Elmo

Katy Perry's Sesame Street duet with Elmo is being pulled from its upcoming episode, so Katy and her fiance, Russell Brand, spoke out on Twitter. Even Elmo himself got in on the action this morning on The Today Show. Check it out on PopSugar Rush!

It looks like Will.i.am isn't the only singer sharing the stage with Elmo and friends this Fall. As Sesame Street gears up for its 41st season, the gang will continue its tradition of welcoming a roster of familiar faces, including Jennifer Garner, Amy Poehler, Sherri Shepherd, Julie Bowen, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. Oprah will be lending her voice to a character while Katy Perry joins Usher and Will.i.am in parodying one of her hit songs. Families tuning in to the new season, which begins on September 27th, will notice a focus on science and technology (like the new Cat in the Hat series) with tots exploring the world around them.

Hugh Jackman has lots of love for kids, whether he's having fun after school with his daughter Ava or chilling with Elmo on Sesame Street — check out PopSugar Rush Update now!

Elmo, Dora, Mickey and Pooh – the characters that appear on our boob tubes are often found running around the playground too. Try as we might to shield our innocent children from the images available on cable television, network TV commercials and online media, just take a walk outside and you are sure to be bombarded by characters and logos that look like they jumped right off the screen.

According to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, marketing directly to children has increased from $100 million in 1983 to more than $17 billion today. By the age of six months, a baby can form a mental image of a corporate logo or mascot, making them able to request those brands by the time they can speak. While wooden toys have increased in popularity due to their safer manufacturing processes, they have not outweighed the popularity of character-driven choices that flood the market. Do you try to shield your lil ones from commercial characters and logos?

Even the businesses lining Sesame Street aren't immune from the effects of a sinking economy. To help kids better understand the recession, Sesame Street will air a one hour special next week called Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times. The show stars Al Roker and Deborah Roberts, as well as personal finance and parenting experts to discuss strategies for maintaining children's well-being during hardships. When his mother loses her job, Elmo is forced to work through his family's issues.  Targeting two to eight-year-olds, the show also features real life families and their tips to surviving the obstacles they have overcome.