Elmo’s adopting a puppy on Sesame Street and your heart probably can’t handle the cuteness

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN

Elmo’s latest companion is going to find her fur-ever home on Sesame Street.

Sesame Workshop on Tuesday announced a new resident: Tango, Elmo’s adopted puppy.

Tango will be introduced officially in “Furry Friends Forever: Elmo Gets a Puppy,” a 30-minute special debuting August 5 on HBO Max. (HBO Max and CNN share parent company WarnerMedia.)

In development for two years, according to a Sesame Workshop press release, Tango “will show preschoolers how to meet a new animal, gently play with and brush a pet, teach new tricks, give baths, and, most especially, show love and affection for their furry friends.”

Tango’s debut could be seen as timely, as many families invited new pets into the fold during the pandemic — a trend that seems to be going strong, according to PetPoint, which gathers data from more than 1,100 animal organizations in the U.S.

In May 2021, more than 32,000 dogs were adopted, which was a 16.7% increase from the previous year, PetPoint found. The number of dogs surrendered to animal welfare organizations, however, is also up, with 15,420 so-called owner surrenders in May 2021 — an increase of 23.9% from May 2020.

The plans are for Tango, meanwhile, to stick around.

Sesame Workshop said the pup will be “a mainstay in future Sesame Street content,” allowing “for consistent modeling of safe behavior and age-appropriate help with a pet,” a release said.

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