It’s not easy being red
Six reasons why Elmo went from being horrible to adorable
I resisted, at first. How could I not? As someone who grew up on 1970s-era “Sesame Street,’’ then revisited the show with my own kid three decades later, I was appalled to see that my beloved Grover and Cookie Monster had lost precious airtime to a skinny red Muppet who refers to himself in the third person. Elmo is no Barney, to be sure - and don’t get me started on Baby Bear - but to GenX purists, he’s an acquired taste.
Our kids, however, fall head over heels. For a decent stretch of time, my daughter woke up every morning and said “Elmo.’’ So I sat with her and watched. And watched. And started to succumb. In honor of the 40th anniversary of “Sesame Street’’ - and my own realization that you can’t fear change, even on preschool TV - here are six reasons I gave in and learned to love Elmo:
1. He’s a tall black man.
Many years before a tall black man became leader of the free world, another one was ruling the world of preschoolers. Six-foot-tall Kevin Clash grew up a working-class kid in Baltimore with a puppet obsession, and he changed the world of “Sesame Street’’ when he picked up a little red puppet - essentially an extra - and infused him with a 3-year-old’s personality. In interviews, Clash has noted that the puppet is a mean dancer. And his rise to the “Sesame Street’’ stratosphere is a classic story about following your passions, no matter how arcane, and making good, no matter the obstacles you face.
2. He’s Zoe’s best friend.
And any friend of Zoe’s is a friend of mine. I’ll never understand why “Sesame Street’’ has invested so much energy and time on foofy fairy-girl Abby Cadabby - who this season even gets her CGI segments called “Abby’s Flying Fairy School’’ - and downplayed the wonders of the little orange tomboy with barrettes and a frilly pink tutu. Zoe is spunky and sassy and feminine at the same time, and when Elmo tries to take her ball she fights back. That Elmo pays her respect is a sign that he knows girls can be tough, even if they love ballet.
3. He’s kind to Mr. Noodle.
There’s a lot about the predictable “Elmo’s World’’ segments that make you want to pull out your arm hairs one by one, but it’s hard not to appreciate the wonders of Mr. Noodle. In a world where preschool TV does its best to be hip, this is old-school, slapstick pantomiming of the most athletic sort by the masterful clown-trained thespian Bill Irwin. (His stand-ins are the late Michael Jeter, as Mr. Noodle’s brother Mr. Noodle, and Kristen Chenoweth, as Mr. Noodle’s sister Miss Noodle.)
4. He once kicked Mandy Patinkin’s butt.
Yes, I’ve seen “The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland.’’ As if I could avoid it. And if there’s a guy who deserves to learn life lessons from a puppet, it’s Mandy Patinkin wearing gobs of extra makeup on his eyebrows. Of course, he winds up giving Elmo his blanket back.
5. He has magical powers.
That’s the only way I can explain the hold Elmo has over the teeny-tiny mind, since kids seem to fall in love with him on first sight. My little guy turns 1 this week and doesn’t watch TV yet, but he was in the room while I screened the 40th-annivesary episode that airs Tuesday. When Big Bird sang about habitats, Jesse was unmoved. When Ernie and Bert appeared in Claymation, Jesse chased a ball around the room. But when Elmo came onscreen, Jesse’s eyes grew wide and he reached for the screen. “Deh!’’ he declared. Another fan relationship was born.
6. And yet, the magic ends.
In fact, my daughter, who’s in kindergarten now, recently declared that she “hates’’ Elmo. I’d seldom heard her use a word that strong, and when I asked her why, she said, “He’s for babies.’’ It’s proof positive that a preschooler’s obsessions wane, no matter how hard Sesame Workshop works to sell me those TMX Elmo dolls, and it’s heartening news for people suffering from Dora and Thomas overload. Now, whenever Ava spots Elmo’s cheery face, she makes a gagging noise, which makes me kind of sad. I’ve really grown to like the little guy.
Joanna Weiss can be reached at weiss@globe.com 
