Sesame Street: Elmo's Playdate is a 2020 television special which was produced as an extension of Sesame Workshop's Caring for Each Other initiative in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[1] The special follows Elmo and other Sesame Street characters having a virtual playdate, along with a few celebrity guests. HBO and WarnerMedia's parent company, AT&T, was the program's sole sponsor,[2] with United Health Care sponsoring the PBS Kids broadcast.[1]
A second special, Elmo's Playdate: Scavenger Hunt, aired on August 6, 2020.[3]
Synopsis
The television special follows Elmo (with the help of his father Louie) as he has a virtual playdate with Big Bird, Grover, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, and some of his other friends over at Sesame Street via video conferencing, together with a few celebrity guests, figuring out new ways to play together considering the limitations of social distancing. The show also highlights the roles of emergency medical technicians, doctors, and other everyday heroes who are helping people throughout the COVID-19 public health crisis.[4]
In the United Kingdom (where Elmo and Cookie Monster appeared as characters in spin-off shows, Sesame Tree and The Furchester Hotel), the special was broadcast on CBeebies on May 8,[7] and repeated on BBC One on May 30 at 1.15pm, marking the first time Sesame Street has been broadcast on the BBC's main domestic television network.[8]
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