Who is the Voice of Elmo?
The voice of Elmo since 1984 has been Kevin Clash, a puppeteer with roots in Captain Kangaroo. The puppet had been around since around the early 1970s, but it wasn’t until Clash tried it out that someone was able to make a persona that fit its look.
A lot of work goes into developing a Muppet character. Not only must the puppet itself be created, but then it’s also up to the puppeteers and actors on the show to figure out what kind of persona should be matched with it. This process has likely led to more puppets than we would believe abandoned before they come anywhere near the screen.
According to Clash and the people around at the time, he picked Elmo up, and almost immediately had the voice nailed down. The character had always seemed young – in fact, Elmo describes himself as three and a half years old, and looks upon much of the world with a very wide eyed, child-like viewpoint. Clash uses a very high-pitched voice for Elmo that suits this viewpoint pefectly.
One of Elmo’s quirks that has actually seen a bit of controversy is the fact that he always speaks in third person about himself. This unusual choice has led parent groups to voice concerns that children would learn improper English by imitating Elmo’s speaking patterns.
Clash himself was unaware of the impending stardom that Elmo would see, until after the first season that Elmo was on the show. During early shooting for the second season, he realized that the crew and other cast members were extremely taken with the character, going so far as to break and laugh at Elmo’s antics. He knew that if he had won over the professionals, then he was onto something big.
