Created by Jim Henson
Voice by Frank Oz, David Rudman
Starring: Cookie Monster
“Oh well, what the hey? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Cookie Monster
Is there anything in this world as cute as a Muppet face? I mean, come on. You can be having a terrible day and if you saw a picture or a clip of Cookie Monster, your mouth will widen into a smile without even trying. So, how great is a collection of nothing but that lovable blue monster?
The Collection
Before we delve into what is included in this collection, let’s have a little history lesson on our favorite monster, shall we?
The history of Cookie Monster begins in 1966. Jim Henson drew three monsters that ate cookies and appeared in a General Foods commercial that featured three crunchy snack foods. Each snack was represented by a different monster. The Wheel-Stealer was a short, fuzzy monster with wonky eyes and sharply pointed teeth, the origin of what would later become Cookie Monster.
In 1967, Henson used one of the “Cookie Monsters” for an IBM training film called Coffee Break Machine. In the sketch, called “The Computer Dinner”, the monster devours a complex machine as the machine describes its purpose and construction. At the end of the sketch, the talking machine explains that its primary purpose is to produce the greatest explosion known to man. The monster promptly explodes. This sketch was also performed in October, 1967 on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Two years later, Henson pulled the puppet out of the box again for three commercials selling Munchos, a Frito-Lay potato chip. This time, the puppet was called Arnold, the Munching Monster. After the three ads were produced, Henson had the opportunity to renew the contract. He chose not to, because at that point he was working on Sesame Street — and that monster puppet, soon to be known as Cookie Monster, was moving on to the next stage in his long lasting and popular career.
Cookie Monster, still unnamed, made his Sesame Street debut in the first episode, interfering with Kermit the Frog’s “famous W lecture” by eating a model “W” bit by bit.
It was during the first season that Cookie Monster got his name and began using his signature growly language. His catch phrase, “Me eat cookie!” would become part of his character. His signature song, “C Is For Cookie”, was first aired during the 1971-1972 season. C is for Cookie is one of the best-known songs from Sesame Street.
Ok, so what is included in this release? Cookie Monster answers some fan mail. He also tells the story of the Cookie Tree and teaches us how food is grown and processed and tries to grow his own special tree.
There is a new version of the C is for Cookie classic tune. He also teaches us that “A Cookie is a sometime food”. While I understand the message, it does make me sad that Cookie Monster is abandoning his “pro cookie” stance in the face of pressure from the powers that be that he is promoting “overeating”. Come on people, he is a blue monster on a children’s show. Healthy eating habits should be taught by the humans in a little person’s life.
There is also an episode of Monsterpiece Theater and Cookie performing “Me Lost my Cookie at the Disco”. He even performs Shaft, the Isaac Hayes classic. And finally Cookie Monster performs “The Gingerbread Man Song”.
While the DVD seems brief at only 50 minutes, any fan will still enjoy this collection and would make a nice gift for the upcoming Holiday season for the Muppet fan in your life.
10/10
The Video
The collection is presented in full frame aspect ratio. The colors are vibrant and I did not notice any instances of grain or artifacts. While this is not the quality of a Blu Ray, it looks fine for the material presented.
6/10
The Audio
Presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, every syllable from Cookie Monsters mouth is crystal clear and easily understood. The songs are mixed well. While this isn’t the most dynamic DVD that is going to be in your collection, it is fine for the material presented.
6/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
Presented in a standard amaray case, the cover has Cookie Monster’s handsome mug on the cover.
There are not any bonus features included on this release.
1/10
Overall (Not an Average) 7/10
The Review
The Collection 10/10
The Video 6/10
The Audio 6/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 1/10
Overall ( Not an Average) 7/10