Sesame Street Lost Episode: Blue Elmo

It was on June 22nd, 2014.

There was a YouTube channel named GameTheory (I think that's what it's called) that had released a video called "Top 10 Educational Games." One of the games was about Sesame Street. I had never watched the show, but I did know a few of their characters: the Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Elmo, Bert, and Ernie. Seeing this video reminded me a couple years later, when I went to a yard sale.

At the sale, an old man had a VHS tape with no cover, but a piece of paper was taped on there: “Sesame Street”. I wanted to show it to my kids because I never got to see it knowing that it'd be a go. Heck, it was a go because this I got a hold of, surprisingly cheap. 67 cents?! I was confused about why it was so cheap. The old man seemed very happy to see that tape over with; I assumed it reminded him of painful memories, after all his kids grew up with that show and that they have now moved away from society and probably elsewhere pursuing their dreams. I put this tape in my bag and carried it home.

When I returned, I put the VHS in the VCR. I called my kids down to have a look at the show. It played its normal theme song. After about five minutes of normal shenanigans, Elmo came out but was the opposite color of red: blue. My kids didn't seem surprised at this at all; I knew this wasn't Cookie Monster either but was something else entirely. Elmo's voice seemed different; a deeper and scarier voice, moved more spastic and crazy and his usual smile was replaced by a poker face, like he was disturbed. He talked very weirdly and on occasions yelled. This was not normal. His manner of speech used no contractions of what was he trying to teach kids.

About ten minutes in, I realized that this "Blue Elmo" was skinny as if he had not eaten for days or was like one of the victims of the Holocaust. He began to become emotional, I didn't really know why. Instead of being happy, he was self-conscious, timid, and kind of depressed. Later on in the video, this new form of Elmo had super powers.

I realized this whole time, it was just Grover!