Elmo's Rival Rocco Interrupted His Chicken Shop Date, And Here's How The Internet Reacted

Mychal Thompson
·4-min read

Elmo was stuck between a rock and a chicken place, but don't worry, the internet has his back.

Elmo from Sesame Street swings on a tire with a joyful expression, set against an urban backdrop
PBS / courtesy Everett Collection (photo by Richard Termine)

Everybody's favorite Sesame Street veteran went on a playdate with Amelia Dimoldenberg, and they shared an insightful conversation over vegan chicken nuggets.

Elmo, a red furry puppet with big eyes, is sitting at a table and looking cheerful
Elmo, a red furry puppet with big eyes, is sitting at a table and looking cheerful

DIMZ INC

On Nov. 15, during an episode of Chicken Shop Date, the 3 1/2-year-old monster opened up about the secret to giving a perfect hug: genuine and consensual. He also admitted that while he was born on Feb. 3, he had no idea what an Aquarius was.

Two-part image: A woman saying "I'm an Aquarius" to a red puppet, who responds, "Really? What does that mean?" in a casual indoor setting
DIMZ INC

But the moment everybody's talking about is when Elmo's opp (that means opposition) interrupted his playdate. His archnemesis Rocco suddenly appeared during his playdate, and the "Elmo's Song" singer did his best to keep it all together.

Elmo from Sesame Street sits at a table with a purple cup and curly straw, looking at a gray clay object
DIMZ INC

"Are you kidding?" Elmo asked, looking back at the producers. "Who brought Rocco?"

Elmo sitting at a table with a straw cup, saying, "Are you kidding?" and "Who brought Rocco?"
DIMZ INC

Amelia then asked Elmo to pass a sweet message to Rocco, and Elmo had enough.

A woman holding a heart-shaped note, speaking. Text on image: "Can you pass this love note to Rocco? It says, 'You Rock.'"
DIMZ INC
Elmo, a red furry puppet from Sesame Street, sits at a table looking at a red heart-shaped object
DIMZ INC

Elmo and Rocco's beef goes way back, if you didn't know. During the 30th season of Sesame Street in 1999, we were introduced to Zoe's 4-year-old pet rock.

Two Muppet characters, one red with big eyes and one orange wearing a beaded necklace, hang playfully on a wooden playground structure
©PBS / courtesy Everett Collection (photo by Richard Termine)

Over the years, Rocco's mere presence frustrated Elmo as he inserted himself into most Sesame Street playdates.

PSB / youtu.be

But when resurfaced clips of the decadeslong feud went viral, the rivalry was reignited.

Two-panel meme with puppets. Top: Puppet 1 says Rocco wants the cookie. Bottom: Puppet 2 questions how Rocco, a rock, can eat it since it's not alive
PBS

After the clip went viral, Elmo responded in a tweet on Jan. 5, 2022, writing, "Don't worry everybody! Elmo and Zoe practiced sharing and are still best buds forever! Elmo loves you Zoe! Ha ha ha! Elmo doesn't want to talk about Rocco."

Twitter: @elmo

And just to clarify his position on Rocco, he followed up with another tweet, writing, "Has anybody ever seen a rock eat a cookie? Elmo is just curious," referring to the oatmeal cookie situation that started it all.

Twitter: @elmo

Sharing insight into the Elmo and Rocco feud, a writer for Sesame Street named Jen Capra explained on TikTok that the stone's involvement in the series shows that even "your favorite furry red monster" who is "good and sweet" can express emotions like frustration and anger.

Elmo, a puppet character, sits beside a frog near a well in a garden setting, surrounded by leaves

"He hates that rock," Jen said. "He's just a realist, who's accepted that as a monster that's a rock," she continues in the video. "So it infuriates him that she insists it's personified."

Sesame Workshop / CTW / Courtesy Everett Collection

Knowing the history, Rocco showing up to Amelia and Elmo's playdate is at the top of the wild celebrity interview interactions list. But the best part was everyone's reaction to witnessing the encounter in the middle of the episode:

Chicken Shop Date / Twitter: @MynxRho

Raven Symone / Chicken Shop Date / Twitter: @jirachiichan

Warner Bros. / Twitter: @NEPTUNEz96

Chicken Shop Date / Twitter: @dlambert08

Twitter: @18ViratC

Nickelodeon / Twitter: @realonx1

Twitter: @Nandhashree390

Twitter: @TeejayMcFly

Twitter: @citriajw

Chicken Shop Date /  Twitter: @THEEDeezumaki

Twitter: @AstoneJackson

DIMZ INC / Chicken Shop Date / Twitter: @ChampagneJatii

And there you have it!

Watch the entire Chicken Shop "play" date here:

What's your favorite awkward moment from a celebrity interview? Let me know in the comments.

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