KIPS BAY — "Sesame Street" stars Elmo and Cookie Monster — live and in the fur — drew happy smiles from children Tuesday during a special Valentine's Day visit to the pediatric unit of NYU Medical Center’s Tisch Hospital.
A handful of young patients burst into big grins as the TV icons lumbered into a playroom in the ninth-floor pediatric acute care unit. The lovable pair are in town for a "Sesame Street Live" run at Madison Square Garden, but took time out of their busy rehearsal schedule to share a few hugs and high-fives with children, some of whom as young as 3.
"Can I tickle you?" 6-year-old Christian politely asked Cookie Monster after playing on a bongo drum with Elmo. Cookie Monster nodded vigorously, and the two traded tickles before coming together in a big hug, Christian’s head barely visible amid a thicket of blue fur.
Three-year-old Kailey didn’t say much as she went back and forth between Elmo and Cookie Monster, her face stretched into a big, toothy smile.
Jonathan, a 6-year-old in Batman pajamas, stayed seated throughout the visit but couldn’t suppress a smile as Elmo placed a plastic frying pan upside down on the young boy’s head.
The visit from Elmo and Cookie Monster, coordinated with the nonprofit Garden of Dreams Foundation, is one of many special guest appearances at Tisch Hospital Pediatrics throughout the year, said Ingrid Olsen-Gallagher, a child-life specialist.
Beloved childhood characters like the "Sesame Street" pair stop by from time to time, Olsen-Gallagher said, as do sports stars, musicians and magicians.
"It changes the whole feeling of the day, really," she explained. "It helps to make it a little bit easier while they’re here."
Pauline Blues, of Jersey City, said her 5-year-old son, Liam, was thrilled by a visit the other day from a musician who knew all the songs from his favorite Nickelodeon show, "Go, Diego, Go."
Blues was grateful the hospital provided special events to perk up the kids.
Her son, who suffers from a form of lymphoma, has been at Tisch off and on since December, and his hospital visits are far from over, Blues noted.
"This has become our home away from home, unfortunately," she said as Liam played on his Nintendo DS. "They do amazing things for the kids."
