Why does Elmo keep getting dragged into the pits of despair?

January 30, 2024 10:15 PM

Elmo Asked an Innocuous Question: Elmo was not expecting it to open a yawning chasm of despair. (NYT gift link) “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” In thousands of responses, social media users let Elmo know that no, actually, they were not doing too hot.

“Elmo I’m depressed and broke,” one wrote. Others told Elmo that they had been laid off, that they were anxious about the 2024 election, or that their dog had rolled around in goose feces.
“Elmo each day the abyss we stare into grows a unique horror,” read a response posted by Hanif Abdurraqib, a poet, essayist and contributor to The New York Times. “One that was previously unfathomable in nature. Our inevitable doom which once accelerated in years, or months, now accelerates in hours, even minutes.” The response continued: “However I did have a good grapefruit earlier, thank you for asking.”

Non-paywall: The "Sesame Street" Muppets Were Super Supportive Of Elmo After He Accidentally Started A Discussion On Mental Health Online

posted by jenfullmoon (24 comments total)

Poor Elmo.
posted by Paul Slade at 11:05 PM on January 30, 2024 [1 favorite]

But Elmo… I am Pagliacci!
posted by azpenguin at 11:06 PM on January 30, 2024 [43 favorites]

Plus: fun, Muppets.

Minus: Xitter and its horrible management.
posted by JHarris at 11:34 PM on January 30, 2024 [5 favorites]

Elmo gets it because he is a fount of non-white trauma.
posted by parmanparman at 11:48 PM on January 30, 2024 [3 favorites]

Just when I thought I needed no more evidence that Hanif Abdurraqib is the greatest. That last sentence is such a perfect ending to his comment. His books are so thoughtful, and so gracefully composed.
posted by umbú at 3:11 AM on January 31, 2024 [8 favorites]

not_great_bob.gif
posted by gauche at 3:45 AM on January 31, 2024 [6 favorites]

Kermit and Fozzie have an existential crisis

posted by lalochezia at 4:32 AM on January 31, 2024 [12 favorites]

Are we sure it was accidental, because that's the language they tell you to use when you're worried about a friend.
posted by subdee at 4:51 AM on January 31, 2024 [3 favorites]

My favorite part: "'Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned it is important to ask a friend how they are doing.'”
posted by hydra77 at 5:55 AM on January 31, 2024 [21 favorites]

Reminded of a viral video I saw once where a girl of like five or six was sitting down and patiently talking her mother through her feelings and how Mom should handle an argument with Dad. The comments were full of praise for this wise old soul. Of course, she deserved praise, but she also deserved a situation where she didn’t have to be a therapist before she knew how to ride a bike. And where her mother wouldn’t put that on the Internet. In a better world, she wouldn’t have had to handle that.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:55 AM on January 31, 2024 [12 favorites]

I'm crying now. I grew up with Sesame Street in the pre-Elmo era, when Mr. Snuffleupagus was still thought to be imaginary and before Mr. Hooper passed away, and I was as displeased as anyone else when this crimson newcomer shouldered his way to the forefront. But with maturity and the benefit of hindsight, I can say that Elmo is a good kid. I would talk to him about my troubles if he offered to listen.

The day I got to meet Caroll Spinney and give Oscar the Grouch a hug, even though I was a very different person then, remains one of the greatest days of my life.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:55 AM on January 31, 2024 [39 favorites]

I'm too old for Elmo, so I got Statler and Waldorf instead.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:24 AM on January 31, 2024 [8 favorites]

I did not expect an encouraging message from lovable furry old Grover to make me cry at the office today. Shit's bleak, folks. Thank you, Sesame Street, for supporting me for over 50 years now.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 8:39 AM on January 31, 2024 [18 favorites]

The older I get and the more people I meet, the more I've come to realize that most people are deeply unhappy most of the time. We find joy where we can, but those moments are increasingly fleeting and uncommon. The smallest message of kindness (even from a muppet) can have a profound impact on people who feel the need to hide their despair just to make it through the day.

In a similar vein, Steve Burns (the original Steve from Blue's Clues) has been posting videos to TikTok where he simply listens to you.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 8:48 AM on January 31, 2024 [16 favorites]

Synchronistic to read this a day after seeing the story of Kermit comforting Danny Trejo upon the passing of his mother.
posted by audi alteram partem at 8:51 AM on January 31, 2024 [9 favorites]

WaPo version of this story, gift link.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:24 AM on January 31, 2024 [2 favorites]

I did not expect an encouraging message from lovable furry old Grover to make me cry at the office today.

For me it was Bert offering his shoulder (aka "no-shoulders and floppy soggy arms," per Ernie) to cry on. Bert is my standard mirror muppet, and that just went right to the heart.
posted by dlugoczaj at 9:43 AM on January 31, 2024 [4 favorites]

Needed that. People are understandably cynical these days. There were so many replies, many of them funny, about traumatizing Elmo, but that he and the other characters were even more supportive afterwards. Really well done and touching.
posted by girlmightlive at 9:55 AM on January 31, 2024 [3 favorites]

Everyone Is Trauma Dumping on a 3-Year-Old Puppet
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:01 AM on January 31, 2024 [5 favorites]

I have a photo of myself hugging Elmo with his original puppeteer (let's not talk about his downfall here, shall we?) at arms' length. I may look like I am about to cry, because I probably was :-)
posted by 41swans at 6:57 PM on January 31, 2024 [2 favorites]

Elmo came long after I had grown out of the intended audience, and I wasn't really a fan, though I later came around a bit, having read about how Elmo, more than any other of the muppets, is intended as the point of view character for the audience, how he's learning and growing the way they are.

Still, it always felt like Elmo was taking that spot from a beloved, wonderful muppet that was already there, Grover. Sure, Elmo might talk about feelings, and be all wonderful, but Elmo never taught me


NEEEEEAAAARRRR

(footsteps shuffling)

fffaaaaaaaaaarrr
posted by Ghidorah at 4:02 AM on February 1, 2024 [10 favorites]

Fur Falling Off Elmo In Clumps After Asking Twitter Users How They Doing

posted by lalochezia at 5:04 PM on February 1, 2024 [3 favorites]

“Izzy just tappin in, bruh. Y'all good?”

P.S Which, I realize that if you did not live in Atlanta 30 years ago, that is not funny to you. But if you did it is very funny.
posted by ob1quixote at 5:08 PM on February 1, 2024 [3 favorites]

Trauma Me Elmo.

LARRY DAVID BEAT UP ON ELMO ON CAMERA WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:22 PM on February 1, 2024