Big Bird has been occupying public television for 43 years, yet he's definitely part of the 1 percent.
Big Bird is richer than Mitt Romney. Sesame Workshop (successor to Children's Television Workshop), reported to the IRS a $356-million net worth as of June 30, 2011, compared to Romney's estimated worth of about $250-million.
Obviously, Big Bird's nest is well-feathered. His diet isn't exactly bird seed.
Despite scare headlines, (such as HuffPo's "Mitt Romney's Big Bird Attack Threatens Thousands of U.S. Jobs") this avian is no endangered species.
Sesame Workshop boasts its $356-million value even after it paid $180-million in 2000 to buy-out the rights to the Muppets from the late Jim Henson.
Sesame Workshop has a liquid cushion of over $130-million in cash and securities, while other parts of the current worth are labeled "intangible" assets. Royalty receipts alone generate $47 million a year, thanks to annual sales of $515 million in Sesame Street branded products, according to Forbes.
