I’m more of a Cookie Monster person myself — yes, the reason is as simple as “I similarly love cookies” — but “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey,” directed by Constance Marks and narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, will impact you regardless of whether Elmo is your favorite “Sesame Street” character. It doesn’t matter if you prefer Jim Henson’s edgier work, like “Labyrinth” or “The Dark Crystal,” or if you think Kermit and Miss Piggy are better than Bert and Ernie. Ultimately this is a story about the universal wonderfulness of Henson’s creations, and how people like Kevin Clash — the Maryland-born puppeteer who reinvigorated the Elmo character and still voices him today, among a host of other “Sesame Street”-related responsibilities — helped materialize those ideals of friendship, community and love to countless children. And it’s a fantastic one.

Before the multicultural awareness of “Dora the Explorer” or the goofy silliness of “Spongebob Squarepants,” there was “Sesame Street,” one charming neighborhood where neighbors of all different ethnicities, ages and abilities just got along. There were humans and puppets, but just because the former was made of flesh and bone and the latter of felt and foam didn’t mean one lived any more than the other. To viewers everywhere, those characters — Oscar and Big Bird and Grover — lived and breathed just like the rest of us. For Clash, growing up in a rough part of Turners Station, Baltimore County, they were an opportunity, one that inspired him to make his own puppets, create his own characters and stage his own performances.

Soon WMAR-TV, a Baltimore station, came knocking, getting Clash a role on the TV show “Caboose.” Then he traveled to New York City on a class trip and met Kermit Love, the puppeteer who worked with Henson on “Sesame Street” and other projects. Then he met Henson. And finally, after gigs on TV shows like “Captain Kangaroo” (which Clash also grew up watching) and films like “The Dark Crystal,” Clash eventually became the first black puppeteer on “Sesame Street.” A little while later, he would become Elmo. And after that: stampedes over Tickle Me Elmo dolls, international appearances, segments with celebrities like Hugh Jackman and first lady Michelle Obama on “Sesame Street.” (The best one included is the documentary is undoubtedly when Elmo skeptically asks, “Is Mr. Ricky Gervais a celebrity?” of the Brit guest-starring on the program.)

But “Being Elmo” is more than just a blank resume of Clash’s life; the documentary truly resonates when it shows him in his element. From a description of the first puppet he ever made (constructed out of the black fur lining his father’s trench coat, which he cut out without asking) to clips of him now, training crew members working on the French version of “Sesame Street,” it’s inspiring to see how far Clash has come. When he tells a puppeteer to always keep a puppet’s mouth open so it looks like it’s smiling, the simplicity and obviousness of the advice will warm your heart. More tear-worthy moments: Clash’s continued awe when touring the “Sesame Street” puppet construction room (with endless organized drawers of different eyes and mustaches, and huge rolls of multicolored fabric and fur); his interaction with a young teen fan who has been making his own puppets since he was 8; and the time he shares with a sick child whose family visits the set of the show. Kleenex, at the ready!

The documentary’s only flaw, however, is in its glossing over of any hardships Clash may have faced as a black puppeteer starting out in the business. We see his old house, now rundown in a sad-looking neighborhood (“We really didn’t have the money to do that,” Clash says of the family trip to Disney World that never happened), but later we see his daughter’s lavish birthday party, with video messages from Jack Black and LL Cool J. It’s clear the man is rich, but “Being Elmo” doesn’t go into the intricacies of all that.

So yes, the film could have gone further into exploring whether Clash encountered any racism when getting into the industry, or could have spelled out the exact nature of his hard life growing up on the wrong side of the Baltimore County tracks. But have we as a society become so jaded that we refuse to accept heartwarming stories, instead demanding hardships to fuel our cynicism? Sometimes it feels better to not be that contemptuous. Sometimes it feels better to watch something marvelous and hopeful and beautiful. And any time, “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” will fit that bill. “Elmo loves you, he just loves you. When he says that, you get it,” says fellow puppeteer Martin P. Robinson — and he couldn’t be more right.

“Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” is playing in limited release in the Washington, D.C., area. Showtimes are available at Landmark’s E Street Cinema in Northwest D.C.