Letters to Kevin Clash

September 11, 2006

Mr. Clash,

Thank you for the wonderful Elmo character. Gabby (my daughter) met Elmo at the book signing on Sunday.  I am enjoying your store (on pg. 53 already).  Seeing my daughter smile like that was wonderful!! Sesame Street was there for me while I was growing up – and now my daughter gets to enjoy it too (Elmo came around during my teenage years). Keep spreading the Joy!

Regards,
Michelle and Gabriela (10 months old)
Bronx, NY

October 4, 2006

Dear Kevin,

I want to thank you for your time at the recent Library of Congress Book Festival to meet with my two sons Nicholas and Nathaniel. 

Nicholas is four and 1/2 years old and has a very rare metabolic disorder called Lesch-Nyhan syndrome.  Nick is severely disabled and will never walk and likely will never talk. Sadly, since he is non-verbal there are a few ways for us to measure how much he understands the world around him. Nick does not always respond to stimuli, but amazingly literally every single time he hears the first strains of the Elmo’s World theme song on TV or DVD, he starts to giggle and smile.

Despite his limitations, as you can see from the happiness on his face in these photos, he clearly knows and loves Elmo! Nick has a funny way of kissing. Since his oral-motor skills are affected, Nick opens his mouth to kiss. So what you see in the picture is his way of kissing Elmo and telling him how much he loves him.

Seeing the joy Nick and Nat’s faces at meeting Elmo was a moment I will always cherish. You have an incredible gift and thank you for using it to bring joy to so many kids’ lives!

Sincerely,
Lee White
Arlington, VA

October 19, 2006

Dear Kevin,

My name is Augusta Simmons.  I am a 33 year old Sesame Street fan.  I have been watching the show for as long as I can remember.  I find myself watching it more of late, due to the fact that I have a 3 year old son.  Like most children, he “loves Elmo” (if you had a nickel for every time you head that…hmm…smile!) and I find myself cracking up as well.

After watching the show with him ever since he was “wee” little, I found myself thinking, “Wow, that Elmo is really funny and I wonder who’s the person behind the red monster.  I searched on the internet and to my surprise I found you (I guess I expected you to look like Mr. Rogers).  It was such a pleasant surprise.  Big smile ear to ear!!

Growing up as a quiet African American girl in Detroit and knowing all the Sesame Street songs and characters helped me to be more outgoing and more importantly left me memories that I will always cherish.  I admire what you do and am very very proud of you.

I thank you for your time, may God continue to bless you.

Sincerely,
Augusta
Ypsilanti, MI

October 21, 2006

Dear Mr. Clash,

I am reading your book and am up to the point about love.  I agree with you about that, how a child needs love and that’s why children watch Elmo.  I am 12 and watch Sesame Street.  Sometimes in the morning before school because when I am rushing to get out the door just seeing that red face saying “Elmo loves you “ is the most refreshing thing to hear.  I think that Elmo is an inspiration to us all and I want you to keep up the good work.

From,
William
Katonah, NY

October 23, 2006

Dear Mr. Clash,

In your biography, My Life As A Furry Red Monster, you describe Elmo as having “the imaginative mind of a fun-loving and hyper-inquisitive three-and-a-half-year-old little monster” (181).  Only ten years ago, I was a three-and-a-half-year-old little monster, and anyone who knew me then describes me in the same way that you describe Elmo—happy, curious, loving, and eager to make friends.  I chose to read your book because when I was young, I loved to watch Elmo on Sesame Street more than anything else on television.  Before reading your book, I assumed that Elmo was my favorite because he’s educational, fun, creative, childlike, lovable, successful, and famous.  Then again, if all these things were true, why was Elmo my favorite, and Big Bird my sister’s?  After reading your book, I know that I loved Elmo most because Elmo was just like me.  Since then, I’ve kept my positive outlook, my yearning for learning, my loving nature, my friendly personality, and my love for television.  This being said, I think I can partially accredit Elmo for why I’m optimistic, do well in school, have lots of close friends, watch television, and for my dream to become a writer for television when I’m an adult.

