Early Years
Clash was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He developed an interest in puppetry at an early age, inspired by such children's shows as Kukla, Fran and Ollie. At the age of 10, he made his first puppet (some conflicting sources reporting his first puppet as a monkey named "Moandy" or a puppet of Mickey Mouse), which he assembled by using the lining from one of his father's coats. Clash's parents encouraged his creativity and, by the time he was a teenager, he'd created over 80 puppets. In high school, Clash began making puppets for the children's television program Romper Room. After graduating from high school, Clash transitioned to work as a professional puppeteer on local children's television programs Caboose and Mr. Rainbow's World. Clash's work on Caboose eventually led to a job on the national children's television program Captain Kangaroo.
Read more about this topic: Kevin Clash
Famous quotes related to early years:
“Even today . . . experts, usually male, tell women how to be mothers and warn them that they should not have children if they have any intention of leaving their side in their early years. . . . Children don’t need parents’ full-time attendance or attention at any stage of their development. Many people will help take care of their needs, depending on who their parents are and how they chose to fulfill their roles.”
—Stella Chess (20th century)
“If there is a price to pay for the privilege of spending the early years of child rearing in the driver’s seat, it is our reluctance, our inability, to tolerate being demoted to the backseat. Spurred by our success in programming our children during the preschool years, we may find it difficult to forgo in later states the level of control that once afforded us so much satisfaction.”
—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)