Sesame Street's popular character Elmo is one of the rare red muppets on the show. Elmo was not in the original cast when the series premiered. He gained incredible popularity as a later created muppet and became the main character of the series.
Of course, since Elmo is a muppet, he doesn't age and has been appearing as a kid for decades. So how old is Elmo? When is Elmo's birthday? What are the different sources and Elmo's opinion on these issues? The answer is short and simple, but how about going on a detailed journey about Elmo's age?
Elmo was designed in 1979. "Caroly Wilcox", who designed it, used the name "Short Red" for Elmo in his original notes. It's hard to say that Elmo is at such a young age as a design.
Elmo's first episodic appearance on Sesame Street took place in season 11, 1980. Our information so far does not create any doubt. But when it comes to how old Elmo is, there are 2 different opinions in the sources here.
The National Museum of American History states that Elmo was 3 years old. As can be seen in the image below...
Wiki sites state that Elmo is three and a half years old. Honestly, I know like this as well, but "The National Museum of American History" is an important source.
That's why I searched Sesame Street's opinion on the matter in order to definitively say how old Elmo was. As you can see in the image below, Elmo is definitely 3 1/2 years old until Sesame Street changes own mind. And Elmo's birthday is February 3rd.
Wait, I'm not done yet. Does Elmo reflect the characteristics of a three-and-a-half-year-old? During my meetings with child development experts, I learned about the developmental characteristics of children aged 3 - 4 years. Let's start!..
1. Children at this age begin to count. ✓ (Elmo loves to count, especially in Elmo's World segments.)
2. Children at this age begin to ask questions and wonder about everything. ✓ (Yes, this feature definitely exists in Elmo.)
3. Games are symbolic in children in this period. ✓ (In Elmo's Travel Songs and Games video, Elmo and Abby play many symbolic games together.)
4. Children in this period move away from egocentrism. × (Unfortunately, Elmo shows he's still egocentric with his third-person speech.)
Generally speaking, Elmo reflects the characteristics of his age. Thus, we answered the question of how old is Elmo and investigated the reality of this.