The biggest event in 2024 television is happening right now, at least for toddlers, and no, it has nothing to do with Bluey. As YouTube continues to pull more and more children away from traditional television programming, longtime kids TV staple Sesame Street is playing nice and collaborating with one of the biggest stars on the Google-owned platform. YouTuber Ms. Rachel recently posted a playdate video with Elmo, and the internet reactions liken it to when Robert De Niro and Al Pacino did Heat.
As a parent and uncle to lots of young boys and girls, I've seen the stranglehold Ms. Rachel has on toddlers. I'm not alone, apparently, as many parents on the internet went bananas when they saw Elmo post that a playdate video with the two of them together was on the way:
🚨NEW BESTIES ALERT! 🚨 Elmo and Ms. Rachel had the best playdate ever! Ms. Rachel even brought Elmo his own headband! ❤️🥹🫶 pic.twitter.com/2hS8hwDwy2August 14, 2024
I'm sure whoever runs Elmo's account was sweating when they saw him go viral again after last time when he asked people how they were feeling, but fortunately, there's no controversy this time, and no Larry David around to throttle him.
Parents are pumped to hear about this collab happening, to the point @CinematicReel's response suggests it might even have more hype than the recently announced Heat 2:
As a parent of a one year old, this collab is Pacino/De Niro Heat & Avengers Assemble LEVELS HUGE.
She may be relatively unknown to an older generation raised on children's shows we don't talk about anymore, but Ms. Rachel is an icon among younger children and their parents. Her YouTube uploads rake in anywhere from tens to hundreds of millions of views, emphasizing much of the same learning promoted on shows like Sesame Street. For that reason, parents are just as big of fans as @JBontkeABC15 showed with his response:
Haven’t been this excited about a duo since Linkin Park did that collision course with Jay-Z.
I don't know if we're seeing the next great pairing in children's show history, but I'm absolutely down for Elmo rocking the patented pink headband. Let's take a moment to acknowledge that because Elmo is 100% the more recognizable face to the mainstream, but as @FloraAcetyra noted, he's rocking Ms. Rachel's signature look:
That's so sweet! Elmo is loving his new headband! Can't wait for the next playdate!
It's shocking, but Gen Alpha is a different beast for networks that are quickly losing their audience to YouTube and increased tablet usage. A year after Adult Swim took up even more of Cartoon Network's daily timeslot, Warner Bros. Discovery has officially shut down its website. It feels like children's television is undergoing a major transformation, and Sesame Street and others need to adjust. I liked what @iya64831116 had to say about it, because I totally agree:
Keeping the opps close I like that Elmo.
I'll let the reader decide whether Elmo appearing on a Ms. Rachel video is a gesture of goodwill or Sesame Street sizing up the competition. What I will say is that as a parent, I would much sooner trust my kid to find Ms. Rachel on the YouTube Kids app than I would for her to find Elmo with her Max subscription. One errant click on there, and she could be scarred for life, but to be fair, YouTube has plenty of questionable videos.
For anyone who has made it this far and still has never seen a Ms. Rachel video but is curious, you're in luck! The hour-long video is right below and will give anyone unfamiliar a crash course on what to know about one of the most popular children's hosts on YouTube:
From my experience and the parents I've talked to, Ms. Rachel falls in the same category as putting on a movie for your kids and ending up loving it. She's pleasant, doesn't screech or scream, and now collaborates on videos with Elmo! What's not to love, especially when it may provide an hour of peace for parents when they need it the most?
Check out Ms. Rachel on YouTube and of course watch Sesame Street on PBS Kids and either check your local listings for airdates or use their app. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to enjoy this video while drinking a juice and then catch a nap for nostalgia's sake.
