Show No More C L is for tor Cookie bookie Jennifer Frey The Washington Post There is a panic in the land and it started started started start start- ed on Sesame Street The rumors they are rampant Taken together in dark tones and one could fear that the beloved boulevard is rapidly transforming into the Avenue of the Politically Correct Elmo and Zoe are on an exercise rou rou- rou- rou tine Singing vegetables and talking fruit have invaded the neighborhood Miles has hasa a new song It is about broccoli And darkest of all Cookie Monster has been stripped of his piles of quickly and loudly consumed chocolate-chip chocolate cookies From California to Australia from New NewYork NewYork NewYork York to Oregon fears have arisen about the sanctity of Sesame Street the childrens children's children's childrens childrens children's chil chil- drens dren's show that just started its sea sea- son The Los Angeles Times editorialized on the crisis a at the South Australia Sunday Mail declared herself rocked to my foundations by Cookie Monsters Monster's transformation and the Associated Press bemoaned Cookies Cookie's new circumstances in a missive sent across the land The blue even wound up on this weeks week's Hit List in Entertainment Weekly See Cookie continued on page 2 r b D v c Cookie cont cant from front Cookie Monster To Cut Down on Sugary Treats reads the EW item followed by a rant that begins with the word Sellout Rosemarie vice president of education and research for Sesame Workshop sighs when asked about all the fuss We are not putting Cookie on a diet she says with a hint of patient exasperation Were not taking cookies away from Cookie Its It's about teaching moderation We are not about intervention we are about prevention prevention- putting healthy habits in kids' kids daily lives For the season that began April 4 Sesame Street decided to target the rampant problem of childhood obesity So at the top of every show a healthy habit is introduced There are new characters singing eggplants and sweet potatoes talking apples and bananas Elmo and Zoe play playa a healthy food game and learn about the benefits of exercise while jumping rope More than a dozen senators agreed to film healthy habit public service announcements with the Sesame Street Baby Bear tells a story that involves those singing vegetables vegetables vegetables bles in a wizards wizard's garden Grover moonlights as an exercise instructor Miles has a new song Broccoli Is Good sung to the tune of Chuck Berrys Berry's Johnny B. B Goode And Q A d G GIs Is' Is f for i Cookie the Cookie Monster there's theres r rs a a anew new w song ong in town town and its it's called A Cookie Is a Sometime Sometime- Sometime Food The parody this parody this one based on Porgy and A Woman Is a Sometime Thing Thing is is sung by Hoots the Owl and a banana some grapes a pineapple and an apple So Cookie eats his fruit not the singing ones of course enthusiastically But at the end he wants his cookies And gets them Well one i 1 inai nat na reasonable reasonable reasonable rea rea- says Margo Wooten of the Center for Science in inthe inthe inthe the Public Interest You cant can't build a whole diet around cookies Teaching kids about good life habits fits in perfectly with the mission of Sesame Street long considered the hallmark of educational childrens children's programming So lets let's just accept it it and admit it This is good for kids Most parents probably hope deep down that Elmo can get their year 3 olds to eat the peas instead of dropping them under the table Somehow though that doesn't make it easier easier to accept that Cookie Monster is now tossing salads on the Sesame Workshop Web site What's next Doo restricted to organic kibble The clink for Count Toucan Sam and Crunch Kudos to Cookie Monster for trying new things says Ronald McDonald in a statement through his corporate office Ronald understands Cookie Monsters Monster's dilemma He too has undergone such a transformation Yogurt has made its way onto McDonalds McDonald's Happy Meal menu Grilled chicken salads are now available for moms This January Ronald was promoted to Chief Happiness Officer which Officer which translated turns out to be a character who tells schoolchildren that french fry consumption equals a need for exercise Its great to know you can have your cookies and eat fruit too The Ronald said via e Its cool to try different foods and fun to stay active and fit The way I look at it its it's what I eat and what I do and Im I'm lovin it Lets Let's do lunch Then theres there's Chester Cheetah the for who introduced baked lower-fat lower Although it aint easy being cheesy Chester says also via an mail e-mail statement i provided by his company Frito Lay it is easy to balance 1 your diet Keep up the good work Cookie Monster we are ara proud of you you mot For the most part though official reaction from the cartoon community was hard to come by There was no response from the Keebler Elves who were feared to be moping in their tree 4 concerned that the Cookie Monsters Monster's reduction cookie-reduction plan would impact their own financial futures purveyor of Krabby Patties had nothing to say And no word from the Jolly Green Giant who should be gloating given that he has been promoting all that's green and leafy for decades by now Yes of course it is all an overreaction He is a Cookie Monster says He loves his cookies But hes he's always eaten a variety of things He even eats tables and chairs The world is not coming to an end Is it a slippery slope Perhaps But Oscar the Grouch is not going to go on Really They swear |