In your book, I learned that I bear not only similarities to Elmo, but also to the voice behind him.  I learned about your own similarities to Elmo, and what you were like as a little kid.  Learning that when you were little you were creative, expressed interest and talent in building and using puppets, had a loving and supportive family, and loved to learn shows me that having that great start gave you an extremely successful career as a puppeteer and helped you to become a good father.  Your story inspires me to pursue my dreams in writing for television because I had a similar experience in my early childhood.  When I was little, I was imaginative to the point that I convinced myself that I was a secret agent from Chocolate World.  I told stories, and later enjoyed writing ones as soon as I entered elementary school.  I read books and asked questions of my encouraging family, who was always ready to teach me something new and interesting.  I realize that this childhood has set me up so that I can pursue my dreams and write my own television shows, the Chocolate World series included.  In the past, it has concerned me that this career in writing for television might not allow me to make a positive impact on the world.  However, reading your book has shown me that if you can teach people, then you have a lot of power.  Millions of people of all kinds watch television, and these are the same minds that form our world.  Television shows, especially children’s shows, have a huge impact on modern-day philosophy.  Innovative characters like Sesame Street’s HIV-positive Kami mold a future population with tolerance of all kinds of racial groups.  I look forward to taking what I’ve learned about what conflicts Elmo and Sesame Street has overcome when someday I create my own television shows.  Reading your book has shown me the huge impact on viewers of Sesame Street of both individuals and the global community, and therefore how important it is that shows such as these are well-handled.

Sincerely,
Emily
Pittsburgh, PA

October 21, 2006

Dear Kevin Clash,

I am 36 years old and I have been a fan of yours for some time.  I don’t care if my husband thinks I’m crazy to write to Elmo.  I get such a huge kick out of seeing Elmo, especially on adult shows like the old Rosie O’Donnell show or on Martha Stewart.  I think Elmo is funny.  I’m laughing even now thinking of how Elmo scrunches up his face or makes an adult sound silly because they forget they are talking to a 3 ½ year old puppet character. 

I was recently on a family vacation with my husband and 3 ½ year old daughter when I saw your book sitting at the airport bookstore.  It was so bright and eye catching!  I snatched it up right away and my daughter said, “Mama, are you buying the Elmo book for me?”  I replied, “No.  It’s for me!”  I was giddy.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  I have been waiting for more information about you. 

I grew up in Philly.  But when I got ready to go to college my parents moved to Baltimore.  I, too, am from Balmer, Merland.  Not, Dundalk, but Pikesville.  I attended Towson University and made many trips to Fells Point and trips further east to see my friends.  Gee, I knew that there was a lot of great movies and TV shows made in Baltimore.  Now I know that Elmo was born there.

I worked for Walt Disney Company in Florida from May-November 1990 at the Disney MGM Studios.  There was an electricity in the air, a buzz.  Jim Henson was going to have an office right next to where I worked.  Everyone was so excited to be able to see him.  We eagerly awaited the day he would move into his office, but that day never came.  We were all grief stricken.  Even Mickey Mouse was drawn with tears in his eyes, an extreme rarity.  The group I worked with lumbered over to the new Muppet Show after work to view it’s practice run before opening to the public.  When Kermit came out to sing It’s Not Easy Being Green, there was not a dry eye in the whole theater.  We outwardly wept.  It was our memorial service.  I will never forget the day I almost met my childhood and adult hero.

I am writing you today because I feel a need to connect to you. I appreciate you and your work tremendously. Thank you for all the happiness you have given me.

With deep admiration,
Ronney
Big Bear Lake, CA

September 6, 2006 (Wednesday after Labor Day)

Dear Mr. Clash:

I’m not one to write letters but feel compelled to share our story with you.  I watched your appearance this morning on the “Today” show.  It was really great to see a face and voice for Elmo.

Please bear with me as this is a long story but one I feel you will want to hear.  My husband, Dean and I have been married for 21 years this spring.  In 1992, we were blessed to have our daughter, Hannah Katherine, and wondered if we would be able to have another child.  In 2001, we were blessed with the arrival of our second daughter, Emma Grace.  We were over the moon with joy and even took a great family vacation that summer to Colorado with my side of the family (to a cabin we rented there for years).

