What Ever Happened To . . . Cookie Monster?

Cookie Monster lived on Sesame Street in New York City for many years, helping kids learn the alphabet and teaching other valuable life lessons. But as he grew older, Cookie lost his way and it would be years before he could get his life on track again.

It was the cookies that did it.

As his name would indicate, Cookie Monster loved cookies. All kinds of cookies. Chocolate chip. Oreos. Fig Newtons. And for a long time, it was just a cute little quirk that endeared him to his friends.

But in the early 90's, the whole culture of Sesame Street changed. Bert and Ernie moved to San Francisco. Big Bird flew the coop. Maria and Luis were deported. And that's when Cookie Monster hit rock bottom.

"Sesame Street not the same once Big Bird left," Cookie Monster said during an appearance on Dr. Phil. "Neighborhood really went downhill. Me get depressed, and cookie habit got worse and worse. Instead of 'me want cookie,' it was 'me need cookie.' One night, me set fur on fire while free-basing a snickerdoodle. That's when me realize me need help."

On the advice of his friend Grover, Cookie Monster checked himself into the Betty Crocker Clinic in May of 1992. But the road to recovery was long, and there were many bumps along the way.

"To beat an addiction like Cookie's, the addict has to admit that he has a problem," recalls Betty Crocker Clinic attendant Rob Davis. "And while Cookie did check himself into our program voluntarily, he wasn't really committed to his recovery. The first month, we caught him placing phone orders with his regular dealer Famous Amos, having friends sneak in packages of Keebler Fudge Stripes, even making marijuana-like doobies out of raw cookie dough. The guy had it bad."

After about six months in rehab, Cookie finally turned the corner. It helped that the Betty Crocker administration placed him on what amounted to total lock-down, banning phone calls, screening packages, and doing random blood-sugar testing to keep Cookie on track.

"For whatever reason, me made decision to take control of life," said Cookie. "Me understand that me an addict. No can have one cookie, two cookies, hundred cookies. Me must have NO cookies. Sad but true fact. Change eating habits, change life. Now me been cookie-free for seventeen years, and life is good. Me happy."

On his program, Dr. Phil asked Cookie Monster to sum up his battle with cookie addiction and his new life. The response was truly poignant.

"For long time, C was for cookie, but that not good enough for me. While cookie, cookie, cookie start with C, to an addict, sobriety start with 'me'."