"What's in a Name?"

"Why" ELMO'S Junction? Why not "PUCK'S Junction"? Or, "CONNUNCTION Junction"? Or, "DYSFUNCTION Junction"? (Actually, that last one isn't half bad!) Or, even, "PETTICOAT Junction"?

There's a reason for everything.

"Elmo" was a little cartoon character I created way back around 1970. He had a myriad of appearances in various amateur fan and Small Press publications over the years, and progressed from his original conception of a three inch tall "something" in a Mickey Mouse suit, to---something else.

Indeed I originally described him as a "Pillsbury Doe-Boy Gone Rancid". He was a hero in a childrens' story I wrote. He really wasn't supposed to have hung around.

I had created a bunch of other characters for "fanzines" back then: "The Squirrel", "Cardinal Royal", "The Piddle People", etc., but they were all super hero-types. Those were the ones that were SUPPOSED to have been taken seriously (or, at least as serious as anyone can take super heroes). Elmo was a deviation for me.

In truth, he BECAME me.

When I went through a religious stage, Elmo got religion. When I went through my hippie period, Elmo grew long hair and a beard. I even gave HIM a wife when I got married.

Oh, I tried to kill off the character, a couple of times even, or change him around, but the changes never seemed to last long. The only thing that really changed, was myself. When I personally evolved, so did Elmo, until he was not just my parody, but my other persona(or, maybe that's visa versa).

When I was trying to become a professional writer or artist,I sort of thought that if I ever made it, Elmo would be right there along with me. Perhaps even the theme of my "fame" (my own Charlie Brown).

Well...that never happened, but Elmo hung around anyway, eventually becoming my Signature Piece. And since he IS my other self, I figured the least I could do to thank him for sticking with me throughout these many years is to name this page in his honor.

So, THANKS, ELMO, for letting me take out the frustrations of my own life, through "yours".