1972 Big Bird Vaccination Video Resurfaces Amid Brouhaha Over Sesame Street Vaccine Tweet

A clip of Big Bird getting vaccinated from 1972 has re-emerged after the beloved Sesame Street character was accused of "propaganda" for promoting the COVID-19 vaccine.

In the footage, which was posted by an account called MuppetWiki, Big Bird approaches a line of children who are waiting to get a measles vaccine. A sign above them reads "Don't wait. Vaccinate."

"I know what I'm going to do right away," he says. "I'm going to get in line."

After the archival clip was uploaded to Twitter Saturday evening, it has been viewed more than 1.5 million times. It came on the same day that the character tweeted that he got the COVID-19 vaccine, sparking pushback from some anti-vaccine and anti-mandate advocates.

The tweet was sent on the day CNN hosted a town hall featuring Sesame Street characters, including Elmo and Rosita, answering questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for children and families.

During the town hall, Big Bird spoke with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and TV anchor Erica Hill about the vaccine. He said he was scared of the shot because of his fear of needles. Both Gupta and Hill reassured Big Bird that they understand the fear of shots while offering advice for children who may feel nervous about getting the shot.

"I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy," Big Bird's Saturday tweet read. "Ms.@EricaRHill even said I've been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!"

Big Bird was conceived to be a six-year-old, so he will now be eligible to be vaccinated for COVID, as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) panel last week formally recommended the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

On Twitter, however, some took issue with Big Bird supporting the vaccine. Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, accused the show of "government propaganda...for your 5 year old!"

The senator's comment sparked a backlash by those accusing him of politicizing a public health issue.

"There is no better illustration of how Republicans have politicized basic public health than Ted Cruz getting mad because Big Bird tweeted about being vaccinated," journalist Aaron Rupar wrote in response.

Commenters also criticized Cruz and others who condemned the tweet for not knowing that Sesame Street had previously promoted vaccination on the show.

"Anti-vaxxers are mad at Big Bird today—when he's been doing this stuff for some five decades," @RexChapman tweeted.

Despite skepticism from anti-vaccine advocates, public health experts said vaccination is the best way to prevent serious illness from COVID-19, which has resulted in over 700,000 deaths in the United States—including some children.

"Throughout our history, we have seen that we have used vaccine requirements to protect the population," Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said of the vaccines on ABC News' This Week Sunday.