Please Don't Tickle Me Elmo
March 30, 2008
Okay, for those of you who haven't visited my photostream on flickr lately, this Elmo shot has just recently hit the "big time". It all started when we (the boy, a coworker and myself) took a walk between the matinée and evening performance. The goal was to head over to Best Buy and browse around, but as luck would have it, for some reason they, and the giant Circuit City were closed that day. Granted it was Easter, but this is NYC. I've never heard of such a thing. So rather than wander around BB, we headed over to Bryant Park. And to think, we would have missed this.
Out of the subway pops these two, Elmo and Bugs as we all fondly know them. But this wasn't your average Elmo and Bugs. Noooo sir. This is "Dumpster" or "Crackhead" Elmo and Bugs. At first we genuinely just thought they were legit. Then we started to really take it in.
First thing I noticed that was off, Bugs Bunny had a limp. A severe one. Not one of those "oh he just stubbed his toe, he'll be fine in a second limp" but one of those "that might be permanent" kind of limps. I know people in the character biz. This surely would not fly. But I let it go, maybe he fell up the stairs in the subway?
Then we realized it was Elmo and Bugs. Last I knew, these two don't roll with the same crowd, ya dig?
Then we saw the Christmas stockings.
And so on and so on.
I thought it was just about the funniest thing I'd ever seen in the city and it was a one time deal, only to be looked back upon over a cup o' joe and laughing at the memory.
But no, not Elmo. We all know how stubborn he can be after all.
Almost one week later (this past Saturday) my co-worker and I decided to take another walk and along the way we joked about how we might see Elmo again, yada yada yada. Low and behold, my friend grabs my arm and swings me around. There he is, Elmo, jivin' with some dude on the corner.
The big news? Inquiring minds want to know more about this Elmo and the Gothamist used my photos for a short article. I am flattered and thrilled to share it with the internets. Go check it out!
