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Something must be wrong in the land of Muppets. First PBS announced that "Sesame Street" would kick off its 36th 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.

AP Photo



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 Cookie Monster?" I asked the "Sesame Street" press office. "Why are you doing this?"

They sent me to Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio, the show's vice president of research and education.

She said the show changes every year, focusing not just on teaching numbers and letters but also emotional and physical health. With the rise in childhood obesity, Truglio said "Sesame Street" is concentrating on the need to teach children about healthy foods and physical activity.

This season, each episode opens with a "health tip" about nutrition, exercise, hygiene and rest.

Truglio said "Sesame Street" also will introduce new characters, such as talking eggplants and carrots, and offer parodies, such as "American Fruit Stand." Even guest stars will address healthy activities, such as Alicia Keys talking and singing about the importance of physical activity.

Even politicians have gotten into the act, filming public service announcements with "Sesame Street" residents. In one taping, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist taught Elmo to exercise — jumping up and down. In another, Sen. Hillary Clinton and the small red monster discuss the various textures and tastes of foods.

But what about their position on Cookiegate?

"Even Cookie Monster is learning to control his cookie cravings," Frist told me by e-mail. "His sage advice opened our eyes to the simple joys of a tasty cookie and now reminds us that moderation is the key to healthy living."

Cookie Monster was not available for comment. (I'm hoping he hasn't gone too Hollywood.)



"We are not putting him on a diet," said his spokesman, Truglio. "And we would never take the position of no sugar. We're teaching him moderation."

The furry one also plans to try different kinds of cookies (read: healthier cookies) rather than his just staple, chocolate chip.

But will he still scarf his food? Yes, plus the occasional object, Truglio said.

But isn't that unhealthy? Her reply: He's still Cookie Monster.

Cookie Monster appears to be happy with the new "sometimes food" song, because at the end he warbles: "Is sometimes now?"

"Yes," he's told.

So there it is. Cookie Monster still gobbles cookies, he's just a healthier version of his old self. His eyes are still googly, his fur is still scruffy and he's still messy.

Even "Sesame Street" recognizes that we all need guilty pleasures.

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Truglio said "Sesame Street" also will introduce new characters, such as talking eggplants and carrots

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Why not have Sesame Street encourage healthy living? They encourage education with other things. So why not?

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They already do! They encourage playing, dancing, running, hopping, and other physical activities; they have always had segments about veggies, fruits, how they're grown, how good they are for you, and that you should eat them.

I think it's sad that anyone sees the need to change Cookie Monster because parents can't teach their kids moderation and set firm limits. My dad always told us yes or no depending on whether it was an appropriate time and whether we'd really eaten healthily lately when we asked for cookies or ice cream, and explained that "Every food is good to eat, but some foods are not as healthy as others. It's okay to eat cookies and ice cream and cake, but we also need to eat all the other good foods that are around. If we eat plenty of good foods like fruit and vegetables and rice and bread and meat, and are still hungry or would like a treat, it's okay to eat a little bit of a good food like ice cream or cookies, we just have to make sure that's not all we eat." If that was every parent's philosophy, and they all cooked at home like both of my parents did, I think we would have a lot more healthy eaters and a lot less obesity.

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Elmo has undergone something of a metamorphosis in Japan.

Sure, he still has his fuzzy red look, falsetto voice and hearty laugh in Japan's first local production of "Sesame Street." But unlike the Elmo loved by generations of American children, this Muppet wastes little time teaching reading or arithmetic.

In Japan, known for its reserve, Elmo is all about feelings.

"We're going for a deeper kind of character with a wider range of emotions," said Yasuo Kameyama, one of the local producers who works on the show with New York-based Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind "Sesame Street."

The educational show has enjoyed more than 35 years of success in the United States by delivering fun-filled preschool learning. And so Elmo's job was to teach basic learning like the alphabet and counting. But in Japan, where the literacy rate stands at 100 percent and children are sent regularly to cram schools, the "Sesame Street" that started last fall is designed to be more emotional.

Japan's Elmo cries more easily than the U.S. version. The American Elmo wept only once during the entire "Sesame Street" history, when a goldfish died, but Elmo has already had one bout of tears in the Japanese production — when a friend left without saying goodbye — and more are planned.

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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?

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"We are not putting him on a diet," said his spokesman, Truglio. "And we would never take the position of no sugar. We're teaching him moderation."

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and more are planned.

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