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Elmo's Best Moments: Celebrating 25 Years of the Furry Red Monster
by Rich Keller, posted Nov 18th 2010 11:40AM
November 18, 1985 was a day that changed children's television. It was on this day that Elmo, the furry red monster of 'Sesame Street,' came into his own, thanks to puppeteer Kevin Clash.An extra for years, voiced on occasion by folks like Carol Spinney (Big Bird) and Richard Hunt (Scooter from 'The Muppet Show'), Clash turned the very minor character into a 3 1/2-year-old mainstay that, depending on your feelings, transformed 'Sesame Street' in a good or bad way.
Since his introduction to 'Sesame Street,' Elmo has become the face of the four-decade old series, appearing on talk shows, primetime series, his own movie ('Elmo in Grouchland') and on the toy shelves as Tickle Me Elmo. He even has his own 15-minute show-within-a-show on 'Sesame Street' titled 'Elmo's World.'
To celebrate a quarter century of perpetual toddler Elmo, we present 10 memorable moments from his days on and off the Street.
Elmo and Kermit
This clip comes from the early days of Elmo's career, around 1986. Elmo is more unkempt than his current clean-shaven look and his voice his slightly deeper. But he still uses the third person to talk about himself.
Elmo and Ernie
It's very rare to see Elmo hang out with the likes of Bert or Ernie, making the few appearances with either of them welcome. That's why this clip from the show's 30th season, featuring a duet between Ernie and Elmo, is a special treat.
Elmo's Song
Elmo is a prolific performer. He sings, he dances, hosts his own show and, as we found out early on, composes his own music. The earliest of these works is 'Elmo's Song,' which he premiered on 'Sesame Street' during the early 90s. Eventually, a variation of the song would become the theme to 'Elmo's World.'
Elmo Goes Hollywood
It seems that all the big Hollywood biggies who came to Sesame Street wanted to star in a segment with Elmo. Here, Elmo tries to scare Julia Roberts...
.... while, in this segment, Elmo talks to Robert DeNiro about acting and how he can become a dog, a head of cabbage and a street-talking version of Elmo with relative ease.
And in this clip, Elmo cracks up Ricky Gervais as an interview goes awry.
Elmo Outside of Sesame Street
As Elmo's popularity grew he began to leave the confines of Sesame Street to become a world ambassador for the children's series. One of his more regular appearances was on 'The Rosie O'Donnell Show.' Here he talks to Rosie right after the events of 9/11.
In this clip Elmo ribs First Lady Abigail Bartlett about giving up her medical license on an episode of the hit NBC drama 'The West Wing.'
Elmo's Controversy
No retrospective of Elmo would be complete without the recent hubbub of his performance with Katy Perry. Though the segment was pulled prior to the beginning of the show's current season due to Perry's cleavage incident, a good many fans of the show didn't thing there was really anything wrong with it.
Elmo Interviews Kevin Clash
Other than the Frank Oz and the late Jim Henson, very few 'Sesame Street' puppeteers are really known by the public. Yet, due to his high profile, Kevin Clash has appeared alongside Elmo in numerous interviews. In this clip, Clash is actually interviewed by Elmo. Which begs the question of who's supplying Elmo's voice during the interview?
What's your favorite Elmo moment?
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