If you’ve spent any time with a kid under the age of four, you’ve probably noticed how much they love Elmo. Big Bird and the Count are great for a laugh or a song sometimes, but nothing gets a toddler going like that red furry friend from Sesame Street. And experts explain there are scientific reasons little ones can’t get enough of Elmo.
It turns out the magic of that monster has a lot to do with the color of his fur. Elmo is red and that’s the very first color your baby can see, usually around a week after birth. So it makes sense that babies and toddlers are drawn to his fuzzy red form.
Elmo also displays personality traits that our kids are rewarded for at home, so they relate to him more than say, Oscar the Grouch, explains child and family therapist Shanna Donhauser. “Elmo is typically bright in personality, and always kind,” she notes. “Children are usually drawn to these characters because they reflect the positive feelings they know personally and the characteristics (like kindness) they appreciate.”
Plus, Elmo speaks like a little kid and asks questions they might ask, explains Licensed Clinical Social Worker Kaleigh Boysen. And when he speaks directly to them, they feel like their TV friend is actually interacting with them one-on-one, which makes him the coolest monster on Sesame Street.
Source: The Stir
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