Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Frank Oz Calls Out 'Sesame Street' After Cookie Monster Tweets About 'Shrinkflation'

Frank Oz; Cookie Monster
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival, Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for DoubleTree by Hilton

The longtime Muppets performer said Jim Henson would 'NEVER have allowed' the 'Sesame Street' Muppets to talk about a topic like 'shrinkflation.'

Actor and puppeteer Frank Oz called out a character inconsistency after Cookie Monster condemned "shrinkflation," a practice in which companies hawk everyday items at fixed prices but downsize the size, quantity, or quality of the actual product.

On March 4, the official White House account on X (formerly Twitter) informed consumers that Democratic President Joe Biden was calling for companies to stop shrinkflation after stressing that, "C is for consumers getting ripped off."


In response, Cookie Monster entered the discussion by expressing his frustration over the corporate swindling of consumers.

"Me hate shrinkflation!" he lamented, adding, "Me cookies are getting smaller."

His post was followed by a frowning emoji.

Oz, who is known for his longtime work with Muppet creator Jim Henson and for voicing Yoda from the Star Wars franchise, argued that his late colleague would never have allowed his Sesame Street characters to discuss real-world issues.

The day following Cookie Monster's protestation on X, Oz replied:

"I'm shocked to see a news article on Cookie Monster talking about 'shrinkflation'."
"Jim would NEVER have allowed this. The SS Muppets need to live in their own pure world. Not our world."

The 79-year-old filmmaker added:

"What has happened to the integrity of the character and the integrity of Sesame Workshop?"

Oz's post sparked a polarizing discussion on wokeness.

For starters, he wasn't the only one who was frustrated about the Muppet getting involved with current events.



However, others felt Cookie Monster's exasperation was warranted, especially on social media.


Some also argued that hot-button issues were always included in the program as teachable moments for young viewers.





On Tuesday, Biden gave a shout-out to Cookie Monster at a White House press conference.

When denouncing the act of profit-driven companies short-changing American consumers amidst rising inflation costs, Biden said:

“I’ll tell you what, I tell you who did notice, Cookie Monster."
"He pointed out cookies, or his cookies are getting smaller, paying the same price. I was stunned when I found out that’s what actually happened.”

He continued:

"Even as supply chains are back to normal, some companies are still not passing along the savings to their customers."
"Many corporations are raising their prices, pad the profits, charging folks more and more for less and less."

Biden specifically mentioned potato chip companies as an example.

"In fact, some of the small snack companies, you won’t—think you won’t even notice what they’re doing, when they charge you just as much for the same size bag of potato chips, only there’s a helluva lot fewer chips in it.”

According to Business Insider, Frito-Lay shrank some of its Doritos packaging from 9.75 ounces to 9.25 ounces. Both sizes, including some 9.5-ounce bags, are selling at Target for the same price.

A Frito-Lay spokesperson confirmed the company avoided raising prices by sacrificing quantity.

"We took just a little bit out of the bag so we can give you the same price and you can keep enjoying your chips," they told Quartz.

More from Trending

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less