Why Elmo Isn’t Evil

There are those that believe that Sesame Street “jumped the shark” when Elmo “took over.” There are those that believe that the show has lost its edge, lost what made it special, now that Elmo is a central character. Change of any kind is difficult to deal with, and Elmo is change.

First of all, it is a common misconception that Elmo is somehow “new.” He was first introduced to the Street in the early ‘7os. Elmo was originally puppeteered by Caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch) and then later by Richard Hunt until Hunt’s death in 1984. So the story goes, someone tossed the little red monster Muppet to puppeteer Kevin Clash, saying “see what you can do with this.” Clash played around with the character, and made him what he is today. Prior to Clash’s involvement, Elmo had never really developed a notable character or personality, but Elmo has been a minor part of the show since almost the beginning. It was Elmo who helped hold Snuffy in place (by grabbing him by the trunk!) so the adults could finally see him for example.

One of the reasons for controversy is Elmo’s way of speaking. Elmo always refers to himself in the third person:  “Elmo play now!” rather than using correct grammar. Critics chastise the character, and the program, for “teaching” this incorrectness. Sesame Workshop defends this decision. “Elmo mimics the behavior of many preschoolers. Like 3-year-olds, he doesn’t always have the skills or knowledge to speak proper English. Cast members and many of the other Muppets, however, do demonstrate proper usage of the English language.” You know what? They’re correct.

The show has historically portrayed characters as realistic, even if flawed. Big Bird is naive. Ernie is sometimes annoying, and Bert is boring (he collects bottle caps for goodness sake!). Grover is persistent and frequently a little dim. Even the adults on Sesame Street make mistakes. They say things they don’t mean. They take things for granted. Kids relate to the show for precisely this reason. They see themselves in it somewhere, and they see the adults and children they interact with in real life in there too.

The other controversy surrounding Elmo is his prominence. Other characters, favorites of my generation, have taken a backseat to the little red furry monster. Where is Cookie Monster, or Grover? Why are the animated shorts we so loved reduced to make room for “Elmo’s World?” Why is Elmo basically the ONLY Muppet from the Street to appear on talk shows and news programs? What about Big Bird? Didn’t the show used to focus on him? Wasn’t HE the one we were teaching as a surrogate for the viewing audience?

Well, yes. Those are all good questions. But the truth is, things change. Children change. Schools change. Educational philosophies and curriculum change. Times change. Elmo speaks more to today’s kids. They have numerous resources for learning numbers and letters. Their attention spans are shorter now that they have media overload. Longer segments help build their attention spans and more emphasis on imagination, art, music, and play fill voids that kids miss out on in today’s highly academic schools. Elmo’s younger than Big Bird (Elmo’s 3 1/2 according to him, and Big Bird is usually considered to be around 6), so his development is more in line with the ages of the children watching the show.

Big Bird and his fellow Muppet characters have not been replaced. As times change, so does the show. Even within the past few years, Elmo’s hold on the show has lessened. He no longer holds reign as the central character, even though he is still prominently featured. He’s popular, and when educating children, popularity is key. Kids learn better when they love and trust the teacher. Right now, they love and trust Elmo.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring!