--- title: "Elmer's Excellent Memory Trick" description: "Elmer the elephant fibs about remembering a circus act because he wants to impress Stella, the new upside-down acrobat. When his forgetfulness causes practice disasters, Elmer admits the truth, and Stella shares her own memory tricks with colorful reminder strings. Together they create a hilarious new routine that celebrates their differences and turns mistakes into the best part of the show." tags: ["Funny Stories", "friendship", "kindergarteners", "early-readers", "funny", "talking-animals", "read-aloud", "rainy-day", "uncertainty", "excitement", "Elmer", "Elephant", "FriendshipGoals", "ChildrenStory", "BedtimeStory"] language: en source: "Stories for Kids" url: https://www.stories4kids.net/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-excellent-memory-trick/ --- # Elmer's Excellent Memory Trick _A Tale of True Friendship_ Elmer the elephant fibs about remembering a circus act because he wants to impress Stella, the new upside-down acrobat. When his forgetfulness causes practice disasters, Elmer admits the truth, and Stella shares her own memory tricks with colorful reminder strings. Together they create a hilarious new routine that celebrates their differences and turns mistakes into the best part of the show. Category: Funny Stories Topics: Funny Stories, Friendship, Kindergarteners, Early Readers, Funny, Talking Animals, Read Aloud, Rainy Day, Uncertainty, Excitement, Elmer, Elephant, Friendship Goals, Children Story, Bedtime Story ## Story Elmer the elephant woke up with a banana peel stuck to his ear. How did that get there? He had no idea. He peeled it off and tossed it toward the trash can. It landed on his head instead. "Oops," Elmer said. He got dressed for circus practice. Red vest with gold buttons. Check. Enormous purple shoes. Check. His special juggling balls. Where were those? Elmer looked under his blanket. He found a sock. He looked in his toy box. He found a trumpet, three rubber ducks, and someone else's lunch. No juggling balls. "Elmer!" called Rico the ringmaster from outside the tent. "Come meet our new performer!" Elmer walked outside. His juggling balls rolled past his feet. They had been in his shoes the whole time. A girl stood in the practice ring. But she was not really standing. She was balancing on her hands. Her feet pointed straight up at the clouds. "This is Stella," Rico said. "She does everything upside-down." "Hello!" Stella called. Her braids hung down like curtains. "Nice to meet you, Elmer!" Elmer waved his trunk. "Why are you upside-down?" "Why are you right-side-up?" Stella asked. Elmer thought about that. He could not think of a good answer. ![Elmer's Excellent Memory Trick - Stella balancing upside-down while Elmer watches with confusion](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-excellent-memory-trick-1.jpg) *Stella balancing upside-down while Elmer watches with confusion.* Rico clapped his hands. "You two will perform together in tonight's show! The Great Balloon Bounce!" "The what now?" Elmer blinked. "You know," Rico said. "The act where you balance on the big ball while Stella jumps through hoops and I toss water balloons!" Elmer had no memory of this act. None. Zero. Not even a tiny bit. But Stella looked so happy. Her smile was upside-down but still very big. Elmer did not want her to think he was ridiculous. "Oh, right! That act!" Elmer said. His voice came out squeaky. "I remember now!" Rico grinned. "Perfect! Practice starts in ten minutes." He walked away whistling. Stella flipped right-side-up, then immediately back upside-down. "This is going to be so fun! I cannot wait to work with you!" Elmer's stomach did a flip. He had just told a fib. A big one. He did not remember the act at all. Ten minutes later, Elmer stood in the practice ring. A huge red ball sat in the middle. It was taller than Elmer. It was rounder than the moon. It was very, very bouncy. Stella walked over on her hands. "Ready?" "Absolutely!" Elmer said. Too loud. Way too loud. "Great! So you roll onto the ball first. Then you balance while I climb up. When you nod three times, I jump through the hoop. When I whistle, you roll backward. Easy!" Nothing about that sounded easy. Elmer walked toward the ball. He tried to roll onto it. The ball rolled away. He tried again. The ball rolled the other direction. He tried a third time. The ball bonked into the tent pole and bounced back, hitting Elmer right in the trunk. BOING! "Ow," Elmer said. ![Elmer's Excellent Memory Trick - Elmer getting bonked on the trunk by the bouncing ball](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-excellent-memory-trick-2.jpg) *Elmer getting bonked on the trunk by the bouncing ball.