This Elmo Covid Vaccine Commercial Targeting Kids Should Be Stopped Immediately

quote:

---

CNN — Elmo, everyone’s favorite red Muppet, has received the Covid-19 vaccine. In a public service announcement released on Tuesday by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, Elmo’s dad Louie – also a Muppet – shared his questions about the Covid-19 vaccine for children under 5. Elmo is 3 and a half years old.

---

quote:

---

Was it safe? Was it the right decision?’ I talked to our pediatrician so I could make the right choice,” Louie said in the PSA. “I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbors and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love.” Covid-19 vaccines are now available for children under 5, and parents may have some questions, said Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president of US social impact at Sesame Workshop.

---

quote:

---

“We hope that Louie and Elmo will inspire parents and caregivers across the country to speak with their healthcare providers and seek out information to learn about how the COVID-19 vaccines can keep young children and their families healthy,” Betancourt said via email.

---

quote:

---

“I imagine there will be kids and parents who watch this and feel like they too can ask those questions, work through them, and go ahead and get the COVID-19 vaccine if their doctor gives them the okay,” Chaudhary said via email.

Children form powerful bonds with their favorite media characters, so it can be helpful for children to learn by watching a ‘friend’ go through something new and potentially scary, said Dr. Jenny Radesky, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

“It’s natural for getting a vaccine to stress out both children and their parents,” Radesky said via email. “I appreciate it when media creators cleverly place pearls of knowledge into their stories that help families cope.”

---