Elmo: pre Kevin Clash

[Daffyfan4ever]

I don't recall ever seeing the third one, but another sketch had the early Elmo with the same three monsters from "We are all monsters" doing a skit about Near and Far (which was on youtube for a while, but has since been removed). That elmo sounded the same way he did on the "we are all monsters" song.

I thought there was a bit of a difference there. In the "Near, Far" skit, I thought Elmo sounded a bit like Herry, while in "We are all Monsters," it sounded more like a generic Jerry Nelson voice. I wish the "Near, Far" one was still up so I could listen to both and make a better comparison.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

Come to think about it, check this pic of Baby monster with another muppet named Scudge and to some degree it looks a bit like Elmo. What do you think?
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Scudge

I don't know. I think that Baby Monster looks more like Cookie Monster than Elmo, wasn't there a red 'Baby Monster?'

 

[CensoredAlso]

I don't think Richard was getting complaints about his performance, as was mentioned earlier in the thread. There is a quote somewhere where he was supposed to have said, "I'm sick of the calls I"m getting performing this character." I think that means he was sick of getting called to the set just to do the character he didn't like doing.

 

[PiLfan]

I don't know. I think that Baby Monster looks more like Cookie Monster than Elmo, wasn't there a red 'Baby Monster?'

perhaps, but there's narry a pic or clip of the early elmo/baby monster that i'm aware of....we only know of its existence via Spinney, who wrote that he performed the muppet for a couple of years in the early 70s (1971-73 time frame). after 72 or 73, the elmo/baby monster muppet was put in storage until someone dug it out in 1979 to use as a random anything muppet...whether the muppet was referred to as "elmo" at this point is unclear. it may not have been given that name until it started getting used more often, circa 1984 with Richard Hunt, and then of course Clash took over a year later and the rest is history.

the purple baby monster in the photo was of the original muppet to bear that name...it had a horn, one tooth, and no nose...the only thing it had in resemblance to elmo was that it was small. the purple monster was on sesame street for only the first season, with others like Scudge and fred the dragon who were more famous for having appeared on the ed sullivan show in 67/68. by 1970 the show had moved on to more familiar characters and kid-friendly muppets.

 

[minor muppetz]

perhaps, but there's narry a pic or clip of the early elmo/baby monster that i'm aware of....we only know of its existence via Spinney, who wrote that he performed the muppet for a couple of years in the early 70s (1971-73 time frame). after 72 or 73, the elmo/baby monster muppet was put in storage until someone dug it out in 1979 to use as a random anything muppet...whether the muppet was referred to as "elmo" at this point is unclear. it may not have been given that name until it started getting used more often, circa 1984 with Richard Hunt, and then of course Clash took over a year later and the rest is history.

It is weird that none of us even remember Baby Monster, and if he was in existance then I wonder why he wasn't in The Muppet Movie finale (unless we haven't spotted him). There is a page at Muppet Wiki for an episode that mentions Baby Monster (which comes from text used in a Sesame Street Parents Magazine article, which mentioned upcomming episodes). Kevin Clahs mentioned in his autobiography that Elmo was also called Baby Monster, though the way he writes it it sounds as if the names Baby Monster and Elmo were both being used for the same character at the same time. But Elmo was named in 1981. Just check out the book The Sesame Street Circus of Opposites, from 1981.

 

[LincolnHeights]

It's funny how there's some charachters that we never got to see, simply because we weren't born yet at the time they were on, and they weren't in any of the 67 Noggin episodes. Here are some examples

The original Elmo (Baby Monster) or The monster Family in General that Carroll Spinney mentioned that was on in Seasons 2 and 3.

Poco Loco a Parrot that was on from the early 70's to early 80's

Deena Monster and Pearl, a Female version of Ernie and Bert who were on for one season (1980-1981) although Deena was seen in a still shot, holding up the CTW sign in episode #1563. You can see Deena and Pearl here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVJQCiIaLKs

Proffesor Hastings, who I think was only on during the first Season, was never seen on any of the 67 Unpaved episodes.

 

[minor muppetz]

I've heard that Bruno and Don Music weren't shown in any Sesame Street Unpaved episodes, either.