Everything we know about Louie, Elmo's multitalented, goateed dad

When Elmo's father, Louie, stopped by Studio 1A with his son to talk about the reaction to Elmo's tweet that has been going viral this week, many viewers were surprised. Though they may be extremely familiar with the beloved 3.5-year-old Elmo, they didn't realize that he has a father who lives on Sesame Street, too.

Louie first stepped into the spotlight in the "Sesame Beginnings" special in 2006, wearing a retro bowling shirt and a cool 'stache while he plays some tunes for a crawling Baby Elmo. He ends up playing swing music and physically swinging Elmo at the same time. You can hear that his accent is somehow both vaguely Southern and jazz musician.

Later in that same special, Louie bounces Elmo on his knees to the tune of a hip-hop-inspired song while he sings, "A bump bump, baby, bump."

Louie eventually hosts a playdate with Baby Big Bird, Baby Cookie Monster and Baby Prairie Dawn. (Notably, Louie is the only adult male present. The other babies have female caretakers with them.) Jumping into action, Louie organizes the kids into a "baby band" with singing, clapping and drumming.

The 'stache is back in "Elmo's Potty Time," another 2006 video in which Elmo (spoiler alert!) learns to use the potty. Over a bluesy backbeat, Louie sings, "So here is your new potty. When you have to pee or poo, it's where you sit to do whatcha gotta 'doo-doo.'"

It was a very busy year for Louie, who also appeared in a direct-to-video Sesame Workshop special for military families in 2006 called "Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments." Looking stylish in a track suit and his now-trademark facial hair (a goatee without a mustache), Louie pulls Elmo away from playing with his friends to remind him that he's about to leave for his military deployment.

"Daddy's got to go away for lots and lots of days," says Elmo sadly.

"Daddy's got to go do grown-up work," Louie explains. "I need to go help some people. It's a very important job, and it's just something i have to do."

He gives Elmo a sweet hug, saying, "It won't be the same without you, partner."

Elmo's mother, Mae, pops into frame to hand her husband his trumpet to bring with him, and the family of three vows to look at the moon every night and think of each other.

Louie later appears in a 2010 special called "When Families Grieve." As Elmo and Louie pack up for a picnic in the park, Elmo dons the special baseball cap that his Uncle Jack (Louie's brother) gave to him.

"Elmo can't wait to see Uncle Jack and show it to him today!" Elmo says.

A bit flustered, Louie says, "He won't be there. Do you remember how we talked about your Uncle Jack? He ... uh ... he died." Through many different conversations, Louie and Mae help Elmo understand that Uncle Jack isn't coming back.

Louie finally made it to "Sesame Street" itself in 2017, and whether he's reminding Elmo that there's no playing ball inside, jamming on the sax with his neighbors in their "big pretend band" or praising Elmo's engineering skills, he plays an integral role in helping Elmo (and his fans) learn and grow.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com