The evolution of Elmo.
| Image | As seen in / Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
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Season 11 (1980-1984) |
The original Elmo debuts in Episode 1405, as an unidentified, generic monster puppet with no consistent performer. Though the design of the character was established from the beginning, some differences from the current Elmo puppet include a darker orange nose, bulkier lower jaw, and smaller pupils, positioned in a way that often make the character appear cross-eyed. |
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Season 15 (1984-1986) |
As Elmo was gradually being developed into an official character, the puppet was updated to refine the character's appearance. This includes more disheveled fur, brighter orange nose, and larger pupils with improved eye focus. |
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Season 18 (1986-1988) |
Elmo's nose becomes slightly larger and more egg-shaped. He has longer, messier fur that sticks out from all over the puppet, most noticeably his chin. Starting with this puppet, a wooden dowel was added as a mechanism to allow Elmo's eyes to shift to various different positions. This mechanism added more expression to Elmo than what could have been done before, and first utilized in Episode 2281.
In the '90s, this puppet was recycled, given Mexican attire for use as Cousin Pepe on Sesame Street Stays Up Late. |
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Season 20 (1988-1991) |
Elmo's fur is less unkempt compared to the previous puppet, and his nose is relocated higher up, closer to his eyes. His pupils are moved slightly lower, giving him the appearance of looking downwards. |
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Season 23 (1991-1993) |
A new Elmo puppet is built, with matted fur to match the look of the original. The head is rounder and slightly taller so that the eyes aren't so close to the nose. |
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Season 25 (1993-1996) |
Elmo's fur is an even brighter shade of red. It has also been made thinner and the amount of it on his body has been reduced significantly. |
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Season 28 (1996-1997) |
Elmo's head is redone, making his head more oval-shaped. His nose has also been made a warmer shade of orange. |
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Season 29 (1997-1998) |
Elmo is given a complete makeover as he is noticeably bigger than before, and has a more considerable amount of fur, bearing a resemblance to the 1986 puppet. His head is remodeled to be more circular. |
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Season 30 (1998-2007) |
Elmo's fur appears neater than the previous puppet, and is now shorter. His pupils are placed higher up, and his nose is shorter. In this puppet's later years, when it became a double for the 2003 puppet, the fur on Elmo's face appears to be trimmed. |
 |
Season 30 (1998-2002) |
This variant of Elmo was used in tandem with the previous puppet for a few years. In comparison to the main Elmo puppet of the time, he has a more pronounced nose, a wider mouth, a more round head, and his fur appears scruffier, mostly on his upper lip. |
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Season 34 (2003-2007) |
Elmo has a bigger physique, and thicker fur which is groomed on his head, giving him a neater appearance. His fur also seems to be a darker shade of red. Around this time, the fur on Elmo's upper lip begins to form an arch-like shape in the center, as opposed to being completely straight. |
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Season 39 (2008-2012) |
Elmo's head is narrower and his nose is a bit wider. He retains his thick fur, albeit with less on the sides of his face. |
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Season 44 (2012-2015) |
Elmo has noticeably more fur than most other versions, with a wider head and smaller proportions. By season 45, his fur gets matted down. |
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Season 47 (2016-present) |
Elmo's fur is brighter shade of red, and has a slightly longer nose. His eye focus is improved, positioning his pupils inwards. Around this time, Elmo started to have more fur on his upper lip. |
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Season 50 (2019-present) | This version of Elmo is being used concurrently with the previous puppet, primarily for green-screen sequences. Here, Elmo's fur is thicker and a paler shade of red, and his nose is rounder. The top half of Elmo's head is larger and juts out more, making it look disproportionate. |
| Planning | ||
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Design sketch (1979) |
The first sketches of Elmo by Caroly Wilcox (cited in Imagination Illustrated as 1979), show that Elmo was originally intended to have a wider head. |