Elmo is Maja’s current hero.
For some reason one day in one of my ‘just can’t be bothered’, lazy-arse mothering moments (they are infrequent but crippling) I parked her in front of YouTube and sought Sesame Street. I have to confess that since that moment we’ve both been hooked.
The thing is, it’s very hard to disapprove of Elmo, even if he does only come into our lives via the computer screen, that symbol of all that is evil in 21st-century kids’ lives.
He’s so sweet! The way he talks about himself in the third person:
Celebrity guest: Hi, I’m Natalie/Ellen/Usher… Elmo: … And Elmo is Elmo!
He’s so enthusiastic! And always about such wholesome things (jumping in puddles, riding a trike).
And of course, he’s so goddamn cute!
Here are four of our fave Elmo vids.
Ricky Gervais sings Elmo a lullaby (‘Sounds like YOU need a celebri’y lullaby’) …
Elmo’s Got the Moves … short but rockin’:
Elmo encourages us to brush our teeth …
And then there’s this one: which is by no means the product of the Children’s Television Workshop, and maybe I’m a sucker, but it makes me smile, and the Kermit cameos crack me up.
Here are my transcribed lyrics to Elmo’s ‘Brush your Teeth’, since I couldn’t find them anywhere online. Please correct me if you know better! Some of these were really hard to make out. This has replaced the old classic ‘You brush your teeth ch-ch-ch-ch‘ in our house recently…
Brush brushy brush, brushy brush brush
Brush brushy brush, brushy brush brush
Brushy brush them up and down
Brushy brush them round and round
To keep teeth healthy here’s the truth
You gotta brush each and every tooth
The teeth in the back get a lot of wear
So don’t forget to wash back there!
Brush your teeth; keep them looking clean and bright
Brush your teeth; every day and every night
Now your toothpaste may taste good
When you’ve got it in your mouth
But you should never swallow it
You got, got, gotta spit it out
(Go on and spit, we’ll wait for it!)
Brush your teeth; keep them looking clean and bright
Brush your teeth; every day and every night
Now what you feel inside is what you gotta do
Let them get your toothbrush out now just keep brushing
Brush your teeth … looks like you’re almost done
5, 4 … 3, 2, 1 (spit).
Elmo, the community of parents thanks you.
Daisy
The line you had ??? are, I think, “The teeth in the back get a lot of wear/So don’t forget to wash back there.
Oh, you’re so right! Thanks; I’ve updated it!
Thank you for the elmo brushy lyrics! I couldn’t find them anywhere