Studies in the field of human-computer interaction have demonstrated a significant impact of avatars and virtual environments on users' interaction experiences and behaviors. However, most of these studies are focused on the young users. With an aging population and more virtual environments built for the elderly, it is important to investigate the types of avatars elderly users prefer and hence provide them with a richer interaction experience through the use of avatars as virtual representations of themselves. In our exploratory study, 24 seniors aged 55 years and above evaluated 20 custom-created avatars. Results showed that the elderly participants were unable to identify with the avatars. However, the results showed a strong trust towards child avatars and an attraction towards animal and object avatars, which indicates a different form of identification or empathy. The paper concludes with discussion of avatar design for the elderly users.