NEW YORK – Mark Rober, the NASA engineer-turned-YouTuber, has had a career that's taken him to many places and screens. And now, that list includes Netflix and the iconic Sesame Street.
In "Elmo & Mark Rober's Merry Giftmas" (streaming now on Netflix), Rober pairs his creativity with Elmo's imagination for gifts that all of Sesame Street can enjoy.
"Elmo's been friends with Mr. Mark for a long time," the furry red monster, seated alongside Rober, tells USA TODAY in his beloved, signature third-person speak. "We both really love making things. Elmo does arts and crafts and stuff. And Mr. Mark makes rollercoasters and space satellites, so a little bit more advanced."
The duo creates the gifts at Rober's CrunchLabs. Elmo also invited some friends along, even if they didn't exactly understand what magic happens inside an engineering lab.
"Elmo went in the foam pit; I think he might've even done a flip into the foam pit," Rober, 45, recalls. "And Cookie Monster ate all the foam. That was kind of a problem, actually. We had to cut him off."
