You may know Elmo as a) the reason your kid worships “Sesame Street,” b) the inspiration for that god-awful toy, or c) the one Muppet that oddly speaks in the third person. But according to puppeteer Kevin Clash, this furry red monster is pure love.
Clash, 51, grew up in Baltimore, making puppets out of his dad’s shearling coat. Initially mocked for “playing with dolls,” the teen prodigy got on local TV, then ascended into Jim Henson’s orbit via the 1986 film “Labyrinth.” In Clash’s early Sesame days, one exasperated colleague tossed the Elmo Muppet his way. He put it on, that high-pitched voice took hold, and voila: one of the best-known children’s characters ever.
“Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” doesn’t go that deep — nothing is made of Clash’s being the first black puppeteer on the show, or his life as a single parent — but this Muppet virtuoso is so visibly thrilled to work in Henson’s weird and wonderful world, and so good at bringing joy to little kids, you’d have to be a true Grouch not to be moved.