Despite the recent allegations levied against former Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash, the beloved Sesame Street character joined the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning, exactly as planned. Elmo sang along with the rest of the Sesame Street cast on "What I Am," a song which includes such lyrics as, "I'm gonna keep my head up high / keep on reaching high / Never gonna quit / Just keep getting stronger / Nothing's gonna bring us down." It's safe to assume the song was pre-recorded and Clash was nowhere near the float, but still—a tad awkward. Here's video:
Naturally, Twitter was there to help the world process it all:
I love the #Macy's parade. I can't wait to see Keep-1,000-Feet-Away-From-A-School Elmo.
— Jeff Houck (@JeffHouck) November 22, 2012
Cool! Elmo in the Macy's parade! Can't wait for the Sandusky balloon!
— Brian Donnell (@donnellfamily) November 22, 2012
If you noticed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, Elmo had to keep a distance of 50 feet from any child.
— Chris Garguilo (@CSGRealty) November 22, 2012
This year, the Elmo balloon will be held down by two greedy kids. #parade
— Josh Hurley (@Joshuwhaaat) November 22, 2012
Roughly 15% of all US web traffic during the Macy's parade will be used to share tacky jokes regarding the Elmo balloon.
— Andy Ihnatko (@Ihnatko) November 22, 2012
Asked about Elmo's appearance yesterday, a Macy's spokesman told us, "Sesame Street has been a cherished part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for almost 40 years and will continue to be part of the Parade for years to come. Current events have no bearing on Sesame's participation in the Parade and we are confident their world-renowned, family-friendly entertainment and educational programming will continue to bring kids and families joy for decades to come."
We'll update this post later with a lot more photos from the parade, so if you missed it, check back once the tryptophan kicks in. And here are photos of the balloon inflation last night.