Soon after coming home from that trip, Emma began to get sick.  After seeing no improvement, her pediatrician wanted to see her again on the Tuesday following Labor Day.  She was dehydrated and he put her in the hospital for fluids.  While there, she suffered a seizure and was moved to a larger regional hospital the next morning (the Wednesday after Labor Day 2001, five years ago today).  On that day, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Words will never begin to describe how awful those first few hours were and yet, over the course of the next few months, we were blessed with many miracles.  The story is too long to tell but Emma’s initial surgery was miraculous!  Our 9/11/2001 store was in the pediatric intensive care unit praying for all of New York and our nation as well.  Following surgery, Emma received chemo (she was too young for radiation) and did quite well for a while.

During the time of chemo, she played with several Elmos – she had a small Elmo that she held – it had huge plastic eyeballs and she loved to chew on them – she played with this Elmo with her sister and it always made her smile.  Someone else gave her a dancing Elmo and she loved it as well – again, Elmos always made her smile.  We even were able to sound much like Elmo and make her giggle – what a blessing.

During her treatment, Emma was amazing – she was tough and resilient – something you don’t normally think of in an infant.  However, kids with cancer are some of the most amazing kids in the world (as we learned during our visits to her oncologist).

Unfortunately, Emma lost her battle on February 25, 2002.  She actually lost her life to complications of RSV, a common virus that is threatening to babies, even healthy babies.  We buried Emma with her little Elmo – while I know fully and completely that she is in heaven, it gave us some comfort to have Elmo with her body.

While my faith in God was strengthened through out the loss of Emma, day-to-day grief has been difficult.  I don’t believe that Emma speaks to me but I do believe that God gives us little signs to help us know that our loved ones are well in His care.  I want to share this part of the story with you.

About a year ago, I was renewing tags for some of our company trucks and I was in our local tag office.  I was having a very difficult day (most of the time, I do okay but, for some reason, that day was just a very rough day and I had cried thinking about Emma on the way after hearing the song “I can only imagine”).  I sat down in the tag office and tried to mind my own business, not wanting to visit with anyone.  About four or five empty seats down, a little girl was playing who was about the age Emma would have been and the little girl had red hair ( Hannah is a read head and Emma’s hairs was coming in red before she lost it).  It almost hurt to see her and to think about what might have been…however, she decided she needed to talk to me and she came over and just about jumped in my lap!  She proceeded to talk to me for the entire time I was waiting and soon I was feeling better.  When my number came up, I thanked her for making me smile and making my day, told her to have a nice day and went to take care of business.  After getting my tags, I started to walk out the door.  The little girl ran across the room, started talking again and I told her should probably go back to her mother (as I was near the door and I didn’t want her to get lost). Without missing a beat, she said to me:

DO YOU LOVE ELMO?

In the earlier conversation we had, Elmo had never been mentioned.  Needless to say, I nearly passed out.  With my head swimming, I responded:

MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW…

I wished this beautiful child a good day, made sure she was headed back to her mom and left the tag office in tears.

I honestly feel that God used Elmo to touch my heart that day (and other days when Elmo came up in conversations, books, magazines, tv, etc.) and has helped me heal.

I can’t imagine how many lives you have touched through Elmo, Mr. Clash, but I wanted you to know that I believe God has used you to help me deal with the greatest loss I have faced on this earth. Was it a coincidence I was watching your segment on “Today” this morning five years following the diagnosis of Emma’s tumor? I know better.

Do I love Elmo?  More than you will ever know.  Thank you for touching the lives of so many of us.  May God bless you and your family today and always.

