Has he lost weight? Image from Flickr.

Behold the power of Google. The world’s most popular search engine put a picture of Cookie Monster on its homepage today, and suddenly a four-year-old rumor is revived. There has not and will not be a decision to change Cookie Monster to Veggie Monster.

The fact that everyone is researching this rumor because of Google’s homepage makes me wonder if people are paying attention. Yesterday, Big Bird’s legs were featured on Google’s homepage because starting Nov. 10, Sesame Street will be airing its 40th season. So if everyone found out yesterday that it’s a big anniversary for Sesame Street and thus birthdays for all the characters, why is everyone suddenly wondering if Cookie Monster is now Veggie Monster? Did people not see the connection?

Everyone loves a good rumor

Of course, it’s human nature often to assume the worst, speculate, go with the most shocking story. People like low interest loans and everyone loves a little scandal in the morning. Those are just the facts of life.

But how did this rumor about Cookie Monster and Veggie Monster get started in the first place? As usual, it is a story with a grain of truth that just got blown out of proportion.

Cookie Monster to Balance Diet Monster

In 2005, makers of Sesame Street decided that in order to achieve their goal of making children’s lives better, they needed to recognize that childhood obesity is a problem. They decided the best character for helping advocate healthy eating was Cookie Monster.

CBS wrote a lengthy report on Cookie Monster not being Veggie Monster and explaining that Cookie Monster was simply changing his eating habits for the sake of his health and the health of his viewers.

The financial advice part

Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is a financial news blog, not just a place for me to dispel nasty rumors about puppets. So here is some financial advice:

Following Cookie Monster’s example and eating healthy foods can save you a lot of money. At the least, you won’t end up spending a bundle on pills, books or personal trainers when you realize you need to lose weight. On the super expensive end of the spectrum, we’ve got the medical bills that stem from all the health problems caused by obesity. So be a Veggie Monster, not a Cookie Monster, and you’ll be able to watch Sesame Street for another 4o years.