Adults are no longer the target audience for these shows.<p>Malcolm Gladwell touched on this in the Tipping Point.<p>Sesame Street pioneered the use of TV to entertain and educate toddlers. But a lot of the original content was beyond the comprehension of younger children.<p>While Elmo is annoying to us, he is perfect at keeping the attention of a young child, and while he has their attention he can teach them things.