Issue date: 5/12/05 Section: Editorial/Opinion

Elmo, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie and the Cookie Monster. These are just a few of the wonderful characters of Sesame Street.

Sesame Street is a show most of us probably grew up with. I am sure most have vividly fond memories of watching the show with friends. Some of us may even have been hard-core fans and bought stuffed animals of our favorite icons. Those were some good times.

However, with the rise in childhood obesity, Sesame Street is making a statement for children to start eating healthier. One in three children in America is overweight, compared to one in 25 in the United Kingdom, according to BBC News.

One of the most notable changes is the Cookie Monster won't be allowed to eat all the cookies he wants to anymore.

"We are not putting him on a diet, and we would never take the position of no sugar," said Rosemarie T. Truglio, the show's vice president of research and education, in an MSNBC article. "We're teaching him moderation."

Do you remember the song "C is for Cookie?" Well, you can dismiss that song because the Cookie Monster's new song is "A cookie is a sometimes food." This teaches children there are "sometimes" foods and "anytime" foods. Does this turn anyone else's Sesame Street world upside down?

Here's an idea! They should just make him sing "C is for celery!"

I went to check out the Sesame Street Web site to see what else was going on. I stumbled upon a "Healthy Habits for Life" icon. Immediately, I clicked on it. The goal of "Healthy Habits for Life" is to establish healthy habits for children starting at a younger age.

To my dismay, I also saw the furry blue creature eating an apple. What is going on here?

With the changes in some characters comes a whole new branch of new ones. There will be talking eggplants and carrots discussing the importance of nature and how healthy they are. Alicia Keys will even guest star on the importance of physical activity and exercise. At the beginning of each episode, there will be a health tip about nutrition, exercise, hygiene and sleep.

The cookie monster isn't the only one who will be doing the whole health thing. Elmo will be getting up and doing exercises, and there will be shots of Big Bird washing his hands.

I find it kind of sad, that at a young age, kids must already start worrying about health issues, their body image and dieting.

I do see Truglio's point though. They are trying to encourage health-consciousness at a young age. It's a good thing, but at the same time, it's kind of sad our society has to stoop to these levels.

I just find it a little ridiculous that they are going to change a character that has been binge eating cookies for almost 30 years. I will never look at the Cookie Monster the same way again.

What the producers of the show must realize is the Cookie Monster is not the catalyst of childhood obesity. If that were true, then that epidemic would have started 30 years ago when the show first started. As if sitting on their butts watching Sesame Street will really help them get any physical activity.

I would hope children understand that these characters are fictional. Of course, the Cookie Monster is not going to gain weight by scarfing down a whole box. His body image has not changed since day one of Sesame Street. He doesn't appear to be overweight at all. He's a monster! He's fictional! Let him eat whatever he wants and was created to eat!

Are they going to make Oscar the Grouch a nice, clean character as well? I mean, is he the reason why children can be mean sometimes? Maybe they should even throw Oscar in a recycling bin. That way, children won't throw soda cans in the garbage.

We must really live in a strange, abnormal world when the Cookie Monster will no longer be able to eat what he was initially created to consume.

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Blatz is a freshman print journalism major and a columnist for The Spectator.

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