For Kevin Clash, the imagination behind the cuddly creature called Elmo, life was a dream come true. The vision for his future came to him as a child watching “Sesame Street” shortly after its 1969 premiere; his fascination with puppets would carry him in leaps from his modest working class black Baltimore neighborhood to the place where Muppets are made. Directed by Constance Marks, the award-winning <em>Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey</em> (out on DVD) documents Clash's early efforts sewing puppets to entertain children barely younger than him and a spot on a local TV kids' shows before being taken under wing by Muppet designer Kermit Love and, finally, Jim Henson himself. Being Elmo is an inspiring story of determination and good fortune as well as a look into the craft of puppeteering.