* Stella flipped right-side-up. "Are you okay?" "I am fine." Elmer rubbed his trunk. "I just need to practice more." "Want me to show you?" Stella offered. "No, no! I can do it!" Elmer did not want to admit he had fibbed. He rolled onto the ball. This time he made it! The ball wobbled. Elmer wobbled. Everything wobbled. Stella climbed up and balanced on her hands on Elmer's back. "Okay, nod three times!" Elmer started to nod. The ball rolled left. Elmer tilted right. Stella tilted backward. "Whoa!" they all said together. Wait, that was only two of them. Elmer forgot how many times he was supposed to nod. Was it three? Or five? Or ten? He kept nodding. Up and down, up and down, like a bobblehead toy. "You can stop nodding now!" Stella called. But Elmer could not remember why he was nodding. Or when to stop. His head just kept going. Stella tried to jump. The ball rolled. Elmer tipped. Stella flew through the air in the wrong direction entirely. SPLAT! She landed in the costume trunk. The ball rolled away with Elmer still on it. It bounced off one tent pole. Then another. Then it hit the snack table and sent popcorn flying everywhere like snow. CRASH! BANG! POP-POP-POP! Elmer tumbled off and landed in a pile of juggling pins. ![Elmer's Excellent Memory Trick - Stella stuck in the costume trunk with clothes on her head](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-excellent-memory-trick-3.jpg) *Stella stuck in the costume trunk with clothes on her head.* Rico ran over. "What happened?" Stella climbed out of the trunk. She had a feather boa around her neck and a tiny hat on her foot. "I am not sure. Elmer kept nodding forever." Elmer's ears drooped. His trunk dragged on the ground. He felt awful. Worse than awful. Like a balloon with all the air let out. "I forgot," he said quietly. "Forgot what?" Rico asked. "Everything. The whole routine. I never remembered it in the first place." Elmer looked at his big feet. "I forget things all the time. I should have told you, Stella. But I wanted you to think I was good at performing. You are so amazing. You can walk on your hands and flip and do everything upside-down. I just mess everything up." Stella pulled the feather boa off. She walked over to Elmer. Not on her hands this time. On her feet. "I mess things up too," she said. "You do?" Elmer looked up. "All the time! Last week I forgot where I put my shoes. I wore my brother's boots to the show. They were five sizes too big. I tripped and knocked over the whole lion-taming act." "Really?" Elmer's ears lifted just a little bit. "Really. And yesterday I forgot to tie my costume on properly. Right in the middle of my act, my cape fell off and covered the trumpet player's head. He could not see anything. He played all the wrong notes." Elmer giggled. Just a tiny giggle. "That sounds pretty silly." "It was ridiculous!" Stella grinned. "But that is why I use these." She held up her hands. Colorful strings were tied around each finger. "Each string reminds me of something. Red means practice. Blue means showtime. Yellow means drink water. Green means eat lunch. Purple means make someone smile." "That is brilliant!" Elmer said. ![Elmer's Excellent Memory Trick - Stella showing Elmer the colorful reminder strings on her fingers](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-excellent-memory-trick-4.jpg) *Stella showing Elmer the colorful reminder strings on her fingers.* "Being forgetful does not make you bad at performing," Stella said. "It just means we need to help each other. You can remind me about some things. I can remind you about other things. Want to try again? Together this time?" Elmer felt the heavy feeling in his chest float away like a balloon. "Yes! But the show is tonight. We only have four hours." "Then we better get started!" Stella hopped back onto her hands. "And this time, tell me when you forget something. No more fibs. Friends help friends remember." Friends. The word made Elmer's heart feel warm. They tried the routine again. Elmer rolled onto the ball. Stella climbed up. Elmer started to nod. But after two nods, he stopped. "Stella? How many times do I nod?" "Three times!" she called. Elmer nodded one more time. Three total. Perfect! Stella jumped through the hoop. She landed on the ball beside Elmer. "Yes!" they both cheered. The ball rolled away with them still on it. They crashed into the popcorn again. But this time they were laughing. They practiced the ending next. Stella was supposed to whistle. Then Elmer would roll backward. But when Stella whistled, Elmer could not remember which way was backward. "Um, Stella? Which way is backward?" "Behind you!" she called. Elmer rolled forward instead. Right toward the water balloon bucket. "The other way!" Stella yelled. Too late. SPLASH! They rolled straight into the bucket. Water balloons exploded everywhere. Elmer got soaked. Stella got soaked. Even Rico got soaked, and he was standing all the way across the ring. ![Elmer's Excellent Memory Trick - Elmer and Stella crashing into water balloons and getting drenched](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-excellent-memory-trick-5.jpg) *Elmer and Stella crashing into water balloons and getting drenched.