Turns out the release of the original Sesame Street on DVD includes a warning that the content may not be suitable for children. As
Virginia Heffernan so nicely puts it: "The masonry on the dingy brownstone at 123 Sesame Street, where the closeted Ernie and Bert shared a dismal basement apartment, was deteriorating. Cookie Monster was on a fast track to diabetes. Oscar’s depression was untreated. Prozacky Elmo didn’t exist." Two facts I learned from the article: 1) Snuffleupagus is how you spell Snuffleupagus and 2) Cookie Monster was "Originally designed by Jim Henson for use in commercials for General Foods International and Frito-Lay." (If you want some more, check out
this NPR interview with Heffernan.)