Elmo threatens to crack. Sure, the lovable red doll seems to lead a quaint life in the popular children’s show Sesame Street. There he is content to spend his whole life making friends and learning his ABCs. But his life had a less obvious, dark side: Elmo has been arguing with a rock named Rocco since 1999, and the conflict is the focus of a new viral clip from the show.
Rocco (aka Rocko) is Zoe’s favorite rock. On the show, Rocco is literally just a rock that Zoe carries around with her. It’s not a rock-inspired doll. It’s not a real pet named Rocco. It’s a normal gray rock – basalt, apparently. (I imagine a show producer who happens to pick it up on a walk and then bring it to the set.) The stone first appeared in a 1999 episode titled “Zoe’s Favorite Rock, Rocco,” and Elmo has known no peace since.
On Tuesday, a clip of Elmo calling his friends about her bullshit went viral on Twitter from a 2005 episode titled “Elmo Is Being Treated Unfairly by Rocco”. In it, Elmo asks for an oatmeal and raisin biscuit, which his friends Zoe and Gabi tell him he can’t have because Rocco wants it. (Incidentally, oatmeal raisins are Elmo’s favorite.)
Elmo’s frustration comes to a head and he says: “How ?! How is Rocco going to eat this Zoe biscuit !? Say Elmo! Rocco doesn’t even have a mouth. Rocco is just a stone. Rocco is not alive! ”Kevin Clash, who played and spoke Elmo at the time, delivers the lines with the absolute rage of a child who can see what is clearly in front of him. You can view the scene below.
A quick look at Rocco’s filmography shows how endless Rocco’s reign of terror was. In episode 4126, Zoe throws an entire birthday party for Rocco (and introduces us to the rest of Rocco’s family) and the characters are tasked with finding out what to get for Rocco. In episode 4043, Elmo and Zoe have to go on a full search and rescue mission to find Rocco. In another episode, Rocco accidentally commits almost negligent manslaughter by nearly being eaten by Cookie Monster.
Rocco is a rock and doesn’t deserve anyone’s favorite cookie. Elmo just calls it what it is. And maybe it’s everyone’s collective mood after dealing with a pandemic that has turned almost every part of society upside down, but it seems like now everyone is finally ready to call Zoe and everyone else Sesame Street Characters on their bullshit.
