Good old Elmo, from 'Sesame Street', reopens the debate on mental health with five words: “How is everyone?”

Mental health is an issue that is at the center of social debate, especially after the pandemic. One in four people will suffer from a mental illness in 2024, and 800,000 people will commit suicide in 2023, according to the Spanish Mint Health Confederationl. But it is not just the data that helps raise awareness among mortals. Elmo, the most famous red puppet Sesame Street, He has done it too. Good old Elmo, who accumulates more than 524,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), This week he has become an improvised friend in which thousands of Internet users have poured out their frustrations, problems and existential crises. AND one question was enough: “Elmo is over here! How is everyone?”, he sent in a message on said social network. To the surprise of many, people began to express their negative feelings and emotions.

“My wife left me. My daughters don't respect me. My job is a joke… Any more questions, Elmo?” one user vented. “The world is burning around us,” wrote another. Some painted their situations even worse: “Every morning all I want is to go back to sleep. On Mondays I can't wait for Friday to arrive. And so, every day and every week of my life.” Another stated: “Elmo, I'm going to be real, I'm at my fucking limit,” whose response has generated more than half a million comments. I like. Even actress Rachel Zegler (West Side Story, Shazam) confessed that he was “resisting the temptation to tell Elmo that I'm a little sad.” More than 16,000 users of the social network have shown their melancholy by answering the Tweet from Elmo, which has racked up 194 million impressions since posting it on Monday, January 29. Within a few hours of the flood of responses, X's official account Sesame Street shared a post tracking to redirect users to mental health resources.

The number of responses, mostly negative, has been seen as a worrying situation by many. As one user wanted to highlight: “Even Sesame Street had to tweet mental health resources. God help us”. Even the president of the United States, Joe Biden, has wanted to demonstrate his concern with a message on the social network: “I know how difficult it is some days to sweep away the clouds and get to sunnier days. Our friend Elmo is right: we have to be there for each other, offer our help to others in need and, above all, ask for help when we need it. Even if it is difficult, you are never alone.” After two days of receiving messages, Elmo spoke again: “Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will ask again soon, friends! Elmo loves you. #EmotionalWellbeing”.

Other members of the gang Sesame Street They have echoed the barrage of responses and have intervened in the matter, also offering their ears to whoever needs to be heard. Cookie Monster, the Caponata Hen and Mr. Snuffy wanted to publicly thank Elmo for being a good friend. “I'm here to talk whenever you want. I will also provide you with cookies,” the blue puppet responded to Elmo. “I love being a Snuffleupagus because I have huge ears made to listen to you share your feelings,” the huge animal answered. Although not everyone was so kind, although due to the character's demands: “I'm not very good at listening to others share their big feelings, but my worm Slimey is. “You should talk to him if you ever need to chat,” stated in his account of X Oscar the Grouch.

With the hashtag #EmotionalWellbeing, Elmo has started a campaign of comfort and positivity and has gotten all his friends to join together to raise awareness about the importance of having good mental health. It is not the first time that the characters of Sesame Street They come together to raise awareness among children about some issue that affects society. In 2021, President Biden asked Gallina Caponata, one of the main protagonists of the program, to encourage children and young people to get vaccinated against covid-19. “I was vaccinated today. My wings hurt. But I will give my body a boost of additional protection that will keep me and others safe,” the animal stated that year on his social networks.