Dispelling Sesame Street Rumors

[Drtooth]

Inspired by Fozzie Bear's Ernie and Bert thread, I think it's time to get rid of all the OTHER obnoxious Sesame Street rumors that, frankly, are even worse.

To start, the unfortunate "Veggie Monster" rumor, which is quelled on Muppet Wikia

Now, this was a case of the mindless hysteria caused by all the nice loud noise not news about how everyone's got terrible health. I could go onto a nice long conspiracy theory about it... but things all over the place are kinda bad (due in part, as most people seem to forget, how convenient everything is now). While we're still in the era of "you're doing it wrong" when it comes to this sort of thing, Cookie Monster got the worst of it. Even as SW keeps dispelling the rumors and working on damage control, people STILL think of Cookie as the Veggie Monster... especially when we ALL know Cookie is a compulsive eater, and a monster. Possibly the ONLY monster in the entire history of the Muppet Monsters who never actually ate anything that was alive... though he was close with Guy in the "What rhymes with Buy and is delicious sketch."



Secondly, Where the heck is this Oscar in a recycle bin jazz from? I've heard him mentioning recycling YEARS and years ago this sketch in particular. Sure, there was a series of Canadian PSA's, but even last year's appearance on Bonny Hunt he sang the "I Love Trash" theme that made him famous.

Here's how I see it. Recycling is usually washed out, crisp and clean. There's NO yuck factor. Oscar would sooner live in an expensive condo than live in a squeaky clean box of clean bottles and cans and ties up newspaper.

I fear this is another one of those "OOh here come the P.C. thugs trying to make us not toss things out the window" rhetoric which is big on partisan, low on point.

 

[RedPiggy]

Now, this was a case of the mindless hysteria caused by all the nice loud noise not news about how everyone's got terrible health.

And the amusing thing is, the Noisemakers are usually the first to decry any attempt for the government to dictate anything they do. "I can drive without seatbelts! I can eat pizza with lard dripped on it! I can cheat on my taxes!" The Personal Responsibility People always seem to find lots of others, including fictional characters, to blame for their own issues.

Possibly the ONLY monster in the entire history of the Muppet Monsters who never actually ate anything that was alive

LOL, now you've put the image in my head of those Monster kids on Sesame Street mindlessly eating whatever happens to be in front of them....

I fear this is another one of those "OOh here come the P.C. thugs trying to make us not toss things out the window" rhetoric which is big on partisan, low on point.

They sound like children: "I should be able to stick my hand on the stove if I want to!" They think they're claiming a right to certain "freedoms", but it just sounds like immature whining.

 

[Drtooth]

And the amusing thing is, the Noisemakers are usually the first to decry any attempt for the government to dictate anything they do. "I can drive without seatbelts! I can eat pizza with lard dripped on it! I can cheat on my taxes!" The Personal Responsibility People always seem to find lots of others, including fictional characters, to blame for their own issues.

Mmm... well, it wouldn't so much be the personal responsibility types as it is the "We want to live everyone's lives for the better" types that blame fictional characters. I mean, it's the tired parade of "We gotta ban stuff that I personally don't like and censor the heck out of everything to agree with my viewpoint" type groups that want to ruin everything so they don't have to actually raise their own kids or something.

They sound like children: "I should be able to stick my hand on the stove if I want to!" They think they're claiming a right to certain "freedoms", but it just sounds like immature whining.

They're HIGHLY paid people with the maturity of children paid to tell people with the maturity AND intelligence of young children that don't want to behave a certain way. Sure, they don't have to try to make the planet a disgusting pigsty if they don't want to... but anti-recycling rhetoric is basically self serving laziness. No, you don't HAVE to paw through your garbage. Separate them WHEN you're done with the packaging. Nothing is easier than that.

But these rumors are a LOT more damaging than that other one there was another thread for. At least to the more casual fanbase. Every time I hear any side about Cookie Monster not eating cookies anymore, it feels like.... uh... you know when you're trying to teach an old person how to use the computer and they keep asking stupid and annoying questions and you gradually lose patience?

Here's my stance on Cookie... once and for all.

