Those combative ladies on The View have another bee floating around in their Marge Simpson size bonnets. This story, however, caused perhaps the most egregious and heated debate/clusterf#*$ of noise in the show's history. Cookie Monster has been in "cookie rehab" of sorts for about three years now. The View ladies finally caught wind of it and went off on a three minute tear about it using voices that are normally reserved for members of WTO protests or people who are on fire.
How bad did it get? Elisabeth Hasselbeck was the "good cop."
It was the first time I actually felt a twinge of fear that someone would jump up on that tastefully decorated oak table and rip out the other person's throat since Rosie O'Donnell's stint. That technically isn't fair because it's not the same. The actual fear I had was that Rosie would jump on the table, rip out the other person's throat and eat the gooey red entrails.
The View girls are, of course, completely mistaken about Cookie Monster's direction on the show on both sides of the aisle. Mental_Floss Magazine, of which I am a semi-regular contributor, recently published an article addressing several Sesame Street rumors such as the origin of the term "Muppet," the addition of an HIV-positive character, and the claim that Bert and Ernie are gay. (SPOILER: They're not. They are just very good friends who hold hands and like to hug a lot longer than most guys do.)
Cookie Monster, according to the mag, has not gone "cold turkey" when it comes to cookies. He just considers it a "sometimes food" and announced his position in 2005 with Hoots the Owl. Apparently, the heat he took from the announcement reached such a fever pitch last month that he clarified his statements for Today Show host Matt Lauer.
Hey Peabody Award people! I hope you're watching this groundbreaking, hard-hitting journalism. I haven't seen anything this enterprising from a morning news show since The Early Show's gritty exposes on "sweaters that double as towels."
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
The Prisoner -- An early look
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-11-2009 @ 12:57PM
jean frank said...
When I think of my family members who have been soldiers/are serving (as well as friends), I know in the depths of that type of situation, our biggest concern is why Cookie Monster eats so many cookies----or not! I remember when Sesame Street came out, never once did I think that crazy Cookie Monster needs to eat veggies or whether Bert & Ernie were gay, nor whether Big Bird was truly nuts bc he saw an imaginery friend. It was for the kids who wish they could eat cookies all the time, have a roommate that was always there for you even if you didn't like pigeons, or enjoy a friend who was the best pal ever. I hope all those who have lost their jobs, homes...get on this bandwagon too. And keep themselves up at night over cookies.
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8-11-2009 @ 12:59PM
const said...
How bad did it get? Elisabeth Hasselbeck was the "good cop."
Is that suggesting whoopi and joy are good cops? That's insane.
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8-11-2009 @ 2:27PM
evie said...
huh? Did she have a baby on, like, Saturday? This couldn't have been a live show.
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8-11-2009 @ 3:12PM
am_hollitz said...
I don't know why Elizabeth is being labeled as the good cop here; she could barely get a word in. Actually, it pretty much looked like Whoopi made a big deal of this all on her own.
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8-11-2009 @ 7:43PM
RobynM said...
I'm with Whoopi on this one. It's a parent's job to parent, and even on educational TV, not everyone has to be a good example all the time.
Oddly enough, my family and I were discussing the whole Cookie Monster "cookies as a 'sometimes food'" thing the other night, along with the fact that the Sesame Street Old School DVDs have a parental warning on them. (Intro before episode 1 says "these early episodes are for grown-ups and may not suit the needs of today's pre-school child".)
I know times have changed since I was a kid, but I don't think they've changed -that- much.
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8-11-2009 @ 10:22PM
MissV said...
I think everyone is missing the point.
I was watching Sesame Street 30 years ago. Cookie was always my favorite, and the reason we thought he was hilarious was that the furry sucker NEVER ATE A SINGLE COOKIE. The puppeteer made him shovel the cookies and then wipe them out of his mouth. I used to laugh myself silly at the poor guy.
By trying to create a world where no one can possibly be offended or impressed upon, we are creating children who will never be inspired, and will be afraid of thinking outside the box.
I, for one, would prefer a free exchange of ideas to a banal, homogenized, colorless version of something that once was creative, inclusive and beautiful.
And another thing, if a parent disagreed with a children’s show when I was a kid, they would simply change the channel. In today’s world, they lobby to change the show. I didn’t like people telling me what to think as a kid, and I certainly don’t think we should cater to alarmists.
If you don’t want your child to overeat, teach them how to have a healthy relationship with food (i.e. it is fuel, not love) and they will work it out. Leave poor Cookie alone. Let kids have a childhood that isn’t scrutinized and analyzed.
Trust me – kids are smarter than you think. No one my age ever gorged on cookies as a kid like Cookie Monster. That happened later, in college.
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8-12-2009 @ 6:28AM
Alicia R. said...
I agree with the other posters... PARENT your child. Sheesh! I understand that we have an obesity epidemic (rolls eyes) here in the States, so instead of complaining about Cookie Monster, get off your butt and get your kids outside to play! Why is that so difficult?
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8-12-2009 @ 2:55PM
Owloo said...
I am with Whoopi on this one
give Cookie Monster the cookie jars Nom Nom Nom
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