Whoever the poor soul is that runs the official X account of Sesame Street icon Elmo couldn’t have seen this trauma dump coming.
On Monday, Elmo’s X account posted a rather innocuous and harmless question:
Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?
— Elmo (@elmo) January 29, 2024
“Elmo is just checking in!” the red puppet posted to X. “How is everybody doing?”
To say the post went viral would be an understatement.
As of this writing, the Monday X post already has over 13,000 comments, 48,000 re-posts, 116,000 likes and 178 million views.
And rest assured, the vast majority of the tens of thousands of replies and re-posts all echoed the same sentiment: People are beaten down and tired.
WARNING: Some of the responses to Elmo include language that some readers will find offensive.
Are you doing okay?
“Elmo I’m gonna be real I am at my f***ing limit,” one response said.
That vulgar — but telling — response has garnered over 108,000 re-posts and an almost unfathomable 508,000 likes.
And if you actually sift through all of the responses and re-posts of Elmo’s check-in… they all appear to be at their [expletive]ing “limit.”
Before we start, do you want a cigarette Elmo? https://t.co/rvM5n8YUXC pic.twitter.com/6Eq6eAY9Mc
— Hulen (@mhulenapps) January 29, 2024
“Before we start, do you want a cigarette Elmo?” one X user asked.
Elmo, life is just hard. https://t.co/58EJ9LLr0B pic.twitter.com/88JKKHIPI0
— ✨Lovely✨ (@ItsLovelyLaveau) January 29, 2024
“Elmo, life is just hard,” another user wrote, with a gif of a crying woman.
I guess i…..I’m afraid Elmo https://t.co/zTuT3f0yMZ pic.twitter.com/8fdf4mHO2v
— Choji (@Dan_McKane) January 29, 2024
“I guess i…..I’m afraid Elmo,” another X user posted, this time with a gif showing the solemn protagonist of tragic video game “Red Dead Redemption 2.”
Other X users swiftly pointed out that Elmo’s innocent question had somehow turned into a viral trauma dump.
Elmo seeing all the responses 💀😂 https://t.co/xT1qhXSciL pic.twitter.com/ww8tcMHnht
— ZDragon (@IBZDRAGON) January 29, 2024
Elmo checking in: https://t.co/RGyDWryjt4 pic.twitter.com/8jxxsbIDM9
— Srah (@starsinmargins) January 29, 2024
On Tuesday, the famous red puppet — perhaps cognizant of the hornet’s nest it had just kicked — issued a follow-up message on X.
Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you.❤️ #EmotionalWellBeing pic.twitter.com/jhn2LNKfHf
— Elmo (@elmo) January 30, 2024
“Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you,” the Sesame Street staple said.
Something tells this writer that Elmo — or whoever is actually running that account — was not actually “glad” about asking how people are doing… especially in this environment.
