Can I admit something? I never liked Elmo. “Sesame Street” isn’t to blame for that. The fault lies with my mummified heart, I guess, along with the toy manufacturer that unleashed Tickle Me Elmo on the public in 1996. If you’re a Millennial or younger, maybe that doll was your best friend. We of the more crotchety generations, however, suffered through the plaything’s shrill, maniacal giggles for a sustained period – months, years maybe. Time itself quivered with the sound, that terrible, haunting chirping, adversely impacting our mental health forever.
So I completely get why Larry David would lay hands on the world’s kindliest Muppet on live TV. I never would, but David has made a career out of reminding the world that propriety is, eh, not really his thing. While his attack may have shocked the “Today” anchors, those of us who can never forget the late 20th century's Toy Troubles understood what he meant when he cried out, “Somebody had to do it!”
