GUND Sesame Street Elmo Stuffed Animal, 20 inches

Greatgrandson loves Elmo

I got this doll for my daughter when she around 1 and a half. It became her best friend. She took him everywhere she went to the point he became pretty dirty and matted after a while.She's 3 now and my ex ended up throwing him away about 2 weeks ago. My daughter told me that elmo went back to elmo's world. It completely broke my heart. So, I told her that I called elmo and he said he was coming back from elmo's world and that he'd be at my house the next time she comes over. I ordered the doll and now I'm waiting for him to get here. I can't wait to see her light up.

I was looking for a first Elmo for my Elmo loving 2 year old. I was really worried about getting an Elmo that didn't look like him, but he is perfect! He's shaggy and cute and just the right size. Dont worry about him being too hard because he's not, he's soft and cuddly just some weights in his seat to keep him sitting up, barely noticable. He's the perfect size for my 2 year old to carry around and he looks as though he will last a long time. Most important he looks just like the real Elmo! Highly recommended!Update: I wanted to update this review since my daughter just got her Gund Elmo stuffed toy for Christmas. This was her favourite present, she barely paid any attention to any thing else and carried it with her everywhere. So, not only did I love it, it is officially toddler approved. She was watching Elmo and kept looking at the doll and looking up at the T.V! I also think she loved the softness as she kept rubbing his fur on her cheek. LOVE THIS ELMO!Update: 8 Months later:This Elmo is officially a keeper. My daughter carry's him everywhere and has since she got him. Usually she goes through phases and favourites only last a few months at most, I expected the same with this Elmo, but he is still her favourite, she even sleeps with him. Only issue we had with him as regards to the quality of the product is, during her teething period she liked to chew and bite things, unfortunately Elmo became a victim, she chewed the top "lip" and the black fabric that covers the inside of his mouth tore, exposing the white plastic (not cardboard as stated in another review) it is basically irrepearable, although I will ask my mother in law who has sewn many a ripped toy. Everything else is in good condition, he has even taken a few "baths" by putting him in a pillow case then on a delicate cycle in the washing machine, this worked well and he came out looking and smelling brand new and nothing broke or ripped. My daughter is pretty rough on him so aside from his mouth, he has lasted well till this point. We often set him next to the tv while Elmo is on and he really is a great replica. Again his size is perfect for a toddler or young child, she carrys him easily but he is big enough to look realistic. Anyone looking for a good quality, realistic, soft, first Elmo, this is the one. We are considering buying a new one now my Daughter has stopped teething, and sneaking the old one out to replace him since he has the tear in his mouth, but not sure as he is the original fav, just doesn't seem right! Only real thing I could say that would make him just totally perfect would be that, I noticed the real Elmo is very shaggy, this one is shaggy but not like the real one, he would really be perfect if they could make his fur shaggier and evidently make the fabric in his mouth tougher. Oh and btw, he is super cute!

So let me preface this by saying I did a ton of research on Elmo plushes before settling on this one, the 20" Gund with soft eyes. I didn't particularly want soft eyes because of the propensity for staining, but what I really wanted was the quality and LOOK of the fur that looks like the actual puppet. Elmo's fur looks kind of thread like compared to normal stuffed animal fur, which was hard to determine online in stuffed animals. I was afraid the 20" Elmo online from other brands wouldn't have that nice fur that the 13" Gund Elmo does, so I took a chance with this.He arrived promptly and on time in a bag inside an Amazon box. His stuffing is pretty full including his eyes making them stiff and almost a little hard, but he's still a little floppy from his arms and legs. His cardboard or thin plastic mouth, whatever is under the fabric, is pretty stiff meaning the front of his face isn't very soft, but his fur! OMG his fur! It's exactly as I'd hoped and looks like the 13" model stock photos despite being the 20" model. It's really silky and sort of shiny actually. The proper official sesame Street Gund tags were in place letting me know this is a genuine article. Feels very high quality for the price of about $23.His size is accurate. To give you an idea, I placed a Hershey's kiss on him. I bought this for a 27 month old and think it's the perfect size, what a normal size stuffed animal is. I'm glad I didn't get the smaller 13" because it's just too small to really be a huggable buddy for a toddler. I also bought the playskool jumbo plush cookie monster to go with this Elmo as a Christmas gift because Gund only makes the smaller cookie monster. I hope cookie is as awesome as this Elmo!Update on review and added photos after receiving Playskool jumbo cookie monster:So this Gund Is far superior in quality to the playskool jumbo cookie monster, but I love that their sizes compliment one another. Still glad I went with the Gund Elmo, just a little sad that Gund doesn't make Cookie monster in the sane size. I will save the review on Cookie for that particular item, but Do like how both have that similar thread quality like fur like the real puppets. They complement each other well, but it's clear Gund is definitely superior in softness, quality and workmanship.