They tried to, Joey Mazzarino even tried writing more for him so he could shine a little brighter . . . the problem was he wasn't as relatable as a character for the little kids watching like Elmo is: Telly's too much of a Woody Allen/George Costanza/Jon Lovitz-esque kind of character, all of whom, of course, kids aren't familiar with, so they can't appreciate the parallel there.