Stop the Cookie Monster becoming the Veggie Monster

First PBS announced that "Sesame Street" would kick off its 36th season this week with a multi-year 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. The 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.

Kids all around the world loved the Cookie Monster even myself Ryan Graf grew up with him and so did millions of other people. Cookie Monster is a popular Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Omm nom nom nom" (said through a mouthful of food).

He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, and inedible objects such as salt and pepper shakers, napkins, telephones, and the four letters in the word "food". Once, he even attempted to eat Guy Smiley. As evidenced by his name, however, his favorite food is cookies. Chocolate-chip cookies are his favorite kind; oatmeal cookies are his second favorite.

In a song in 2004, Cookie Monster revealed that, before he ate his first cookie, he believes his name was Sid. He is known to have a mother, a younger sister, and an identically-designed cousin, who all share his characteristic blue fur and "googly eyes".

He also has a father, who appeared in a Monsterpiece Theater sketch promoting energy conservation, water conservation and environmentalism. Both Cookie Monster's mother and father share his enormous appetite, but this is no more.