Posted on 04/07/2005 8:27:11 PM PDT by Teflonic
NEW YORK - Something must be wrong in the land of Muppets. First PBS announced that "Sesame Street" would kick off its 35th season this week with a multiyear story arc about healthy habits.
No problem there; childhood obesity rates are soaring. Then I learned of changes that turned my "Sesame Street" world upside-down.
My beloved blue, furry monster - who sang "C is for cookie, that's good enough for me" - is now advocating eating healthy. There's even a new song - "A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food," where Cookie Monster learns there are "anytime" foods and "sometimes" foods.
"Sacrilege!" I cried. "That's akin to Oscar the Grouch being nice and clean." (Co-workers gave me strange looks. But I didn't care.)
Being a journalist, I did the only thing I knew how to do. I investigated why "Sesame Street" gave Cookie Monster a health makeover.
The answer would lead me into a world where television producers worked with health experts and politicians, a place where Cookie Monster does care about his health, and by association, the health of children.
The first place I headed was the Internet. On the Sesame Street Web site, little had changed. There was Cookie Monster, in all his blue furriness. He was holding a plate of cookies. He was chomping on a cookie. He still looked the same. But as we all know, looks can be deceiving.
So I searched the site for news on Cookie Monster and up popped a press release about the show's "Healthy Habits for Life" emphasis. Buried near the bottom was a one-sentence mention about Cookie Monster eating fewer cookies.
But what did that mean? Scarfing one plateful instead of two?
I picked up the telephone. "What's going on with
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
Thank God I raised my kids when parents were actually considered intelligent enough to figure out all of this stuff themselves.
I can't believe this---but they still will have condoms at high schools and all the little ones will read "Heather has Two Mommies".
The world has gone friggin' nuts!
Next thing you know, Bert will take up the gay rights cause and Ernie will be his b*tch.
What the HELL, people!?!?
He's a Cookie Monster.
Not a Cookie Elf.
Not a Cookie Fairy.
Not a Cookie Pixie.
Let Cookie Monster be Cookie Monster, I say!
That would not surprise me. I'm sure it has been discussed but PBS can't afford to lose any more viewers. If the liberals win we likely will see gay muppets since they won't worry about having their federal funding pulled for it.
Seedless Grape Monster?
Slim Fast Monster?
Granola Monster?
Asparagus Monster?
Tolerance Monster
I heard Big Bird is downsizing to Medium Bird.
LOL! Good posts, both of you!
I'm surprised he still has "monster" in his name, self-esteem issues, you know.
That your screen name, Bird-man?
Count Calories?
Reminds me of "Snow Caucasian and the Seven Handicapable Little Persons"
Let's come up with our own politically incorrect Sesame Street characters...
Fat Bird
Oscar the B*tchy Malcontent
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