Sesame Workshop Launches Elmo’s #ShareTheLaughter Challenge

Sesame Workshop is rolling out Elmo’s #ShareTheLaughter Challenge, a social media campaign inspired by the kindness curriculum of the 47th season of Sesame Street.

The social media campaign is the centerpiece of a yearlong “Spread Kindness, Share the Laughter” initiative. Elmo’s #ShareTheLaughter Challenge encourages viewers to tell their favorite jokes in short videos, post them online and tag friends asking them to do the same. In the kickoff video, comedian Kate McKinnon shared a joke with Elmo and challenged Cookie Monster to make a video of his own.

Other early celebrity participants included singers Josh Groban and Andy Grammer, Today’s Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie, and Property Brothers’ Drew Scott. New videos and posts from the Sesame Street Muppets will continue to roll out with fresh challenges through September 30. Sesame Workshop’s content and distribution partners will also participate in the challenge. Throughout the campaign, Sesame Street’s social media channels will also spotlight vintage laughter-themed sketches and songs, Snapchat will debut an all-new Sesame-themed filter, and laughing “Elmoji” stickers will be available for download for iPhones and Androids.

“Families’ media habits are evolving, and as always, Sesame Workshop wants to meet kids and caregivers wherever they learn and play,” said Scott Chambers, the senior VP and general manager of North America media and licensing at Sesame Workshop. “Sharing jokes and laughter in social videos—with supervision, of course—is a hands-on way for kids and families to engage with our kindness curriculum as they move online.”