bird Costume Stolen From Traveling Circus

Updated September 7, 2021

At this point, it's probably a fairly safe assumption that some of your earliest fond memories on this planet came from Sesame Street.

And while some of us may have taken it more personally than we expected to when Cookie Monster started referring to cookies as a "sometimes food," that just speaks to the investment that we still have in Sesame Street decades after we stopped watching it.

Obviously, the minds behind a specially-themed circus that travels the world were as conscious of how beloved the show is around the world as anyone. But it was only through one recent incident that they became aware of how badly someone wanted a piece of the magic for themselves.

Either that, or they're dealing with someone whose eye for value far outperforms their moral compass.

At the moment, the Sesame Street Circus Spectacular is touring Australia and making an extensive stay in Adelaide.

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As the circus' director Keith Brown told the Australian Broadcasting Company, this marks the first year that this international circus troupe has taken on the Sesame Street theme.

But when the circus clears out of Bonython Park on May 2 for another section of Adelaide, it will do so with one noticeable absence.

And that's because someone has stolen this detailed Big Bird costume between 4:30 pm on April 18 and 9:30 am the following morning.

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As the Australian Broadcasting Company reported, this nearly seven-foot tall costume was specially made in New York from ostrich feathers and is reportedly the only one of its kind.

These factors contribute to its estimated valuation at $160,000 Australian dollars (or $124,000 American).

And after at least one thief broke into the costume's storage location at Bonython Park with boltcutters, South Australian police are investigating.

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And according to 7 News, they've already happened upon a familiar clue on nearby Port Road.

Although the culprit got away before anyone noticed their heist, they left a trail of feathers in their wake.

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As Brown told the host of ABC Radio Adelaide's Afternoons, "He's lost a couple of feathers as he's gone down the road."

Since both the area the theft occurred in and Port Road are known for having multiple surveillance cameras on site, police and circus staff are now hoping further clues will appear in the footage.

In the aftermath of the theft, the Sesame Street Circus Spectacular notified fans on Facebook that Big Bird would not be joining their upcoming shows.

Facebook | Sesame Street Circus Spectacular

However, it doesn't seem like this will actually affect the show too much as the costume was largely used to meet guests in the interval between events.

But if this circus happens to come to your area and you notice a distinct lack of Big Bird in the proceedings, you now know why.

h/t: Australian Broadcasting Company, 7 News

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Arts & Entertainment