Today in “We’re not crying, you’re crying” news: Here is a picture of Elmo from Sesame Street, gazing lovingly at a sweater worn by late and beloved children’s entertainer/educator Fred Rogers, in a manner that suggests that the little felt goofball has finally learned the true nature and finality of death.
This bleak, emotionally devastating look at the grim joke of life was brought to you, of course, by the letters T, W, I, T, T, E, and R, as Sesame Street’s social media team attended the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum today, including the museum’s long-running tribute to the city’s favorite, softest-spoken son. In the accompanying tweet, Elmo notes that Mr. Rogers was one of his favorite people—which, same—although it’s worth noting that the pair never met on-screen; the one time Rogers appeared on Sesame Street (back in 1981), he hung out with Big Bird instead. (In fact, we’d go so far as to question whether Rogers would have been a big fan of Elmo’s often-commercializing effect on the long-running series, although we’re sure he would have phrased any critiques in the kindest way possible.)
Unfortunately, the split of social media duties apparently precluded Mr. Bird from stopping by to take a minute with his old friend’s iconic sweater and comfy sneakers; he ended up paying homage to a rather different Pittsburgh luminary this week, instead: