Sesame Street star Elmo may not have been expecting quite such a response when he playfully addressed his Twitter-turned-X followers this week.
Taking to social media on January 29, the lovable red character had an ever-so-innocent question for his half-a-million followers.
"Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?" the caption read, as Elmo encouraged his followers to share how they feel. However, he may have underestimated the grim state of the world and people's general feelings of discontent around this time of year.
Elmo seemed to temporarily become an agony aunt as followers loaded their problems onto the puppet, and it certainly made for some interesting responses. While some were made as a joke, others really did include a hint of existential dread.
"Every morning, I cannot wait to go back to sleep. Every Monday, I cannot wait for Friday to come. Every single day and every single week for life," wrote one.
Another added: "we started this year. STTED IT. by trauma dumping so hard on elmo the official sesame street account had to tweet out mental health resources. god help us."
Another said: "Elmo I’m suffering from existential dread over here."
Others just said they wanted to spare poor Elmo any more dread, adding: "I’m not gonna do this to you Elmo. I’m gonna hold it in and let you keep your peace."
Even celebrities like Chance the Rapper got involved and shared their thoughts.
Elmo social media team reading all the responses to this tweet 💀
— Brzy (@BrzySells) January 30, 2024
It's been a tough time since we left the street and entered the workforce, Elmo
— VR On The Web (@VROnTheWeb) January 29, 2024
Im pretty sure this is one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse
— Taylor Day (@TABYTCHI) January 30, 2024
Although Elmo didn't publicly respond to any messages, he did make some nods to mental health in later posts, suggesting the Sesame Street team were trying to show support for their followers.
He reshared a message created by his co-star Big Bird, who also shared his thoughts on social media. In the post, Big Bird said he relied on friends like Elmo to help him feel better.
He wrote: "@Elmo and so many other friends checked in on me. Thank you to all that checked in to #HelpBigBird. Today and everyday, let’s #HelpEachOther!" I’m big again! What an adventure the last 7 days have been. I learned so much by seeing the world from a different perspective.
"Everybody on @SesameStreet is here to help, that is what friends are for! #HelpBigBird," he said.
In another post, Elmo urged people to check on their friends and be kind. He continued: "Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you. #EmotionalWellBeing."
Elmo's tweet continued to gain traction until it even caught the eye of a certain world leader.
Joe Biden replied on social media: "I know how hard it is some days to sweep the clouds away and get to sunnier days."Our friend Elmo is right: We have to be there for each other, offer our help to a neighbor in need, and above all else, ask for help when we need it. Even though it's hard, you're never alone.
