Photos: Zach Hyman
Elmo is perpetually 3 ½ years old (“It’s a monster thing,” he told us), but that didn’t stop him from having a birthday party last week/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images Special guests included Abby and Cookie Monster — but we’re not sure if Cookie Monster showed up for Elmo or for the delicious party treats!
We caught up with Elmo after the celebration, and he shared some of his favorite things — like his favorite book, after-school snack, and song — exclusively with Parent & Child readers/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: You spoke to Congress about the importance of music education/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images What makes music so special to you?
Elmo: Elmo loves to sing and dance! He plays the violin and a little piano sometimes/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images You can do a lot of things with music, like reading and learning math using the measures in a song/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: Speaking of reading, you look very well-read! (Pun intended/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images) What’s your favorite children’s book?
Elmo: Green Eggs and Ham/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images I like Dr/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images Seuss; he’s cool/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: Do you have a role model?
Elmo: Elmo’s mommy and daddy, and Dorothy/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: Dorothy is your pet fish, right?
Elmo: Yes/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images She’s very smart/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: What do you like about having a pet?
Elmo: Elmo loves that he’s responsible for Dorothy and makes sure she’s healthy and happy/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images Elmo cleans the bowl out sometimes, and makes sure he feeds her when she needs to be fed/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: Are you a picky eater?
Elmo: No!
P&C: So what’s your favorite food?
Elmo: Elmo likes wasabi, and that’s why Elmo has no eyelids/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images That’s a joke! Elmo loves all kinds of food/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images But Elmo knows that there’s sometimes food and then there’s all-the-time food/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images Sometimes food is cookies and cake; all-the-time food is salad and vegetables/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: What’s your favorite after-school snack?
Elmo: Slices of apples/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: If you could choose one celebrity to appear on your show, Elmo’s World, who would it be?
Elmo: Barbra Streisand/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images Elmo loves the way she sings/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: Do you have a favorite song?
Elmo: Sam, You Made The Pants Too Long/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images It’s a very funny song/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images Click here to hear Elmo singing it!
P&C: Do you have any brothers or sisters, Elmo?
Elmo: Yes! Velmo and Telmo/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images One is older, and one is younger/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images We all try to get along, but sometimes it’s a challenge/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: What advice can you give to kids who may also be arguing with their siblings?
Elmo: Count to 10/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
P&C: What kind of advice do you have for kids on online safety?
Elmo: Be very careful, and make sure that your mommy or daddy knows that you’re online/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images Stay where you’re supposed to be/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images (Editors' note: For more on kids' online safety, here's how to prepare your children for online networking/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images)
What questions would you love to ask Elmo? Tell us by tweeting @PARENTandCHILD! Learn more about Elmo's World: Favorite Things DVD at SesameStreet/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-imagesorg/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
Megan Hess is the digital editor at Parent & Child/content/dam/parents/migrated-assets/articles/body-text-images
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