The Letter E

E, E, E/See the Es go easin' by.

Elmo


I was growing up right before Sesame Street's Elmo craze (like I was 6 when it started and too distracted by Doug or something), so I wasn't really affected by it. People who get angry at Elmo are stupid. You are too old to actually get pissed off by a piece of felt.

Played by a gigantic black man, Elmo is the high-pitched messiah/pariah of Sesame Street. Originally played by Richard Hunt (the puppeteer behind Sweetums, Beaker and Scooter), Kevin Clash was literally thrown the opportunity when Hunt, unable to find a personality for and tired of the puppet, tossed the furry red monster to him (because he was the only other person in the Muppeteer lounge at the time). Clash transformed him into a chirpy three year old muppet with a penchant for speaking in the third person.

Elmo currently hosts the final segment of Sesame Street, titled "Elmo's World," where he teaches toddlers one specific topic (i.e. one episode would be about books or hands or the concept of fast and slow). He's accompanied by his goldfish, Dorothy, and the Noodle family: Mr. Noodle (Bill Irwin), his brother Mr. Noodle (Michael Jeter), and their sister Mrs. Noodle (Kristin Chenoweth).

Elmo can be a little annoying at times. That is the only bad thing I have to say about Elmo. He's good for the kids so leave him alone.

Ernie

Ernie is awesome. He loves having fun, making jokes, playing games. He's orange and a little rounder than his best friend Bert. He enjoys taking baths with his Rubber Duckie (who would have appeared this month except he's not a muppet).

He's an excellent hider, according to the "Journey To Ernie" segments where he hides everywhere from a disco to The Letter B Museum to Mars. He frequently collaborates with other Sesame Street Muppets who aren't his best buddy Bert, most famously Lefty the Salesman (who I'll talk about later).

According to "Follow That Bird," he has an AIRPLANE WHICH HE IS ABLE TO FLY. HE CAN EVEN PILOT IT UPSIDE-DOWN WHAT THE HELL.

One time Ernie put a banana in his ear and he couldn't hear Bert questioning why. He once danced with an Egyptian mummy resembling himself while exploring a pyramid. He had to consult famed jazz owl Hoots on why he had trouble playing the saxophone, with Hoots coming to the conclusion that he had to put down his Rubber Duckie before playing.

Most importantly, though, he was the sole part of one of the most sincere Sesame Street moments. Singing "I Don't Want To Live On The Moon," which is about exactly what it sounds like. Ernie wants to visit the moon, but he wouldn't want to live there because he miss everyone and everything he loves.



Ernie is awesome.