Earlier this year I had the pleasure of briefly meeting Kevin Clash at The Independent Film Festival of Boston. Clash is the incredibly talented puppeteer behind arguably the most popular character on Sesame Street ever: Elmo. He also happened to be the subject of the festival’s opening night film, Being Elmo, which tells his life story.After the film, Clash did what might have been the most entertaining Q+A I have ever seen, in which he acted as both himself and as Elmo, who he had brought onstage in some kind of Muppet travel case. As I looked around the room I couldn’t help but notice that people of all ages were equally entranced by Elmo’s presence. I’m not sure how or why, but when you see a puppeteer who truly is a master of their craft, even if you see the wires and the artifice, you feel like you’re talking to a real sentient being. It melts away all the cynicism and bitterness you’ve stockpiled over the years and returns you to that wonderful yet long distant childhood innocence that you thought you’d lost forever.Needless to say Being Elmo and Clash’s Q+A session gave me a newfound appreciation for the art of puppeteering, an appreciation that apparently a lot of people around me already had. So when the reviews came pouring in on my newsfeeds, praising the masterpiece that is the new Muppets movie, I wasn’t particularly surprised. Nor was I surprised that several of my friends (and a few celebrities, like Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, who took to Twitter to share his feelings) openly admitted to crying several times during the movie and seemed to consider their intense emotional reaction a badge of honor.If for some reason you feel like such an emotional Muppet connection is ridiculous, I dare you to watch these clips and still say these guys don’t tug heart strings.This first clip is from “A Tribute To Jim Henson,” a 1990 television special broadcast around the world. The Muppets, unaware of Jim Henson’s death, are planning a big production number in his honor. When they find out the news that their creator had passed… Well, you should probably just watch.This second clip is from Henson’s memorial service on May 21, 1990. Several of his core puppeteers, including Clash, performed a medley of Henson’s favorite songs culminating with an intensely emotional rendition of “One Person” at the 13-minute mark. Seeing the puppeteers struggle to keep it together during the song is proof enough that the Muppets mean a whole lot.When you’re done watching, compose yourself and try to convince your coworkers that the office is extra dusty today.
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