--- title: "Elmer's Enormous Mix-Up" description: "Forgetful Elmer the elephant tries to organize a pet parade to prove himself beside perfect Sammy Snake. The parade goes wrong, but Elmer's gentle heart helps during a brave rescue." tags: ["Funny Stories", "kindness", "kindergarteners", "early-readers", "funny", "talking-animals", "read-aloud", "rainy-day", "excitement", "relief", "Elmer", "Elephant", "KindnessMatters", "ChildrenStory", "BedtimeStory"] language: en source: "Stories for Kids" url: https://www.stories4kids.net/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-enormous-mix-up/ --- # Elmer's Enormous Mix-Up _Where Kindness Leads the Way_ Forgetful Elmer the elephant tries to organize a pet parade to prove himself beside perfect Sammy Snake. The parade goes wrong, but Elmer's gentle heart helps during a brave rescue. Category: Funny Stories Topics: Funny Stories, Kindness, Kindergarteners, Early Readers, Funny, Talking Animals, Read Aloud, Rainy Day, Excitement, Relief, Elmer, Elephant, Kindness Matters, Children Story, Bedtime Story ## Story Elmer the elephant squinted at his trunk. Six purple strings dangled from it like limp spaghetti. - Now what were these for again? he muttered. Around him, Wiggly's Pet Shop buzzed with its usual topsy-turvy wonderfulness. Rabbits popped out of desk drawers. Fish swam in coffee mugs. A hamster named Herbert sold birdseed from inside the piano. Everything lived somewhere unexpected, which made Elmer feel right at home, since his memory was as mixed up as the shop. Then Elmer spotted something that made his stomach twist like a pretzel. A golden trophy sparkled on the counter. - Employee of the Month: Sammy Snake. ![Elmer's Enormous Mix-Up - Elmer staring longingly at Sammy's golden trophy](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-enormous-mix-up-1.jpg) *Elmer staring longingly at Sammy's golden trophy.* Sammy slithered past, balancing five shopping bags on his smooth scales while answering three customers at once without mixing up a single word. Everyone smiled at him. Everyone wanted to talk to him. Elmer's ears drooped. His chest felt tight and achy. Why could not HE be smooth and perfect like Sammy? - Attention, everyone! called Mr. Wiggly, adjusting his backwards tie. - Tomorrow is the Grand Pet Parade! Whoever organizes it wins the Super-Duper Special Prize! Elmer's ears shot up so fast they went FWAP! THIS was his chance to prove he was every bit as helpful as Sammy! - I will organize it! Elmer trumpeted. Mr. Wiggly beamed. - Splendid! Remember: rabbits march first, then turtles, then puppies. - Rabbits, turtles, puppies! Easy! said Elmer, nodding until his ears flapped like flags in a windstorm. Sammy's tongue flicked thoughtfully. - Want me to write it down? - Nope! Got it! said Elmer quickly, his cheeks growing hot. He did not want Sammy's help. He wanted to do this HIMSELF. But by the time Elmer reached the storage room, the words had scrambled in his brain like eggs in a blender. - Was it puppies first? Or turtles? Or radishes? He grabbed a marker and scribbled on his trunk: - R-T-P. Perfect! Except what did R-T-P mean? - Oh, coconuts, Elmer groaned. ![Elmer's Enormous Mix-Up - Elmer's trunk covered in confusing scribbled letters](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-enormous-mix-up-2.jpg) *Elmer's trunk covered in confusing scribbled letters.* That night, Elmer tossed and turned. Rabbits-Turtles-Puppies. Or was it Turtles-Rabbits-Puppies? His mind spun like a dizzy merry-go-round. The next morning arrived with a CRASH and a BANG and seventeen kinds of chaos. Elmer had put the turtles first. They moved so slowly that the parade line stretched all the way to next Tuesday. The puppies, waiting at the back, got bored and started playing tag with the rabbits. The rabbits squeaked and scattered everywhere, knocking over displays like dominoes. Parakeets fluttered out of the umbrella stand. Mice tumbled out of the teapot. A lizard wearing a tiny top hat ran across the cash register, making it DING-DING-DING like a runaway bell choir. Mr. Wiggly's shop looked like a tornado had sneezed inside a hurricane. - Oh no, oh no, oh NO! Elmer gasped, his heart hammering. Sammy glided smoothly through the pandemonium, fixing everything with his perfect memory. He knew exactly where each animal belonged and which leash matched which collar. - Do not worry! Sammy's got this! people said, patting his head. Elmer watched from behind a toppled tower of dog biscuits. His throat felt thick. His eyes stung. That achy feeling in his chest grew bigger and heavier, like a boulder made of sadness. - I ruined everything, he whispered. - I will never be like Sammy. He turned to leave, his feet heavy as concrete blocks. - Psst! ELMER! A tiny voice squeaked from beneath an overturned basket. ![Elmer's Enormous Mix-Up - Ginger the guinea pig popping out wearing a bottle cap helmet](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-enormous-mix-up-3.jpg) *Ginger the guinea pig popping out wearing a bottle cap helmet.