Elmo Finally Gets His COVID Vaccine in Sesame Street PSA

After years of waiting, Elmo has finally gotten his COVID-19 vaccine, Sesame Street revealed in a PSA released on Tuesday.

The PSA is intended to encourage parents to get their children vaccinated, just like Elmo. According to the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational group behind Sesame Street, Elmo is three-and-a-half years old, meaning he recently became eligible for the vaccine, which was just approved for children aged five and under.

"There was a little pinch, but it was OK," Elmo assures young viewers.

Elmo's dad, Louie, is also featured in the PSA. "I had a lot of questions about Elmo getting the COVID vaccine," he says. "Was it safe? Was it the right decision? I talked to our pediatrician so I could make the right choice. I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbors, and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love."

Big Bird, who is six-years-old, received his COVID vaccine in December 2021 in his own PSA. At the time, anti-vax conservatives accused Sesame Street of "brain-washing children" and called the video "evil propaganda." Notably, comments on the Elmo PSA are turned off on YouTube, which was not the case for the Big Bird video.

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Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.