From the very start, Sesame Street believed that the best way to educate kids was to entertain them at the same time, which is why Jim Henson’s brightly-colored creations were brought on the show in the first place. But while everyone pretty much ages out of Count von Count and Elmo at some point, Sesame Street’s movie parodies, which often lampoon films no preschooler has ever heard of, are funny for all ages.
Here are 12 such parodies that even adults will enjoy, nearly all of which star Cookie Monster because, well, Cookie Monster is the best. Cowabunga!
Jurassic Cookie
Cookie Monster stars as John Hammond, who opens a theme park of genetically altered giant cookies. Unsurprisingly, it ends with Cookie Monster trying to eat his creation, which I really wish had happened at the end of Jurassic Park.
Big Birdman
Created for Mashable, Big Birdman is a parody of Birdman and features Carol Spinney — the original man behind Big Bird — grappling with the voice of Big Bird in his head. It also hilariously pokes fun at Sesame Street when Big Bird asks, “How many different ways can you learn the alphabet? Lots, apparently.”
Chariots of Fur
Starring Grover and Herry Monster, this Chariots of Fire parody finds the two fuzzy, blue monsters racing on the beach in the most dramatic way possible.
Gone with the Wind
With Cookie Monster narrating, Kermit the Frog stars in this 1980s Gone with the Wind parody in which Kermit gets swept up in a tornado.
Star S’Mores
In this Star Wars parody, Grover is Yoda, Cookie Monster is Han Solo and Chewy is hilariously played by a chewy chocolate chip cookie. A lesson in self-control, Cookie Monster must learn not to eat his co-pilot, so he seeks out wisdom from various teachers. The best of these mentors is an Obi-Wan Kenobi look-alike named Only One Cannoli.
The Aveggies — Age of Bon Bon
With very loose messages about staying focused and eating your vegetables, this Avengers parody featues some cleverly-named vegetable-themed heroes like Captain Americaulliflower, The Mighty Corn and Black Bean Widow. The best part, though, is that Cookie Monster keeps eating all the weapons of his fellow heroes and that he is cast as the Hulk, a character with more or less the same vocabulary as him.
Gone with the Wind (Again)
For a show that’s been on for 50 years, repeating yourself is inevitable. Fortunately, this earlier Gone with the Wind parody from 1969 is just as funny as the one from the 1980s. It stars Guy Smiley, who obliviously sings “Gone with the Wind” as his home, wife and clothes are blown away in a storm.
The Spy Who Loved Cookies
Cookie Monster is Secret Agent Double-Stuffed Seven. There are really good James Bond references throughout — for example, the villain is named Ladyfinger in a nod to Goldfinger.
1 Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
This parody takes the title of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as literally as possible in that a winged number one flies over the nest of some cuckoo birds.
The Life of Whoopie Pie
Remember Life of Pi — that movie with the kid and the tiger on a boat in the middle of the ocean? Cookie Monster fills in for the tiger, and the boat is — you guessed it — made of cookies. If you think about it, the aim here is for both characters not to drown in the middle of the ocean, which is a pretty dark message for toddlers.
The King and I
Another overly-literal title interpretation in which Grover dances with the letter “I.”
The Biscotti Kid
Finally, for the Cobra Kai fans out there, Cookie Monster is Cookie-San, a student trying to learn Biscotti Karate from a Pat Morita-looking master. He’s training to get the black-and-white cookie belt, which, unsurprisingly, he eats as soon as he earns it.