The show's 40th anniversary, on 1 October 2012, saw the introduction of new character Elmo: a resident of the street, who appeared in a tree house setting as the new host of the show. New characters included a female friend of Elmo's, played by Julia Stinshoff, and Susi Schraube, an inventive girl appearing in a series of stop-motion segments. Established characters such as Rumpel and Samson were retired (although Samson made special appearances on the show in 2013 and 2014), while Pferd, Wolle, and Finchen remain part of the cast. Established characters such as Cookie Monster and Grover made guest appearances. Super Grover 2.0 was also added to the show beginning in 2013.