"Emmo"

Ella has a new obsession. Elmo. She loves him, she talks about him constantly, she has one Elmo video that captures her attention and renders her slack-jawed for its duration and we actually need to start hiding it. If there is an Elmo to be spotted (and most everywhere there seems to be), we hear, "EMMO! EMMO!" I like Elmo... I have no problem with Ella liking him. And I wonder -- what is it about him that kids love so much? It's almost like loving Elmo is one of Piaget's developmental stages now. It's a requirement needed to fulfill toddlerhood. So we have reached this new milestone and are waiting to find out what the next one may be.