I went to Sesame Place yesterday and I only have one question for you:
Are you prepared for Elmo's return?
Usually I have a headache by the time I leave a theme park. The crowds, the noise and the rowdy people usually push me over the edge, but yesterday was a totally different experience. I actually had fun at Sesame Place and that caught me off guard. Let me say that it has nothing, if anything at all, to do with their customer service or company vision. They have one thing going for them and His name is Elmo.
The park's base is 1-5 year olds. Elmo is their God. You put the two together and you basically get the same thing that would happen if Jesus showed up at the Vatican: Complete peace. Anybody with kids can testify to the power of Elmo when it comes to getting kids to stay still at home. Turn on Sesame Street and fast forward to the last 20 minutes when Elmo's World comes on and your kid becomes this docile creature staring at the screen. If you're a new parent then Elmo's World is when you get to take a shower, eat in peace, read a book, weep silently to yourself...whatever.
Now imagine taking your kid to a place where the streets are paved with Elmo's likeness. He's on every wall, every ride, every cup, sign, street lamp and bench in that place. It was the first time ever that my kid just...existed. No whining, no tantrum, no reluctance to do what I say. I didn't have to raise my voice the whole day. We sat in the Temple of Elmo to watch a faux taping of Elmo's World and my daughter acted like the kind of kid that makes you want to run out and have more kids. And the craziest part is that every kid was like that. Usually a room full of toddlers is like a tank full of beta fish. This was more like a commune minus the purple punch.
They could've passed a collection plate at the end of the Elmo's World show and I would've been okay with it. Since they didn't, I went ahead and bought $30 worth of stuff from the gift shop. They can just add it to the building fund.
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