* Rico wiped water from his face. Then he started laughing. "You know what? That was hilarious. What if we make the crash part of the act?" "Really?" Elmer shook water from his ears. "Really! The audience loves funny endings. They will laugh so hard!" Stella's eyes got big and sparkly. "We could add even more silly stuff! What if Elmer spins in circles before the crash?" "And what if I forget to stop spinning?" Elmer added. "That would look ridiculous!" "Perfect!" Rico clapped. "Practice the new version. I will get more water balloons. A lot more." They practiced over and over. Roll, balance, nod three times, jump, whistle, spin, crash, splash! Roll, balance, nod three times, jump, whistle, spin, crash, splash! Each time, Elmer asked questions. Stella answered. They helped each other remember. By the time the sun started setting, they had it perfect. Well, perfectly silly. The circus tent filled with people. Music played. Lights sparkled like stars. Elmer peeked through the curtain at the enormous crowd. His stomach did six backflips. "I am worried," he whispered to Stella. "What if I forget in front of everyone?" Stella smiled. "Then I will help you remember. That is what friends do." There was that word again. Friends. It made Elmer feel brave. Rico's voice boomed through the tent. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Please welcome Stella the Upside-Down Wonder and Elmer the Unforgettable Elephant!" Elmer walked into the bright ring. His heart thumped. His trunk tingled. But Stella cartwheeled beside him, and that made everything better. The crowd clapped and whistled and stomped their feet. Elmer rolled onto the big red ball. It wobbled, but he stayed on. Stella climbed up and balanced on her hands on his back. The audience gasped. Elmer nodded. Once. Twice. He could not remember if it was three or four. Then he saw Stella holding up three fingers with her foot. Three! Right! He nodded the third time. Stella jumped through the hoop. She landed back on the ball with Elmer. The crowd cheered! Now came the finale. Stella whistled. Elmer started to roll. But which way was backward again? Then he felt Stella tap his left side with her foot. Left meant backward! He remembered now! Elmer spun in circles. Round and round and round. Faster and faster. The tent became a blur. The audience became a blur. Everything became a wonderful, dizzy, silly blur. He rolled straight toward the water balloon bucket. SPLASH! SPLAT! SPLISH! Balloons exploded everywhere. Water flew in every direction. Elmer and Stella tumbled off the ball and landed in a soaking, laughing heap. The crowd went wild. They clapped so hard it sounded like thunder. They laughed so loud it sounded like music. ![Elmer's Excellent Memory Trick - Elmer and Stella taking a bow while dripping with water](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/elmer-s-excellent-memory-trick-6.jpg) *Elmer and Stella taking a bow while dripping with water.* Elmer and Stella stood up, dripping wet, and bowed. The audience kept clapping. After the show, Rico brought them towels and apple slices. "That was the best show we have had in years!" Rico said. "You two are wonderful together." "But we are so different," Elmer said. "She does everything upside-down. I forget everything right-side-up." "That is exactly why you are wonderful," Rico said. "Stella helps you remember. You help her laugh. Different is good." Stella wrung water from her braids. "Want to make up a new act tomorrow? Maybe with trampolines?" "Yes!" Elmer said. Then he paused. "Wait, what time tomorrow?" Stella giggled. She pulled a sparkly red string from her pocket and tied it gently around Elmer's trunk. "There. Now you will remember." Elmer looked at the string. He looked at his new friend. He might forget lots of things. But he would never, ever forget this. How Stella helped him. How they helped each other. How being different made them better together. And how having a friend made everything, even forgetting, feel okay.