Elmo

Elmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. A furry red monster with a falsetto voice, he speaks to himself in the third person, and also hosts the last full fifteen-minute segment (five minutes since 2017) on Sesame Street, "Elmo's World", which is aimed at toddlers. He was most often puppeteered by Kevin Clash, but since his resignation in late 2012, he has been puppeteered by Ryan Dillon.[2][3]

For other uses, see Elmo (disambiguation).

Elmo
Sesame Street character
First appearance1980 (Season 11)
Portrayed byPrincipal performers
Ryan Dillon (2013–present)
Kevin Clash (1985–2012)
see all below
BirthdayFebruary 3
In-universe information
SpeciesSesame Street Muppet Monster
GenderMale
FamilyLouie and Mae (parents)
Daisy (sister)
Mimsy (cousin)
Cousin Pepe (cousin from Mexico)
Elmonosuke (cousin from Japan)
Elmer (cousin from Texas)
Aunt Sue
Elmo's Grandma and Grandpa
Selmo
Elmo's Great Grandmother
Elmo (great-great grandfather and namesake)
Uncle Jack
Aunt Jill
Jesse (cousin)
Chester (cousin)
Chester's parents (aunt and uncle)
Funella Furchester (aunt)
Furgus Fuzz (uncle)
Phoebe Furchester-Fuzz (cousin)
Ollie (cousin)
NationalityAmerican
Fur/skin colorRed/Red[1]
Elmo and Rosita film a PSA in 2004 with then-Senator Hillary Clinton

History

Elmo is self-described as three-and-a-half years old and his birthday is on February 3.[4] Elmo characteristically avoids pronouns in reference to himself, instead referring to himself in the third person (e.g. saying "Elmo wants this" instead of "I want this").[5] Sesame Street staff writer Nancy Sans once described Elmo's origins: "There was this extra red puppet lying around and the cast would pick him up sometimes and try to create a personality, but nothing seemed to materialize."[6]

Elmo, and Kevin Clash at 69th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2010.

The character of Elmo was originally conceived as a supporting character and background character in the late 1970s. It first appeared in the 1980 Sesame Street song, We Are Monsters. Elmo then eventually became a recurring character on Sesame Street, and later appeared as a supporting character appearing in segments in later episodes of the show. From 1980 to 1981, the character was performed by Jerry Nelson. Brian Muehl performed Elmo from 1980 to 1984, and Richard Hunt from 1984 to 1985. However in 1985, Hunt was so frustrated with the puppet, he squeezed it and threw it at Kevin Clash, who then performed Elmo. He said that Elmo should be a character who is kind and a loving character. Sans continues that " one day in 1985, Kevin Clash, a talented puppeteer, raised him up and brought energy and life into Elmo and from that day forward we would all write for Elmo. Kevin's performance inspired the writers to develop Elmo's character".[7] John Tartaglia, Matt Vogel, and Jim Martin have all been secondary performers for the character, providing movement for Elmo's arms and legs, particularly in green-screen shots.

Alongside Cookie Monster, Elmo has appeared in The Furchester Hotel, where he is taking an extended stay because of his fascination with the Furchester Hotel. His father Louie is the brother of Funella Furchester.

On May 27, 2020, The Not Too Late Show with Elmo premiered on HBO Max. The series stars Elmo as the host of his own late-night talk show.[8]

After becoming a regular guest on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Elmo began touring the talk-show circuit. He has appeared on Martha Stewart Living and Martha, The Tony Danza Show, Rove Live, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!,[9] and The View. Elmo and a developmental expert gave babysitting tips on the June 18, 2005 episode of Teen Kids News. He has also appeared on Emeril Live, helping Emeril make (non-alcoholic) eggnog during a Holiday Special shown in December 2008. Kevin Clash and Aaron Neville were also guests on this show. On a special episode of Oprah called "The Faces Behind the Famous Names", Kevin Clash and Elmo appeared at the same time.[10]

Elmo was the star of the 1999 full-length, theatrically released motion picture The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. He also starred in the film Elmo Saves Christmas.

Elmo also appeared in a fifth-season episode of The West Wing along with his friends Zoe and Big Bird. In that episode, Elmo receives a medical checkup from Abbey Bartlet, the First Lady (who is making a guest appearance on Sesame Street), and cheekily questions her about the validity of her medical license.

