ROCKLAND — If you were a Gen X latch key kid in the ‘70s, you probably woke up on a weekday morning, did your free range rounds around the neighborhood without anyone notifying the police, and then came in and made your own breakfast (sugar cereal or chocolate chip cookies in an Easy Bake Oven).  Likely, Sesame Street was on and a giant primrose yellow bird was talking directly to you through the TV set.

Big Bird was an 8-foot-tall puppet character played by actor Caroll Spinney, the subject of the new documentary, I Am Big Bird, is set to show at the Camden Opera House on Wednesday, May 20.

Since 1969, Spinney has played the character of Big Bird, as well as Oscar The Grouch, on one of the longest running children’s educational television shows in history. Created as a full body Muppet by Jim Henson and Kermit Love, Big Bird lived in a large nest behind the 123 Sesame Street brownstone and had a teddy bear named Radar. (Fun Fact: the teddy bear was named after the M*A*S*H character Radar O’Reilly, who always slept with a teddy bear).

Now, 81, Spinney says he has no intention of giving up his beloved character after a 45-year run. It’s interesting, because, in the beginning, when Jim Henson asked Spinney to play Big Bird, he’s quoted in the film’s trailer as saying, “I’m not good enough to be a Muppeteer. I had a terrible storm in my head about how unhappy I was.” According to the film’s press release, “I Am Big Bird features incredible footage of Spinney's earliest collaborations with Jim Henson as it traces Caroll's journey from bullied child to celebrated performer. This loving portrait peels away the instances that inspired his creation of Big Bird and as the yellow feathers give way to grey hair, it is the man, not the puppet, who will steal your heart.”

This has all the great hallmarks of a Cheap Date. The tickets are only $10 each and if the trailer is any indication, whatever your age, this documentary will give you a case of the feel goods. Thanks to Camden International Film Festival Selects, this family-friendly documentary will be screening for one night, Wednesday May 20, at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the day of the show at the Camden Opera House box office. FMI: iambigbird.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com