'Being Elmo': Hollywood Comes to Sesame Street

Elmo Gets Familiar with NPH

Elmo tries his furry hand at journalism while hanging out with Neil Patrick Harris in this video. Living out every How I Met Your Mother fan’s dream, he learns NPH’s favorite song, healthy snack, and more. In just under two minutes, they become fast friends. The best part? The interview ends in a dance party giggle-fit of “Tickle Me Elmo” proportions.

Robin Williams’ Magic Stick

It’s 1991 and Robin Williams is wearing an aggressively loud shirt. Armed with only a stick, he’s visiting Sesame Street to teach Elmo about the power of imagination. Does the show get any better? Whether riding a horse, conducting an orchestra, or impersonating an officer, Williams packs in a manic number of characters. Behold: singing, dancing, and a Gene Shalit impression with no words.

Jonah’s Mighty Mustache

Don’t Get Him to the Greek—get him to the barber! With “No Shave November” fast approaching, it’s an especially relevant time to revisit Jonah Hill’s lesson on Sesame Street: the meaning of the world “mustache.” Hill displays impressive mastery of his mustache, but doesn’t seem to have given his neck beard much thought. If seeing Hill’s ridiculous facial hair on his boyish face doesn’t make you laugh, then Elmo’s use of his newfound ‘stache to impersonate his neighbor Gordon will.

Ricky Gervais and His “N”oisy Lullaby

It’s naptime for Elmo—what better time is there to learn the letter ‘N’ with Ricky Gervais? Sesame Street has employed a lot of tactics to teach letters, but Gervais employs the greatest power of all: his celebrity status. Gervais sings Elmo a “celebrity lullaby” and even offers him a “celebrity cup of milk.” Sweet? Terrifying? Wryly British? Watch and decide as Elmo deals with Ricky’s shenanigans.

Elmo Embarrasses Seth Rogen

Someone call Judd Apatow: Seth Rogen is having an embarrassing day, and he can’t seem to shake it. A talking piece of French cheese, stinky foot powder, and a dorky dance all make Rogen’s “Superbad” day worse. Luckily, Elmo is there for moral support by turning the Knocked Up star’s foot powder fiasco into a vocabulary lesson.

An X-Men X-Change

When couple Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts meet up with Elmo to teach him the word “exchange,” X-Man Schreiber feels a little left out. As Watts and Elmo have a blast trading colorful balls and stuffed animals, Schreiber gets thrown to the sidelines. But don’t fret. In the end he gets the greatest trade of all: a Muppet kiss that, frankly, he should be a little more excited about.

DeNiro Tries Out a New Role: Elmo!

When Robert DeNiro and Elmo hang out at Sesame Street like a couple of—dare we say—good fellas, DeNiro recalls some of his most notable characters, including “a New York City taxi driver, an out-of-shape boxer, or a cabbage,” to name a few. With scarily spot on impersonations, watch as DeNiro proves why he’ll always be one of the greatest actors of all time.

Elmo Goes Goo Goo

Everyone loves a good ‘90s throwback jam, and Elmo is no exception. Here, the Goo Goo Dolls help Elmo teach the word “pride” by putting a little spin on their hit single “Slide”: one verse boasts that “Elmo reached the highest shelf and got dressed by himself.” Complete with a montage of bad hair and Elmo’s proudest moments, this video proves that Elmo could join a pop-rock band should he ever choose to flee his life on the Street.

Elmo’s Football Fantasy

Elmo is daydreaming about football when, coincidentally, some of the 2007 New York Jets stroll down Sesame Street. The Jets step up to help Elmo train and Elmo helps them score a win, or at least his pet goldfish Dorothy does. She’s a coach for the NFL (National Fish League) and her recent win against the Dolphins leaves the Jets willing to try her unconventional strategies. If only it were that easy for the Jets to win in real life…

The Princess and the Elephant

The former Queen Amidala stops by Sesame Street to play dress-up with Elmo, and he reveals that he “has a dream to one day get with a real princess.” But he’s out of luck, because Natalie Portman is tired of playing the part of princess. The Oscar winner ends up as an elephant instead. All this culminates in a three-elephant dance party that’s as trippy as Black Swan. In the words of the elephant, “let’s boogie forsooth!”