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?”
Trending:
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.
