So many years later, I still vividly remember my disappointment that after all the hype that went into this new character who was being introduced as a special, non-traditional newcomer to the street who would be endearing to little girls watching who don't have too many positive characters to relate to in entertainment, she only appeared in barely three episodes that season. Her debut episode was good - I still never saw her accompany Baby Bear to school, but her glorified cameo later that season was meh.
But, I do remember one of my favorite episodes from Season 38 was when she caused the word "Dog" to escape from a book, because for the first time since Season 32, we had a magazine-format episode, and for the first time since Season 29 - no EW.
I don't mind Abby, really I don't - she's adorable, and Leslie does a good job with her . . . but, like Drtooth and Pig's Laundry have pointed out before, always pairing her with Elmo is forced and contrived: clearly, the producers wanted Elmo to help bolster her star power for little girl viewers since previous female Muppets failed to reach that level, but it also meant shoving Zoe out of the way, who had much more genuine chemistry and a more developed connection with Elmo, which made them a better pair.