CLOSE-UP

Do not be deceived by cheap imitations. There is only one authorized Gumby impersonator--Michael West. Gumby creator Art Clokey discovered him 12 years ago at a Gumby retrospective in Beverly Hills. Clokey had already heard of this particularly dynamic Gumby, who performed in Westwood; when he met West, he gave him his blessing, three Gumby suits and an exclusive international license. West, a Topanga Canyon contortionist, was thrilled. “I had been fearing corporate retribution,” he says, “but I found that Gumby’s goodness is really all around us.”

His Gumby appears at children’s parties and sings original Gumby-grams. West, 34, believes the claymation character represents “that playful, moldable quality” in everyone. “He’s a great guy with a great horse.”