The character's name is derived (as far as I can tell) from the fact that his first sketch was about eating cookies... correct? Much like how Luncheon Counter Monster and Beautiful Day Monster got theirs. Now, Cookie actually CAN be someone's name (I don't know why... could even be a nickname)... but it made sense that his name is Cookie Monster. That said, I like how Mexico refers to him as (translated semi-literally) Lucas, the Monster that eats cookies.

A character that only eats cookies really isn't fun. Cookie wasn't funny because he ate cookies, he's funny because he comes from the Jim Henson bloodline of ravenous monsters that eat everything going as far back as Yorick the Skull and as recent as Big Mean Carl. Cookie eats everything in sight. He ate Sesame Street to avoid eating Big Bird's cake in one instance. Now, people who actually watch Sesame Street actually KNOW that.

I still think the overt focus on Healthy Habits for life was damage control for having McDonald's as a sponsor. That schmuck Ralph Nadar and his group whined about how they're a sponsor and not why Sesame Street needs like 5 or 6 sponsors. Remember, no one complained when Spaghetti- O's (with as much calcium as a glass of milk) advertised the heck out of their product on SS... nor Zertek, nor Rhodes Cinnimon Rolls on Arthur. McD's, as we all know is the end all be all health problem all over the world. And as such are sooper evils. So we gotta take prizes out of kids meals and never let them sponsor anything ever. So SW clearly was pressured into riding the "shove healthy living down your kids' throats because they're too stoopit to make their own decisions" bandwagon. That's what I think.

 

[RedPiggy]

Mmm... well, it wouldn't so much be the personal responsibility types as it is the "We want to live everyone's lives for the better" types that blame fictional characters. I mean, it's the tired parade of "We gotta ban stuff that I personally don't like and censor the heck out of everything to agree with my viewpoint" type groups that want to ruin everything so they don't have to actually raise their own kids or something.

I could see that, but there is just too many who gripe that they're protesting because they should have the right to do whatever they want. I sincerely doubt that all the folks who gripe about Cookie Monster are vegans who never touch a single unhealthy food item. Maybe it's a blend of our assessments: hypocrisy plus micromanagement.

A character that only eats cookies really isn't fun. Cookie wasn't funny because he ate cookies, he's funny because he comes from the Jim Henson bloodline of ravenous monsters that eat everything going as far back as Yorick the Skull and as recent as Big Mean Carl. Cookie eats everything in sight. He ate Sesame Street to avoid eating Big Bird's cake in one instance. Now, people who actually watch Sesame Street actually KNOW that.

Nothing makes me laugh harder until I see Chester A. Bum over at Nostalgia Critic's site showing clips of Cookie Monster eating the Volkswagon in Follow That Bird, and saying Cookie thinks it's a cookie (and then goes off on one of his "I thought a car was a cookie once"-type rants, LOL). At least Doug gets the joke.

McD's, as we all know is the end all be all health problem all over the world.

And the weird thing is, it's not even fair. I see "bad healthy foods" articles on yahoo all the time. You can go to any "Healthy" place and the salads, etc are worse in some cases than a Big Mac.

 

[Drtooth]

And the weird thing is, it's not even fair. I see "bad healthy foods" articles on yahoo all the time. You can go to any "Healthy" place and the salads, etc are worse in some cases than a Big Mac.

I've said this for a while, but corporations sell people products. Some of it is bound to be bad for you, some things deceivingly so. Remember the "Low Fat" snack foods craze that got people eating twice as much? Snackwell's ring a bell? Sure, even if the fat IS lower, there's still all that sugar and all that other stuff in there. They just tricked you into eating more.

However, I do agree with one thing. I HATED how in the 90's sugar drinks, sugar snacks, and even ice cream had pictures of kids riding bikes and sky diving and climbing mountains on them. I'm sure kids aren't idiots and don't think a box of ice cream is exactly the same as excersize... but the Extreme sports craze was bunk. The same kids that bought all the skateboarding games, watch the horrid cartoon Rocket Power, and drank Extreme fruit punch wouldn't be bothered to actually RIDE a bike or a skateboard.

But that's neither here nor there. My gripe is that SS and all PBS shows need sponsors, and no one cares to wonder why or to do anything about it. But when they have McD's as a sponsor (especially since half the older sponsors actually DID commercials). And I think the entire hard sell on Healthy habits was pressure from these groups on SW to do something about it.