# Is there too much Elmo on Sesame Street? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224 "2009-11-11T20:21:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/1 "2009-11-11T20:21:24Z")
I’ve been watching some episodes of Sesame Street and the show seems to be focused on Elmo with other characters being the supporting cast. The last 15 minutes of the show are almost all Elmo with the Elmo’s World section. The show doesn’t have nearly as many live children as the 1970’s Sesame Street that I grew up watching. On the other hand, Big Bird and Ernie seem like boring characters in the newer Sesame Street and Elmo is always entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/2 "2009-11-11T20:45:41Z")
Yes. By definition, **any** amount of Elmo is too much. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/3 "2009-11-11T20:49:34Z")
Too much Elmo, not enough Grover. Or Cookie Monster. Or Oscar. Or Snuffleupagus. Stoopid famewhorish Elmo. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/4 "2009-11-11T20:51:29Z")
The ads for the new season of Sesame Street up around New York City would imply that the show is now called “SS with Elmo & Pals” Back when I was a kid, Elmo was a very minor character on the show…I always wondered what the hell happened at some point in the 90s? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/5 "2009-11-11T20:52:43Z")
Tickle Me Elmo? Though I guess you have to ask why Elmo and none of the others. My personal fave is Cookie Monster. But Elmo…he’s become the Scrappy. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/6 "2009-11-11T20:58:34Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > I always wondered what the hell happened at some point in the 90s? [Tickle Me Elmo](http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20143226,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/7 "2009-11-11T20:58:46Z")
Absolutely. That little red blight has practically taken over the show, and it has very much suffered from it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/8 "2009-11-11T21:01:02Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > Back when I was a kid, Elmo was a very minor character on the show…I always wondered what the hell happened at some point in the 90s? “We’re getting our asses kicked by Barney!” ---
**Author:** ![diku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/9 "2009-11-11T21:05:10Z")
I agree, but my two-year old would disagree with you. It’s not Sesame Street, it’s Elmo’s World to him. ---
**Author:** ![Clare\_de\_Loone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/clare_de_loone/32/3407_2.png) [@Clare\_de\_Loone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clare_de_Loone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/10 "2009-11-11T21:05:14Z")
Definitely too much Red Monster. He makes my skin crawl and my ears bleed. I still watch the show occasionally on my days off/sick days, etc. And what’s up with the claymation Ernie & Bert segments? ---
**Author:** ![Calabasita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Calabasita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calabasita)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/11 "2009-11-11T21:41:26Z")
I agree that there is a whole lot of Elmo on Sesame Street these days. Although, count me in as another who has a son who is obsessed with the little red nuisance. He also loves Cookie Monster so there is hope for him yet. I must say that while I find Elmo grating, I absolutely loathe Horatio the elephant. Every episode with him in it makes my eye start to twitch. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/12 "2009-11-11T21:51:24Z")
Elmo is why I don’t check in on Sesame Street anymore. Question: Would Sesame Street be less Elmo-trocious is Jim Henson were still alive? ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/13 "2009-11-11T22:05:17Z")
> [@3waygeek](#): > > Yes. By definition, **any** amount of Elmo is too much. Hear, hear. Even one frame of him, flashed up subliminally, is really too much. Of course I can imagine _some_ Elmo scenes, quite lengthy ones actually, that I wouldn’t mind seeing. Over and over. But then, what I’m imagining would pretty much wrap it up for that character. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/14 "2009-11-11T22:22:06Z")
> [@](#): > > I must say that while I find Elmo grating, I absolutely loathe Horatio the elephant. Every episode with him in it makes my eye start to twitch. Haven’t met that one yet, but I totally loathe “Baby Bear.” That blasted lithp is so annoying - speech impediments are not “cute.” This is an educational show, teach kids proper diction, darn it. And part of the reason why there’s a feeling of “too much Elmo” is because they also introduced Zoe, who’s nothing more than a second Elmo, in orange drag. What little of the show Elmo doesn’t monopolize, she’s on. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/15 "2009-11-11T22:36:24Z")
He’s become the Ralph Wiggum of Sesame Street. Or maybe it’s the other way 'round. ---
**Author:** ![PeskiPiksi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@PeskiPiksi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeskiPiksi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/16 "2009-11-11T22:50:43Z")
This seems like a good place to ask–what happened to Snuffaluffagus being Big Bird’s imaginary friend? Maybe I’m crazy, but when I was a kid watching the show (late 70s, early 80s), I think nobody ever saw “Snuffy” (as he’s now called) except Big Bird. He would always leave the scene right before someone else entered, much to Big Bird’s frustration. Now I’ve started watching again with my almost-2 daughter, and it seems they’ve dropped that aspect of his character completely. Or did I just dream that whole thing up? And yes, to my taste there is entirely too much Elmo, but my daughter loves him. And I do find Mr. Noodle mildly entertaining. Mildly. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/17 "2009-11-11T22:53:24Z")
> [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > This seems like a good place to ask–what happened to Snuffaluffagus being Big Bird’s imaginary friend? Maybe I’m crazy, but when I was a kid watching the show (late 70s, early 80s), I think nobody ever saw “Snuffy” (as he’s now called) except Big Bird. He would always leave the scene right before someone else entered, much to Big Bird’s frustration. Now I’ve started watching again with my almost-2 daughter, and it seems they’ve dropped that aspect of his character completely. Yup. They changed that as they didn’t want kids thinking no one would believe them if they told about someone molesting them or hurting them, among other things. This got warped into my brother and I joking about how Snuffy was BB’s molester. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/18 "2009-11-11T22:56:01Z")
> [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > This seems like a good place to ask–what happened to Snuffaluffagus being Big Bird’s imaginary friend? Maybe I’m crazy, but when I was a kid watching the show (late 70s, early 80s), I think nobody ever saw “Snuffy” (as he’s now called) except Big Bird. He would always leave the scene right before someone else entered, much to Big Bird’s frustration. Now I’ve started watching again with my almost-2 daughter, and it seems they’ve dropped that aspect of his character completely. > > Or did I just dream that whole thing up? It was dropped when, IIRC, folks started to point out the message being sent to impressionable kids: _“If you tell grown-ups about stuff that really happened with someone, there’s a good chance they won’t believe you. And you won’t be able to prove it, either; they’ll accuse you of making it up, you’ll get frustrated, end of story, repeat as necessary.”_ And so Elmo helped Big Bird prove Snuffy’s existence to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![pythonzzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@pythonzzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pythonzzz)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/19 "2009-11-12T00:04:57Z")
Get yourself the “Old School Sesame Street” DVDs - Elmo free 😃 Also, Youtube is full of classic SS - Roosavelt Franklin, the baker skits (Jim Henson is the baker, FYI), the Martian Yip-Yips, Ladybug picnic, the Alligator King, Lost Kid, the orange singing 'Carmen, Capital I, and so many more. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224/20 "2009-11-12T00:38:40Z")
I don’t mind Elmo but I think there is too much of him. I don’t mind this but (and this is a stupid argument but I’ll say it anyway) Sesame Street is an ensamble cast. A lot of new fun characters may be going overlooked because so much time is dedicated to the “Safe/proven” character of Elmo. Which of course kids love. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-too-much-elmo-on-sesame-street/517224.md?page=2)