USO Experience for Military Families

091128-F-1342E-049-1- — At Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

Sesame Street Experience for Military Families is a series of shows featuring the Sesame Street Live produced by VEE Corporation and the United Service Organizations (USO) in association with the Talk, Listen, Connect initiative.

The show started in the United States in 2008. Since then it has had performances across the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) as well as bases around the world. The Sesame Street Experience for Military Families is the first-ever traveling USO tour designed specifically for military families, and has become the longest-running tour in USO history.^[1]

Children and parents receive support material (including the DVD) and a stuffed toy^[2] or "swinging Elmo light"^[3] after the production. In some locations, over 1,000 people have attended each show.^[4]

First Phase, July to November 2008[]

Characters: Elmo, Rosita, Grover, Zoe, and Cookie Monster
Songs: "You Make Elmo Proud", where Elmo "praises kids for helping their parents and being strong when one parent is away."
Installations: Continental United States

Second Phase, September to December 2009[]

Installations: United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Alaska, Hawaii

Third Phase, January to February 2010[]

Installations: Japan, South Korea, Guam

Fourth Phase, April to September 2010[]

Installations: Continental United States

Special Installment (featuring Kevin Clash and Carmen Osbahr)[]

Characters: Elmo (Kevin Clash) and Rosita (Carmen Osbahr)
Installation: "USO - Elmo & Rosita Education Tour - Germany 2010" (ten performances)^[5]

Sixth Phase[]

Katie at launch — Biden, Obama, and Sesame Street characters at the launch event.

The tour was launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden in Columbus, Ohio, as the duo wrapped their national Joining Forces tour to support America's military families.

This was initially dubbed the Fifth Phase, but retroactively has been rebranded as the Sixth Phase by the USO FAQ.^[6]

Characters: Elmo, Rosita, Cookie Monster, Grover, Katie, and a Honker
Installations: Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, South Korea, Turkey, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, England, Spain, and Japan
Songs: "The Elmo Slide", "Sesame Street Theme", "Another Sunny Day", "Amigo", "Dancing Shoes", "Things Are Always Changing", "How Do You Say Hello?", "What I Am", and "We're Gonna Be Here for You"