When
Will Lee died, the production staff decided not to cast another actor as neighborhood grocer Mr. Harold Hooper. Instead, they wrote a special episode dealing with the loss of a loved one ("Goodbye, Mr. Hooper"). When the other cast members talk to Big Bird about the death of loved ones, some are visibly near tears. A child psychologist was brought in to help the writers. The episode announcing Mr. Hooper's death was scheduled for a public holiday, and was publicized in many newspapers so parents could be prepared to answer their children's questions. They were very careful not to say that Mr. Hooper died in a hospital, to avoid making children fear going to the hospital. In polls, fans have consistently voted this episode as the most moving and memorable.