Amen. Before Elmo's World, the only Sesame Street characters who repeated words that often were the Yip Yip Martians (and they didn't get a guaranteed fifteen-minute spot). Running a gag like the "topic song" into the ground might amuse kids, but it also teaches them that talking/singing that way is cute and funny. Sesame Workshop has painted itself into a corner: if they keep using the topic song, kids will get the wrong idea. And if they remove it, the same kids will complain about Elmo not doing their favorite part of the clip... *shrug*