I remembered seeing Shalom Sesame and Plaza Sésamo and remembering Big Bird was different. I was researching it now and found out that in every country there are different muppets other than Bert, Ernie, and Cookie Monster. But they are changed sometimes too. Other muppets are added with the 'big one.' Well here is a list of the big replacements. All info from Muppet Wiki.
Abelardo
Originally a dragon he served as the host 1972 to 1981 for Plaza Sésamo in Mexico and throughout Central and South America. Then he and his buddy were replaced.
Abelardo
He was replaced with a very Big Bird-ish green and colorful big muppet. His original name was Montoya but then renamed Abelardo. He guest starred on the American Sesame Street on May 5, 1997 as part of the Cinco de Mayo celebration as Big Bird's little cousin. Oscar the Grouch later dropped Abelardo off at the airport and taught him one English word: scram.
Pino
Minik Kus is from Susam Sokağı, the Turkish version. Kirpik is the grouch. Other re-colored lookalikes include Poupas who is peach in Portuguese Rua Seasamo, Garibaldo from Brazil's Vila Seasamo is blue (indigo?), and our American Bird's identical yellow cousin in the Japanese and Chinese version.
Naco
Samson
Abelardo
Originally a dragon he served as the host 1972 to 1981 for Plaza Sésamo in Mexico and throughout Central and South America. Then he and his buddy were replaced.
AbelardoHe was replaced with a very Big Bird-ish green and colorful big muppet. His original name was Montoya but then renamed Abelardo. He guest starred on the American Sesame Street on May 5, 1997 as part of the Cinco de Mayo celebration as Big Bird's little cousin. Oscar the Grouch later dropped Abelardo off at the airport and taught him one English word: scram.
Pino
The big blue (periwinkle?) version of Big Bird on Sesamstraat, the Dutch Sesame Street. His look has changed a lot. He started out as a big clumsy dopey bird with a Belgian accent; the first episodes were Dutch/Belgian co productions. He evolved slowly from an ageless bird who is a little slower than the others to a more childlike Pino. Dutch viewers got confused when the American Big Bird showed up in movies and such and was referred to as Pino so now he is referred to as a cousin.
Caponata
La Gallina Caponata is a seven-foot tall, multi-colored (largely reddish-pink) bird from Barrio Sésamo, the Spanish version of Sesame Street from 1979 to 1980. The Spanish audience was initially confused by Big Bird's appearances on video releases and movies such as Follow That Bird; Big Bird was confused with Caponata although his name had been translated as Paco Pico. The dubbed version of Play with Me, Sesame which debuted in Spain in 2006, Big Bird is called Caponata, not Paco Pico. It's unclear whether this was an oversight or an homage to Emma Cohen's character. She was later replaced by a pink hedgehog named Espinete and now Bluki, a big blue cat-like monster.
CaponataLa Gallina Caponata is a seven-foot tall, multi-colored (largely reddish-pink) bird from Barrio Sésamo, the Spanish version of Sesame Street from 1979 to 1980. The Spanish audience was initially confused by Big Bird's appearances on video releases and movies such as Follow That Bird; Big Bird was confused with Caponata although his name had been translated as Paco Pico. The dubbed version of Play with Me, Sesame which debuted in Spain in 2006, Big Bird is called Caponata, not Paco Pico. It's unclear whether this was an oversight or an homage to Emma Cohen's character. She was later replaced by a pink hedgehog named Espinete and now Bluki, a big blue cat-like monster.
Minik Kus is from Susam Sokağı, the Turkish version. Kirpik is the grouch. Other re-colored lookalikes include Poupas who is peach in Portuguese Rua Seasamo, Garibaldo from Brazil's Vila Seasamo is blue (indigo?), and our American Bird's identical yellow cousin in the Japanese and Chinese version.NacoHe is a big yellow monster of France's 5, Rue Sésame and he is France 5's mascot. He looks to me like a mix between Big Bird and Bear of the Big Blue House.
Samson
Is the biggest change to Big Bird, he is a bear of the German Sesamstrasse. In other countries, they are felines, otters and monsters.
Kippi Ben Kippod
Kippi Ben Kippod is a male porcupine who lives on Rechov Sumsum, the Israeli co-production of Sesame Street. Kippi first appeared on the first five episodes of Shalom Sesame in 1986, an Israeli-US co-production in which Hebrew language alternated with English. He also appeared, along with other international Sesame Street Muppets, in the special Sesame Street Stays Up Late.
Kippi Ben KippodKippi Ben Kippod is a male porcupine who lives on Rechov Sumsum, the Israeli co-production of Sesame Street. Kippi first appeared on the first five episodes of Shalom Sesame in 1986, an Israeli-US co-production in which Hebrew language alternated with English. He also appeared, along with other international Sesame Street Muppets, in the special Sesame Street Stays Up Late.