Kermit Love, the costume designer who helped puppeteer Jim Henson create Big Bird and other "Sesame Street" characters, has died. He was 91. Love died Saturday from congestive heart failure in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., near his home in Stanfordville. In addition to his work with Henson, Love was a designer for some of ballet's most prominent choreographers, including Twyla Tharp and George Balanchine. Love also designed costumes and puppets for film and advertising, including the Snuggle bear from the fabric softener commercials. "Sesame Street," public television's groundbreaking effort to use TV to teach preschoolers, premiered in 1969. Henson drafted the original sketches of Big Bird, and Love then built the 8-foot, yellow-feathered costume. Love also helped design costumes and puppets for Mr. Snuffleupagus, Oscar the Grouch, and Cookie Monster.
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