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I Like Cookie Monster

(2005/2006 era)

Alex is at the age where Sesame Street is a frequent, if not regular, visitor to our TV. It is gratifying to see parts of the children's shows which are aimed not at the children, but at the adults which frequently watch the shows with their children.

(A Biography profile of Sesame Street, filmed during the preparations and shootings for the early 2002 season, claimed that producers were approached by childless adults who claimed that they made Sesame Street a part of their regular TV habits.)

He topped this performance with the (2005/2006) current Letter Of The Day for the letter F, in which he makes like to eat the cookie, then stops, and addresses the adults in the audience: Now. Ordinarilly me would try not to eat this cookie. But let's face facts: me going to eat this cookie. You know it, I know it, everybody know it. But this time me have plan. This is beyond most of the children who would be watching, but they quickly catch on that Cookie Monster has a silly plan to draw a cookie with an F on it (illustration, or grade -- you decide) for the audience's benefit, leaving him free to eat the real thing. What I find is so delightful is that Cookie Monster, who speaks like he has been hit in the head with a brick, shows a great deal of unexpected self-awareness of his own weaknesses and then presents a complicated solution designed to accommodate these weaknesses. A plan which of course fails in the end.

I would be remiss if I failed to add accolades for the 2006 season Cookie World bit, a take-off on the popular Elmo's World bit. Jenn didn't like it, but I found it brilliant.

Clever Things That Cookie Monster Says

Letter F, letter of the day:

Now. Ordinarilly me would try not to eat this cookie. But let's face facts: me going to eat this cookie. You know it, I know it, everybody know it. But this time me have plan. One of the Letter of the Day Gameshow bits:

Tell me how to win cookies, disembodied voice!

History and evolution

Since Sesame Streets major reformat in 2002, Cookie Monster has hosted a regular segment called "Letter of the Day". In each episode he is presented with a cookie, upon which is written the letter of the day, in icing. Despite his best intentions, and various implausible schemes, he always succumbs to temptation.

To counter concerns that the character encourages poor eating habits, there are a number of "Healthy Habits for Life" segments and plotlines in which Cookie Monster encourages viewers to have a balanced diet, even though cookies continue to be Cookie Monster's staple food. An April 7, 2005, Associated Press article noted that Cookie Monster may be eating more healthy cookies, as opposed to chocolate chip. On April 12, 2005, Sesame Street producers announced that Cookie Monster will be eating healthy foods and advocating "cookies are a sometimes food". Shortly afterwards, The Washington Post ran a piece on April 23, 2005 lamenting that political correctness was stripping Cookie Monster of his beloved cookies.

Even with this trend to deemphasize cookies in the character's diet, the idea of Cookie Monster setting a good example for children with respect to their eating habits is not new; it has been used since the 1970s with public service announcements and individual sketches. In fact, Sesame Workshop released a home video in 2000 called Happy Healthy Monsters, which includes such sequences.

During the 80's his younger, female cousin appeared with him in several sketches. She was essentially a smaller version of him, except with lighter fur and a pink bow on her head. She could only say one or two words at a time.