6. Elmo - Sesame Street
If you go back and watch old episodes of Sesame Street, you have to really pay attention if you want to see Elmo, the annoyingly optimistic red monster the show is famous for now. He was sort of just this extra red puppet that was lying around the set, and while he was frequently used in the background of scenes, no one could really figure out what type of personality the little guy should have. In fact, he didn't even have a name until 1985 -- before that, he was simply credited as Baby Monster. But when puppeteer Kevin Clash joined the cast in the mid-80s, he created the Elmo character as we know it now, the one that we find alternately endearing and mildly annoying. Now, of course, you'd be hard pressed to find a preschooler who doesn't know Elmo. He's appeared as a guest star on pretty much every talk show on the planet, and the merchandising, oh God, the merchandising. That guy would have his face plastered on anything that would hold still long enough. The Tickle Me Elmo doll was the must-have Christmas present of the late 90s, forcing parents everywhere to engage in a Hunger Games like battle to bring one home for their precious little snowflakes. Not too shabby for a puppet who doesn't even know how to use pronouns.