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Elmo Goes to Italy! Muppets of Sesame Street Join NBCUniversal’s Coverage of Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games

Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Friends to Travel to Milan as Sesame Street Creates Digital Content Leading up to and During Winter Olympic Games

Elmo Olympics

October 28, 2025

NBCUniversal is once again teaming up with Sesame Street to bring Elmo and his friends to Italy as part of its comprehensive coverage of the Winter Olympic Games Milan Cortina 2026.

Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, and more will be featured in activations across Sesame Street’s social media platforms leading into and during the Games. Following their arrival in Italy, NBCU will incorporate the Sesame Street team into its comprehensive social and broadcast coverage surrounding the Games. Elmo and friends first joined NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage in Paris in 2024 and were featured in bespoke illustrations detailing their hot air balloon journey to Paris. They also made appearances on TODAY, Access Hollywood, NBC Nightly News for Kids, NBC Sports’ daytime Olympics coverage, met with Team USA athletes, and extensively shared their Paris experience via Sesame Street and NBC Olympics social accounts.

“Sesame Street has long been a source of joy and learning for families across the country. Bringing Elmo, Cookie Monster, and their friends to the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina after the success in Paris adds a playful and heartwarming touch to our Olympic storytelling. Their universal charm fits perfectly with the global spirit of the Olympics. And Cookie Monster — we’ve got a fresh batch of biscotti waiting for you!”

— Lyndsay Signor, SVP, Sports Marketing, Universal Television Entertainment Group

“Elmo is very excited to come to Milan – that’s in Italy! Elmo can’t wait to cheer on all the athletes at the Olympics. Elmo’s mommy is knitting him a special red, white, and blue hat. Yeah baby!” said Elmo.

Cookie Monster added: “Me been practicing curling with a giant chocolate chippie! Me can’t wait to try all the delicious Italian treats. Cannoli, me got me eye on you!”

Said Grover, “And I, your cute, adorable, and enthusiastic friend Grover am available if Team USA needs any help on the ice. I have been trying to work on my camel spin, but it is difficult to find a camel on Sesame Street. Maybe I can drive the Zamboni!”

“We are excited that Sesame Street will once again be featured as part of NBC Sports’ superb coverage of the Olympics, bringing cultural touchstones together. By providing light-hearted content with athletes and NBC talent, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, and their friends will connect with audiences of all ages, promoting kindness and respect—and providing lots of laughter along the way.”

— Samantha Kennedy, Vice President Marketing and Brand Strategy for Sesame Workshop

With unique and unforgettable backdrops throughout northern Italy, the 2026 Winter Olympics will span from Milan to Cortina with events taking place across multiple venues and regions. This will be the second time the Olympics are held in Cortina (1956 Winter Olympics) and the fourth time overall that Italy has hosted an Olympic Games (1960 Rome Olympics and 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, which is the last time there was a Winter Games in the Central European Time Zone).

In February 2025, NBCU announced that the NBC broadcast network and streaming service Peacock will be the company’s primary platforms for its coverage of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, scheduled for Feb. 6-22, 2026. Click here for more programming information and here for information about the Paralympics, which will take place March 6-15, 2026.

NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2036, which are scheduled for Milan Cortina (2026), Los Angeles (2028), French Alps (2030), Brisbane (2032), Salt Lake City (2034), and the 2036 Summer Games.

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