OK, I said it.  I love Elmo.  Honestly, I didn’t even really know who Elmo was until I had a baby.  I remember a few years back, there was this whole craze over “tickle me Elmo”, but even then, I didn’t really know who Elmo was. 

Then I had a baby.  In the beginning, Julie seemed to be attracted to red characters with big white eyes (there’s also “Clifford the Big Red Dog”), but I think Elmo’s personality beat out Clifford a while back–hmmm…maybe Elmo beat Clifford to me, not her?  Oh well, I think Elmo is the greatest.  Seriously, have you ever watched Sesame Street?  I can’t help but to get interested in the happenings on Sesame Street (I never watched Sesame Street as a child myself).  Originally, Sesame Street was intended to be my 5-minute distraction when I would get a bathroom break, or at least get something to drink.  Now I find myself mesmerized by the antics of Elmo, Rosita, Count von Count, Big Bird, Grover, Ernie and Bert, and others…  Most days, instead of using Sesame Street as my 5-minute break, I end up watching it, and using it as a learning tool.  For example, one episode is learning about “gato”.  Now, Julie knows “gato” and “cat”.  Another segment focuses on numbers, with Count von Count.  On one show, Count von Count talks about “six feet under”, there’s a scene with three puppet’s feet under a table, and they count to six. 

Oh, then there’s Grover, always going to far-away places.  Once, he walked “all the way back from Tibet”.  On another show, he just came back from Paris, with a basket for vegetables.  He wanted the (talking) vegetables to get in his basket so he could “take them home to grand-mama”, but the veggies outsmarted him, getting him in the basket instead!  And there’s the “Baby Snuffleupagus” (a giant dinasaur-like elephant), his mom makes “eggplant parmalupagus”!

Then there’s Julie’s favorite part of the whole show, the part that makes her dance every time, the Elmo segment. 

(intro to Elmo’s world)

This is the time
This is the place
Elmo’s World
La la la la
La la la la
Elmo’s World
It’s Elmo
It’s Elmo’s World
It’s Elmo
It’s Elmo’s World
La la la la
La la la la
Elmo’s World
La la la la
La la la la
Elmo’s World
Elmo’s has a goldfish
His crayon,too
That’s Elmo’s World

What I love so much about Elmo is his personality.  He is a real person, with real emotions!  On one episode, he tries to get a shade to roll up, and it isn’t cooperating.  In his most adorable voice, he says, “oh, come on, shade!” then he turns to the camera and says, “Elmo’s having a bad shade day!”.  And whenever someone knocks at his door, he hums his “Elmo’s World” song as he walks to the door.

Every Elmo segment has it’s own theme.  Some of the themes are cameras, eating, birthdays, etc.  At the end of each segment, Elmo sings a song about whatever the theme was for the day.  For instance, on camera day, he sings:

(to the tune of jingle bells)

camera, camera, camera, camera…ca-am-er-a!

camera, camera, camera, camera…ca-am-er-a!

hum, hum, hum, hum, hu-um-um-um!

That’s. Elmo’s. Wor-ld!

and of course, he’s providing music to his song at the piano.

Oh man, I guess this is what I’ve turned into.  An Elmo lover.  Not even a shadow of my former “professional, career-oriented” self.  As I said, there was a time when I barely knew who Elmo was.  It’s kind of scary that I just spent all this time typing out Elmo’s songs, and describing the happenings on Sesame Street.  I can’t think about this right now…if I do, I will wonder if I’m in the Twilight Zone. 

Next time, boys and girls, we will talk about colors, and we’ll learn to count to THREE!