Love,
Kris
Canton, KS

P.S. – I have ordered your book and look forward to the love and laughter that Elmo has brought to so many. kf

January 14, 2007

Dear Mr. Clash,

I am a first time parent of a 15 month old daughter.  I just had to write to you, because Elmo has become a part of both mine and my daughter’s life!  When I was pregnant I read a lot of books and the majority said not to let your kids watch TV until they were at least 2 or 3 years old.  Well I received a DVD in a pack of my daughter’s pampers when she was about 8 months old (Music Works Wonder).  I put it in and she LOVED it!  As time went on she started humming and then singing it.  Elmo also became her favorite character from the DVD.  We would be in the store and she would spot him and have a fit!  So I decided to buy her another DVD (Kid’s Favorite Songs), she loves that one as well and knows every song before the characters on the DVD sing it.  Her favorite is still Music Works Wonder although she has several others (Kid’s Favorite Songs 2, Elmo Ptty Time and Guess that Shape and Color).  Despite what the books have said she has learned so much that she wouldn’t know if it weren’t for the DVD’s and Sesame Street. 

Also, my house is literally turned into Elmo’s World.  It started with a small stuffed Elmo, TMX Elmo, a Elmo table and chair, an Elmo couch, the Elmo giggle chair, Sesame Street vacuum, Elmo’s Greatest Hits, Elmo’s Worlds Wheels, Sesame Street Activity Table, Elmo house shoes, (I have a pair as well), Elmo pajamas, an Elmo comforter and sheets, a Barbie with TMX Elmo, an Elmo purse, Elmo dishes and cups, and Elmo books.  She even had an Elmo themed birthday party with an Elmo cake. 

I grew up watching Sesame Street and know all the old characters, however Elmo has helped me (as well as my 60 year old mom and 85 year old grandmother) become introduced to a whole new set of characters.  Elmo has taught my daughter so much and he’s fun!  I just want to thank both of you and Elmo for making a difference in my daughter’s life. 

Sincerely,
Kimberly and Kassidy
Montgomery, AL

March 20, 2007

Dear Mr. Clash, 

Elmo has been a part of my life for almost 6 years now.  Well I knew Elmo before that, but my youngest grandson Paden Hoyd is a true Elmo fan!

I just finished reading, ‘My Life as a Furry Red Monster’, and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I have put Paden’s name in the book, as it now belongs to him—as soon as he is old enough to read it and appreciate it.

I have in my possession 5 Elmo’s! The first one I bought was Chicken Dance Elmo, the next was YMCA Elmo, with the next being Limbo Elmo.  Last fall I tried, but to no avail, to purchase a TMX! They were only $300.00 online! Couldn’t do that!  And I have a much smaller, softer version for my 9 month old granddaughter.

Last week I found the TMX in one of our department stores.  I promptly bought one. The next day my husband too him to the weekly sales meeting.  Elmo sure got the day off to a wonderful start.  The day after that I took him to my early morning exercise group at Curves for Women.  Again he was a hit.  A lot of people aren’t prone to smiling at 6 a.m., but Elmo took care of that!

Now for the important part of this letter. On November 17th of last year one of my younger brothers was diagnosed with lung cancer, liver cancer, and spots on his spine.  That was such devastating news for the whole family.  I love 1500 miles from them and feel so ‘out of the loop’ even though the family there is very good about keeping me informed. 

Phil took a number of treatments and the tumors were shrinking. Then 2 weeks ago a cat scan showed that the tumors were growing again.  Again devastating news.

I went back to the store and bought 2 more TMX’s and sent one to each of my brothers, as I knew they all needed to have a good laugh. My youngest brother, Paul, called me Saturday and said they were having a ball with Elmo, but there 2 ½ year old granddaughter was scared of it!

Last night the wife of my brother, Phil, called me on her cell and told me that she wanted me to hear all the chaos I caused!  They had just opened the box that Elmo was in and he was performing.  Everyone was in a fit of laughter.  The 3 young grandkids, Natalie, almost 5, Cale, 2, and Colin 1 ½, were having a ball with him. But mostly I wanted the adults to have a good laugh.  And it worked.

Today my brother, Phil and his wife, Judy are in Rochester, Minnesota at the Mayo clinic to see if he meets the criteria fro more treatment.  I have a feeling he will opt not to take anymore treatments.  He just turned 59 and has those 3 darling, young grandkids and one on  the way.

But I did want you to know how much joy Elmo brought into their lives last night and hopefully will do so again.

Sincerely,
Millie
Boise, Idaho