The 45-year-old, six-foot-tall African-American with a slightly gruff voice seems to be an unlikely match for the tiny preschooler Elmo, but Kevin Clash's enthusiam for his furry red alter-ego is undeniable. "It doesn't hurt that Elmo is also cute, cuddly, and funny," Truglio said. There are a couple other aspects that make Elmo so loveable. Elmo represents a preschooler, and much of our audience is made up of preschoolers," she said. "Children often gravitate to Muppets around their own age, who act like they do and are going through the same experiences they are. Children really react well to Elmo's voice."Įlmo's age also resonates with preschoolers. "Beyond that, he's red, and although that is a simple thing, red attracts very young children. "Well, first of all, Kevin is an amazing puppeteer," said Truglio. He loves to tap dance, ask questions, play with his friends Zoe and Grover, and care for Dorothy, his pet goldfish. Elmo lives on the third floor of the 123 Sesame Street apartment building with his mother Gladys, his father Louie Monster, and his baby sister Daisy. Not long after Clash gave Elmo his distinctive falsetto voice and brought to the Muppet his cheerful, curious outlook on the world, Elmo became one of the most popular characters in the history of "Sesame Street."įor those behind in their Elmo trivia, Elmo is a never-aging three-and-a-half-year-old monster. "When he gave me the puppet, I knew that was the voice." "I'd used that falsetto voice in my characters before," Clash wrote. Hunt asked Kevin Clash, then a Muppeteer-in-training, to take on the role.Īccording to Clash's biography, " My Life as a Furry Red Monster: What Being Elmo Has Taught Me About Life, Love and Laughing Out Loud," Hunt tossed him "a shapeless, soft bundle of red" and challenged him to come up with a voice for the Muppet. They liked the look of the Baby Monster puppet, but Hunt didn't want to perform it. Elmo got his big break when "Sesame Street" producers decided they wanted a red monster on the set. You may be surprised to learn that Elmo was put into storage for several years. Legendary Muppeteer Caroll Spinney recalls in his book, "The Wisdom of Big Bird" (Villard Books), that Elmo repeated his words a lot, such as "Play! Play! Elmo wants to play!" and talked very fast. The late Richard Hunt (Forgetful Jones, Gladys the Cow, Sonny Friendly) also performed as Elmo for a brief period. "Sesame Street" Muppeteer Brian Muehl (Telly Monster, Barkley the dog) was the original voice for Elmo. Elmo also made a brief appearance in the storybook "The "Sesame Street" Circus of Opposites," published in 1981, but was colored dark orange instead of his usual red. Baby Monster was used in several sketches on "Sesame Street" in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the sketch "Near and Far," staring Kermit the Frog and Henry and Harvey Monster. The world's most recognizable puppet was once simply called "Baby Monster" and appeared without his signature high-pitched voice and contagious giggle. In this article, we'll take a look at all things Elmo, with a little help from Rosemarie Truglio, Ph.D., vice president of "Sesame Street" Education and Research. Elmo's adventures have been made into more than 50 "Elmo's World" episodes, numerous home videos, and a full-length feature movie. Noodle are the stars of "Elmo's World," one of "Sesame Street's" most popular segments. Elmo, his pet goldfish Dorothy, and their silly friend Mr.
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