Kevin Clash, 44, Baltimore native
Sunday, May 15, 2005
BIG (BIRD) BREAK: I've always been a "Sesame Street" fan, especially when I was a kid. I actually started making puppets when I was 10 years old. I loved to put on shows for the neighborhood, and some of those early puppets looked a lot like Mickey Mouse. Once I made a puppet out of my dad's coat lining without asking. He didn't get upset -- but I don't think that's going to be the case for every fledgling puppet builder! I eventually took my act to Harborplace, where Baltimore TV personality Stu Kerr spotted me and hired me for his show "Caboose." From there I went on to do the "The Great Space Coaster" and "Captain Kangaroo." I met Muppet master Kermit Love at a Macy's Day Parade and in 1985 was hired to work full time on "Sesame Street."
ELMO'S WORLD: Elmo was created because there wasn't a red monster. When I joined the team, his voice was still in development. One day after we finished taping, Richard Hunt -- who had been doing Elmo's voice -- threw the puppet at me and said, "Come up with a voice for this." So I did. I don't know that any of us knew what a huge hit he would be. "Sesame Street" shoots between October and Christmas. When that's done, I work on home video productions and do audio for Elmo toys. I'm not complaining though -- I'm doing what I love.
ELMOCISE: This season the show is encouraging healthy habits to combat childhood obesity -- and who better to guide preschoolers toward a healthier life than Elmo, Zoe and Big Bird? We have a great crew who develops the curriculum. As a father myself, this is an important topic for kids and their parents. Obesity is a major concern in this country and if one member of your family is affected by it, then eating healthy should become a family affair.
TV TIME: Parents do need to set TV limits. But they really need to look at what programming their children watch, rather than how much. "Sesame Street" is celebrating its 36th year on air, and the show is broadcast in more than 120 countries.
OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD: A while back, Jim Henson was doing a scene, and I was overseeing the puppeteering of all the performers. I saw that one puppet wasn't doing the same choreography as everybody else. I told the stage manager to tell that puppeteer to do the same thing -- and the puppeteer ended up being Jim Henson! I learned something very important that day: Find out who the puppeteer is before you open your mouth.
As told to Karen Hart
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