Elmo Puppet
date: label: date made
content: 1984
name: label: Associated Name
content: Henson, Jim
label: performer
content: Clash, Kevin
label: performer
content: Dillon, Ryan
label: maker
content: Henson, Jim
label: builder
content: Asch, Leslee
label: builder
content: Wilcox, Caroly
notes: label: Description
content: This Elmo puppet was used on <i>Sesame Street</i> from about 1984 until the early 2000s. An optimistic and friendly monster, Elmo helps the show’s youngest viewers make sense not only of words and numbers, but also big feelings. Designed to represent the cognitive and emotional development of a three-and-a-half-year-old child, Elmo serves as a partner in learning for children that age. Elmo is a furry red monster with an orange nose. Elmo is enthusiastic, playful, and cheerful, and usually refers to himself in the third person. He was originally designed in 1979 as a generic background monster and first appeared as Elmo on <i>Sesame Street</i> in 1980. He was performed by Kevin Clash until 2012 and was more recently performed by Ryan Dillon.
label: Description
content: Designed by the nonprofit Children's Television Workshop to teach basic reading, math, and life skills to young of-color and low-income viewers who might not otherwise attend preschool, <i>Sesame Street</i> premiered in 1969. Its innovative approach—one focused on both “educational merit and entertainment appeal,” using the techniques of television advertising and entertainment to teach—drew young viewers of every background. <i>Sesame Street</i> changed the face of children’s television and had a transformative influence on early childhood education in schools and at home. Jim Henson’s Muppets have been residents of <i>Sesame Street</i> from the beginning. The Muppet characters on the show were designed to demonstrate to children the values of diversity and inclusion, as well as to catch viewers' attention.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, Queens
topic: label: associated subject
content: Children's television programs
label: associated subject
content: Puppetry
label: associated subject
content: Television broadcasts
label: associated subject
content: Sesame Street
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Popular Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Jim Henson
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: A Gift from the Family of Jim Henson: Lisa Henson, Cheryl Henson, Brian Henson, John Henson and Heather Henson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2013.0101.01
label: accession number
content: 2013.0101
label: catalog number
content: 2013.0101.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: puppet
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: synthetic fur (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: foam (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 in x 16 in x 11 in; 35.56 cm x 40.64 cm x 27.94 cm