Elmo also appeared in the eighth season episode of Scrubs, "My ABC's", along with Oscar the Grouch, Grover, and an Anything Muppet named "Ex Ray". All four characters are in separate fantasies of J.D.'s in the episode.

At the request and with the assistance of Rep. Duke Cunningham, he testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education in April 2002, urging support for increased funding in music education.[11]

Emeril and Elmo's Healthy Start was a special featuring Elmo and Emeril Lagasse that aired on November 4, 2005 at 8 p.m. as part of the Food Network's second annual "Cook With Your Kids Week". The special was produced in conjunction with Sesame Workshop's Healthy Habits for Life program.

In 1996, a Tickle Me Elmo doll became a fad toy.[12]

In the 2003 Pixar movie Finding Nemo, one of the names Dory calls Nemo is "Elmo".

Elmo has also made many appearances on The Simpsons. In "Missionary: Impossible", he chases Homer Simpson. In "Bart-Mangled Banner", he is Bill Clinton's cellmate. In "Stop or My Dog Will Shoot!", Chief Clancy Wiggum shows a shirt where Big Bird is killing Elmo. In the episode "How the Test Was Won", Clancy's son Ralph finds a rat and says "I'm playing with Elmo". In the episode "The Color Yellow", Ralph has a drawing of himself with Elmo and Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story franchise.

Criticism and controversy

Fans of Sesame Street have complained that Elmo's prominent status has caused roles to be greatly reduced for some older characters, such as Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Count von Count, Prairie Dawn, Grover, and Cookie Monster. Some fans also blame Elmo for the permanent departure of Kermit the Frog from Sesame Street.[13] Elmo has been referred to as the "Little Red Menace" by Sesame Street traditionalists.[14]

In its FAQ, the Sesame Workshop addresses the allegation that Elmo referring to himself in the third person will teach children improper English, by stating that this behavior "mimics the behavior of many preschoolers. Like 3-year-olds, he doesn’t always have the skills or knowledge to speak proper English."[5]

Casting history

Principal performers

Alternate performers

Assistants

International puppeteers
  • Kōji Ochiai (Japanese NHK dub of Sesame Street)
  • Kenta Matsumoto (Japanese, TV Tokyo)
  • Davide Garbolino (Italian version of Elmo's World)
  • Eduardo Garza (Mexican Spanish, Latin Spanish dub of Elmo's World)
  • Igor Cruz (Mexican Spanish)
  • Sabine Falkenberg (German)
  • Hein Boele (Dutch dub of Sesamestreet)
  • Jogchem Jalink (Puppeteer of the Elmo replica puppet used on the Dutch version of Sesamestreet)
  • Tomasz Bednarek (Polish version of Elmo's World)
  • Damon Berry (Takalani Sesame, known as "Neno")
  • Christophe Albertini (5, Rue Sésame)
  • Ariel Doron (Rechov Sumsum)
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References
  1. Sesame Street (2014-09-16). "Sesame Street: Lupita Nyong'o Loves Her Skin". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-09-17.
  2. "Ryan Dillon is the New Voice of Elmo". DailyEntertainmentNews.com. 2013-04-02. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  3. "Elmo left behind on 'Sesame Street' as puppeteer Kevin Clash exits amid underage sex scandal". The New York Times. November 21, 2012.
  4. "This Week in Sesame Street: Elmo's Birthday". Sesame Workshop.
  5. "Why does Elmo refer to himself in the third person? Won't this teach kids improper English?". Frequently Asked Questions. Sesame Workshop. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  6. Rhoades, Shirrel. "Being Elmo". Tropic Cinema. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  7. Shon, Debora (2006-01-31). "Sesame Street will spend this weekend in Poughkeepsie". Poughkeepsie Journal.
  8. "Sesame Workshop to debut 'The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo' on HBO MAX on Tuesday, May 27, 2020 | Sesame Workshop". www.sesameworkshop.org.
  9. "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!". NPR. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  10. "A Guy's Guide to Oprah: 'Barbie, Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo, and Elmo'". Aguysguidetooprah.com. June 2008. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  11. "Mr. Elmo goes to Washington". CNN. 2002-04-24. Archived from the original on 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  12. "Just Tickled". People. Vol. 47 No. 1.
  13. "Jumptheshark.com". Archived from the original on 2007-10-10.
  14. "Elmo dethrones Big Bird" dead link at the Wayback Machine (archived 2010-08-23), Kim Lyons, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Jan. 11, 2006
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