What is the name of Elmo's pet goldfish?

Elmo’s pet goldfish is named Dorothy. She is best known from the Sesame Street segment Elmo’s World, where Elmo often talks to her, imagines what she may be thinking, and includes her in playful explorations of everyday topics.

Dorothy is unusual because she does not speak. Her silence gives young viewers room to respond to Elmo’s questions and imagine Dorothy’s reactions for themselves. The character therefore supports the segment’s interactive, child-centered design rather than functioning like a conventional talking character.

Elmo’s World premiered on November 16, 1998, as a fifteen-minute closing segment of Sesame Street. It was designed around Elmo’s perspective as a curious three-year-old and helped the show appeal especially to younger preschool viewers.

Dorothy is sometimes confused with other Sesame Street animal characters or with Elmo’s later association with Tango, a puppy introduced in Elmo & Tango’s Mysterious Mysteries. Tango is Elmo’s dog, but Dorothy remains his famous pet goldfish. Production used multiple goldfish over time, and surviving fish were given new homes.