Elmo's humble beginnings...
one of the clips on here is of particular interest from a SS historical perspective.
long before Elmo "took over" the program (though to be honest, as monopolizing as the Elmo World segments are, I tried watching a few out of morbid curiosity and find that they employ some excellent techniques for learning, problem solving, etc....along with some of the hyperactive, cutesy crap that we can all still do with out, of course) Elmo originally started as an anonymous anything-monster muppet in the late 70s/early 80s, before Kevin Clash gave him his identity. This clip, "Lost Me cookie at the disco", from circa 1979, is purportedly the first ever appearance of the elmo muppet:
http://www.youtube.com/w/Me-Lost-Me...me-Street)?v=5kTX3jaqH5M&search=Sesame Street
he doesn't look all that different from the current elmo, except his nose is a bit longer, and of course someone else is muppetering him in this clip (Brian Muehl, perhaps?)....Cookie monster even talks to him for a bit, asking for his lost cookie of course, and the muted elmo just looks on silently. who knew then what that muppet would eventually become, but you can kind of tell its appeal even in this dated skit. he's the only bright red muppet in a sea of dark blues and sea greens...he really stands out, and the camera almost seems to follow him at times. maybe his future 'stardom' was inevitable...kind of like the bright red sports car gets all the attention from beach side cops.
so anyway, that's just a few thoughts i figured i'd share....the youtube site is great....here's hoping lots more classic SS clips get on here....maybe some street segments from SS's first season, or oddities like the whimsy sing-a-long "We're all monsters".