Can you tell me how to get to

[johnnystorm]

Elmo's a bully! There I said it!

[samurainoir]

I think it has more to do with the original puppeteers, most notably Frank Oz and Jim Henson having not been the actual puppeteers/voices on their signature muppets in so long, while Elmo still has the same man who breathed life into him.

There is a wonderful moment in the documentary Being Elmo which tells you everything about a puppet and his puppeteer. They describe how one of the veteran Muppeteers was having a really hard time with one of the generic red monster muppets and gave up... Tossing it over to a junior puppeteer. This young guy found the "real" voice of the red monster, and they discovered that it resonated with young kids in a way no other muppet had previously. Because this monster was not motivated by curiosity, or hunger or mischief, but the expression of love and joy. Something the cynical eighties and nineties kids really needed IMHO.

Also, in terms of age, Elmo skewed much younger at 3 1/2 age group relatability than Grover, Harry or Telly, who were designed slightly older, and television was starting to fragment in that era so that there were many more choices, and you could "outgrow" sesame street sooner. To me it/ a little sad that so often you do meet kids who never grew up on sesame street as a shared cultural experience as so many of us did. It's impossible in the on demand thousand channel universe.

Being Elmo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlNZo10pCts

Check out elmo's original voice...
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...X--mLGm0oHhaUw

[rche]

being elmo is awesome. It is on PBS this Monday if you missed it or want to check it out without a rental. I am not a big Elmo fan, but I understand his place in the SS world and watching Kevin perform is fantastic.

It's true that SS is a rushed through phase in getting your kids up and off to preschool nowadays, and that the demo has shifted to a shorter timespan with the younger watchers. So, perhaps the comic is good news in that the CTW folks are still trying to reach out to the older kids. As I stated earlier, the SS Library and Treasury collections have been a big part of my kids reading edu and they go back to them and reread them. Of course, we also have puppets all over the house, but that is an entirely different matter.

[johnnystorm]

I kid about Elmo. He's cool...my daughter & I met Kevin Clash last fall when he came to the local college & did a talk. Totally nice guy, Elmo shook or kissed EVERY kid in a VERY long line, including my kid.
What's totally insane is that Kevin "disappears" when Elmo starts talking & moving...I mean you instantly forget he's there and speak & react to only Elmo.