Some people do not even know who made Whyville's first Elmo. And perhaps that is the answer to why the first Elmo on Whyville is so rare.

You ask why? Whyville's gifted citizen who made good little Elmo has not logged on in ages. There are only so many Elmos in Whyville, and many of them are being given to people without Why-Passes. I am one of those people without a Why-Pass.

Yes, I know what happens to my face parts when I have had them for 91 days. Everyone knows what happens. Why-Passes prevent our face parts from expiring... while also giving us permission to use the Friend Finder, buy animated face parts, get full-time access to the Face Factory, on-the-grass seating at the Greek Theater, priority access into Whyville, double the size of our address books, and double the parts on our faces!

Having a Why-Pass is wonderful on Whyville. If everyone had a Why-Pass, Elmo wouldn't be as rare. Unfortunately, not everyone has a Why-Pass. Thus, a few Elmos are given away at the Trading Post for a lot of clams or to Grandma's for a wonderful donation to people without a Why-Pass... and a few of those little Elmos inevitably expire.

Perhaps some of those who receive the Elmos have Why-Passes. Or perhaps they buy one after getting Elmo, saving him from expiration, at least as long as they have the Pass. But surely some of those Elmos go away eventually. The supply is dwindling.

People ask, "How can we solve this problem?" That is a big qestion for Whyville.

No one knows exactly how to solve this problem when all of the Elmos are gone. Some of the people say that City Hall will fix it. Others that I have spoken to say, "We can only hope the original designer gets back on to Whyville." Some people think the designer does come to Whyville, but just doesn't make any more.

Which one should we believe? I believe that City Hall may solve this pesky problem, but all of the answers could be possible.

Elmo is like a dinosaur. When dinosaurs first walked the Earth, there were millions of them. After a long, long time, they all perished. Some say all at once. Some say they lost their numbers slowly, then the rest perished.

The same is true with Elmo. One day, a telented person made a picture of Elmo for Whyville's citizens' avatars. Later, they became very popular and there were many out there -- thousands, if not millions. Then the owner didn't make any for a while. So Elmo was losing its numbers.

No doubt, if the problem cannot be solved, Elmo will be extinct! What can we do to prevent this??

Buy a Why-Pass, and become one of the lucky ones with an Elmo.

If you find yourself with an Elmo and you do not have a Why-Pass, my best idea for you is to keep it and wear it up until a few days before it expires. Then sell the Elmo to someone with a Why-Pass.

How can you tell if they have a Why-Pass? My best conclusion is to choose as wisely as you can.

If you are a person with a Why-Pass, and you have an Elmo, consider yourself lucky that you have them both! =)

Editor's Note: All good things must come to an end. Yes, if the original designer of the Elmo does not log in, such is life -- there will be no more of that same Elmo made in Whyville. City Hall, I believe, will not step in to "save" a simple face part. And why should she? There are thousands of creative Whyvillians out there. We have no doubt that many of you can create new and exciting face parts that your fellow citizens will love.

Once upon a time, everyone wore powdered wigs and hoop skirts. Should the President of the United States bring back the design simply because it was popular? Not at all -- the time has passed. And so, the time may soon pass for Elmo as well, and let us choose to make it all for the best, rather than regret what must be.

It's just a face part, after all. :-)