Elmo gets jabbed in PSA from Sesame Street

By Rosie Barker on Thursday, June 30, 2022

A PSA produced in partnership with the CDC and American Academy of Paediatrics stars Sesame Street’s Elmo and his father Louie, in a bid to encourage vaccinations against Covid-19.

The ad was created to urge parents of children under the age of 5 to get their kids fully vaccinated, but also encourages parents that it’s ok to have questions in regards to vaccinations and to speak to their pediatrician if that is the case.

The spot was released by Sesame Workshop, which is the non-profit educational organisation behind the much-loved show, that is often relied upon to tackle difficult subjects and deliver early life lessons to its audience of young children. The organisation collaborated with the Ad council and Covid Collaborative’s Covid-19 Vaccine Education Initiative to create the PSA.

The spot navigates the alarmingly controversial topic of vaccinations by honing in on the message that it’s ok to be trepidatious as a parent when vaccinating your child, all done in typically adorable Muppet style. It opens with Elmo explaining that his jab wasn’t so bad, and closes with a bid to get its views to visit GetVaccineAnswers.org.

Research from the Ad council shows that 52% of parents in the U.S are undecided as to whether to get their child under the age of 5 vaccinated. Lisa Sherman, president and chief executive officer of the Ad Council, said: “We know there is a tremendous relief that comes with the authorization of these vaccines for kids under 5, but many questions too. It’s important that parents feel informed and confident about what the Covid-19 vaccines mean for their families, and we are proud to work with our partners, medical experts and, of course, Elmo to spread that message.’