* Ginger the guinea pig popped out, her orange fur sticking up in forty-two different directions. She wore a bottle cap as a helmet. - I heard what you said, Ginger squeaked. - And you are absolutely, completely, one hundred percent WRONG. - How am I wrong? I forget EVERYTHING! Elmer's trunk dragged on the floor like a limp rope. - Do you remember last Tuesday? Elmer blinked. - Um, no? - Exactly! You do not remember it. But I do. You found me tucked inside the piano. Sammy walked right past, too busy memorizing inventory. But YOU heard my tiny squeaks. You gently lifted each piano key until you found me. Then you made me a bandage from a flower petal. Elmer's ears twitched. He had forgotten about that. - And the thunderstorm last week? The baby mice were terrified. Sammy told them storms were safe and went back to organizing receipts. But YOU sat with them through the evening, singing lullabies until they settled down. - But those things do not matter, mumbled Elmer. - I cannot even organize a simple parade. Ginger stepped onto his trunk and looked him straight in the eye. - You remember the IMPORTANT stuff, Elmer. You remember when someone feels worried. You remember to be gentle. Before Elmer could answer, a frightened chirping pierced the air. - HELP! HELP! Everyone looked up. A tiny parakeet named Pippa had flown too high and gotten tangled in the ceiling fan (which was installed on the floor, because everything at Wiggly's was backwards). Sammy stretched his long body, trying to reach. - I cannot reach! he hissed. - Someone taller, quickly! But everyone was too busy guiding scattered animals. Except Elmer. ![Elmer's Enormous Mix-Up - Elmer gently rescuing Pippa from the spinning fan](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-enormous-mix-up-4.jpg) *Elmer gently rescuing Pippa from the spinning fan.* Elmer looked at Pippa's trembling wings. He remembered exactly how worry felt. That achy feeling in his own chest changed into something else. Something warm. He rushed over. Gently, so gently, his trunk reached up and carefully untangled Pippa's delicate feathers from the fan blades. - There you go, sweet Pippa, Elmer whispered, cradling her like she was made of spun sugar. - You are safe now. Let us breathe together, okay? Innnn and ouuuut. Pippa's shaking slowed. Her tiny heartbeat calmed. - Thank you, Elmer, she chirped softly. - You were so gentle. Other animals gathered around, nodding. - Elmer always knows how we feel, squeaked a mouse. - He remembers to be kind, added a rabbit. Sammy slithered closer. His scales did not seem quite as sparkly anymore. His eyes looked soft. - Elmer, Sammy said quietly, - I have been jealous of you. Elmer's trunk nearly tied itself into a pretzel from shock. - YOU? Jealous of ME? But you are PERFECT! - I can remember every fact and number, said Sammy slowly. - But I forget to notice when someone needs help. You never forget that. You always remember to care. And that is way more important than remembering where we keep the hamster wheels. The warm feeling in Elmer's chest grew bigger, like a balloon filling with sunshine. Ginger hopped onto Elmer's head. - Maybe you two could work TOGETHER? - That is BRILLIANT! Elmer trumpeted. - That is PERFECT! Sammy hissed. They got to work immediately. Sammy organized the order: rabbits, then turtles, then puppies. But Elmer noticed things Sammy did not. ![Elmer's Enormous Mix-Up - Elmer carrying tired turtles on his back during parade](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-enormous-mix-up-5.jpg) *Elmer carrying tired turtles on his back during parade.* He saw the turtles were exhausted, so he offered them rides on his back. He noticed the puppies were nervous, so he walked beside them, humming a cheerful tune that made their tails wag. He remembered that rabbits loved crunchy carrots, so he lined the parade path with them to keep everyone hopping happily. The Grand Pet Parade was not perfect. But it was filled with so much joy and laughter that it felt even better than perfect. When it ended, Mr. Wiggly stood before everyone holding two trophies. - This year, there are TWO winners! One trophy for Sammy, for his excellent memory. And one for Elmer, for his excellent heart! Elmer's trophy read: - Most Caring Employee. His eyes filled with happy tears. Not the prickly kind from before. The good kind that felt like bubbles. - You know what? said Sammy, smiling his biggest smile. - I am putting my trophy right next to yours. That way, every time I see it, I will remember what REALLY matters. - And every time I see mine, said Elmer, - I will remember that even when I forget things, I can still remember to be kind. The goldfish blew celebration bubbles. Herbert played a celebration song on the piano. The whole shop erupted in cheers. ![Elmer's Enormous Mix-Up - Elmer and Sammy laughing together surrounded by cheering animals](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-enormous-mix-up-6.jpg) *Elmer and Sammy laughing together surrounded by cheering animals.* - Has anyone seen my lunch? Elmer wondered aloud. - You are sitting on it! everyone shouted together, laughing. Elmer stood up. Sure enough, his peanut butter sandwich was squished flat as a pancake beneath him. - Oops! he giggled. And everyone laughed until their sides hurt, including Elmer, who realized that being forgetful was not so bad when you remembered the things that truly mattered.