They're Multiplying!

Last night, as expected, I rubbed elbows with Pimp Hat Elmo on my way through Times Square. Try not to hate too much.

But I had only walked two blocks when I was confronted with...ANOTHER Dingy Elmo. This one had no pimp hat and his nose looked a little worse for the wear, but there was no denying which red-haired muppet he was attempting to impersonate.

My first reaction was one of disbelief. But that quickly changed to one of hope. If there's enough room for two Elmo impostors within a two-block radius, then surely the economy can't be doing that bad! Hell, maybe fake muppeteering is a booming industry. Maybe it can be penned into Obama's economy plan.

Although, upon closer inspection of the situation, I have to admit that Pimp Hat Elmo looked a little distraught. His Pimp Hat was askew and he was speaking mournfully to the hot dog vendor when I walked past (no, he did not sound Elmo-like in the least). And Dingy Elmo 2.0 not only had a scuffed up nose, but was missing a purse...

Maybe there was an Elmo-on-Elmo scuffle and I missed it! Or...maybe they're doing an all-Elmo version of Fight Club. We are in the theater district after all and, if the sea of children I had to wade through after a Dora the Explorer show let out at Radio City yesterday is any indication, I feel like that show might do well. Subversive yet accessible, exploring the age-old philosophical quandary, maybe there is an angry Elmo inside us all.