| Director: | Matt Vogel |
| Starring: | See cast |
| Theme Music Composer: | J. P. Rende |
| Opentheme: | Elmo's Playdate Theme |
| Endtheme: | "Sing" by Joe Raposo |
| Composer: | J. P. Rende |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Runtime: | 25 minutes |
| Company: | Sesame Workshop |
| Related: | Elmo's Playdate: Scavenger Hunt |
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]
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]
The special was broadcast at 7pm EDT on HBO and PBS Kids and was simulcast on WarnerMedia-owned networks: TBS, TNT, truTV, HBO Latino, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang. It also re-aired on select PBS stations across the United States.
In Canada, the special was simulcast on April 15 at 4pm on Corus Entertainment networks Global, Teletoon, YTV, Cartoon Network, and Treehouse TV.[5] on Singapore, the special was broadcast on Mediacorp's Channel 5 through its children's programming block Okto. It aired on April 19, following the network's telecast of One World: Together at Home.[6]
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]
In Japan, the special was broadcast on NHK Educational TV on May 17.[9]
In Australia, the special was broadcast on ABC Kids on May 30.[10]