Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey

Have you ever heard the story of Elmo? This Thanksgiving we will show you a fascinating fairy tale story. It is one that ensembles the true spirit of a dreamer, one which proves that there is an entrepreneur in everyone of us, waiting to be awaken. Being Elmo:A Puppeteer’s Journey tells the true story of Kevin Clash, the 51-year-old puppeteer behind the voice and performance of Elmo, the perpetually tickling star of Sesame Street. 

It is a documentary exploring how Jim Henson's puppetry inspired one man to go way beyond Kermit and create a giggling global icon named Elmo. The 80-minute documentary plots how a diehard childhood Jim Henson fan went on to become one of the Jim Henson Workshop's master craftsmen--and how he transformed a crimson-coiffed monster into a worldwide phenomenon more famous than that green guy.


Clash essentially built the lovable character from scratch, including the famous piece of felt's now-signature sound. Clash has since gone on to be a multi-Emmy-winning co-executive producer for Sesame Street and the current “captain” of Jim Henson’s cadre of marionette-cum-puppet creations better known as the Muppets. And, thanks to 1996 Christmas sales of the “Tickle Me Elmo” doll, he is reportedly the highest-paid Muppeteer ever. I hope that once you see this, you know that nothing is impossible. Here is his story.
We also recommend watching: "Saving Education: Waiting for Superman and Imagine K-12" and "Entrepreneurs Can Change the World".

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey

Kevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer and voice actor whose characters include Elmo, Baby Sinclair, Clifford, Splinter and Hoots the Owl. He currently serves as Sesame Street Muppet Captain and co-executive producer.