Facts about Elmo
Elmo is a 3 1/2-year-old monster with red fur and an orange nose.
Like Fat Albert, Elmo usually talks about himself in the third person.
The “Tickle-Me-Elmo” plush toy, introduced in 1996, became a fad, and dominated news about that year’s Christmas season. Retailing for $28, the toys were scalped on the secondary market for hundreds of dollars.
By 1998, Elmo had become so popular that Sesame Street creators added a special segment to each show called Elmo’s World.
“The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland,” from 1999, was the second feature-length theatrical movie based on Sesame Street characters. It did not do well at the box office.
According to a Muppet Q. and A. video, Elmo’s favorite food is wasabi, and that’s why he has no eyelids.
Sesame Street Live
10:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 19; 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Fox Theatre. Tickets: $20 and $30. Gold Circle seats: $40; Sunny Seats: $75. The Sunny Seats package features premium seating and a pre-show meet and greet with two Sesame Street Live characters, including Elmo. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree Street, NE. 855-285-8499, www.foxtheatre.org
Elmo is a little red monster who speaks in a shrill falsetto and never stops moving.
Elyse Blunt is a slightly larger human with a soothing voice who is equally energetic.
Blunt, 25, lives in Williamsburg, Va., with her mother, when she’s not playing Elmo with Sesame Street Live, a touring stage production featuring the children’s television characters. Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and company arrive at the Fox Theatre Saturday, Sept. 19, for five performances in two days.
The show, called "Make A New Friend," will cover 20,000 miles this season, traveling across the U.S., including Hawaii, and will keep Blunt on the road 330 days or so, with a week off at Christmas. And she wouldn't have it any other way.
“I love traveling,” said Blunt, in a conversation from Brooklyn, where the show was in rehearsals. “I actually do not like staying still in one place for a long time, so this job is perfect for me.”
While Elmo’s voice is pre-recorded for the stage production, Blunt dons the furry red costume and acts out the script on stage, using her training as a dancer.
We asked Blunt a few questions about Elmo.
Q. How old is Elmo?
A. Elmo is a very energetic three-year-old. He never stops moving, and that’s something that I like to incorporate into the characterization, from running around the stage to the head nods.
Q. Does it get hot in that costume?
A. All of our costumes are state of the art for what we do. They make us as comfortable as possible. We do sweat.
Q. Does the audience join in when you do the “Elmo Slide”?
A. They are very much into it, we encourage them to get up and dance.
Q. Can children get up close to Elmo?
A. Throughout the show we’ll come out into the audience, we also have a meet and greet before the show.
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