Top 10 Surprising Parodies on Sesame Street

Look out, George Lucas! Cookie Monster takes on the role of the noble Flan Solo, who joins Luke Piewalker on his quest to save Princess Parfaita. Oh, and his partner is a living cookie named Chewie. Yep, we know where this is going. It’s not long before Cookie starts trying to eat his co-pilot. With the help of Only One Cannoli, Groda, and Darth Baker, Cookie tries to learn self-control and keep his partner alive. Still, Cookie is trying to eat a living creature. That’s a pretty shocking turn for a “Sesame Street” parody!

“Stranger Things” is the kind of show you should watch AFTER the kiddos are in bed. Some of the show’s creepy storylines aren’t suited for younger audiences. Yet “Sesame Street” found a way to turn the show into a lesson about sharing. Cookie Monster is, once again, the main star of this parody, playing a monster that wants to eat all the candy he can find. Throughout the parody, “Sesame Street” makes light of the bizarre situations that take place, dismissing their “strangeness” as normal encounters. The kids may be paying attention to Cookie’s goofiness and the lesson of sharing, but we’ll be laughing at the many references packed into the skit.

These girls are doing some hard time… learning about healthy snacks. Piper Chap—I mean, Piper Snackman is the newest prisoner—I mean, student at Litchfield Penitent—I mean, Litchfield Academy. (Nailed it!) Shortly after her arrival, Piper makes the unfortunate discovery that the only snack her peers eat are cookies. (Say, where’s Cookie Monster in all of this?) Despite getting teased for her healthy snack, she manages to get them hooked on oranges. It’s an incredibly silly take on “Orange is the New Black”, with Crazy Eyes becoming “Googily Eyes” and “the SHU” being a literal shoe. At least the young ones won’t know what we’re really laughing at!

These guys are not your typical outlaw biker gang. When a young man fails to find a word that rhymes in his poem, the Sons of Poetry come in to save the day. The problem is, none of the rhyming words they suggest make any sense within the poem’s context. (You’d think the answer might be quite obvious.) The brilliance in this parody is how “Sesame Street” turned a show about motorcycle gangs, racism, and violent vigilantism into a literature lesson. Although, we might not be looking at “Sons of Anarchy” the same way again.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has told some of the most exciting superhero stories. While a superhero parody isn’t an original idea, “Sesame Street” took “The Avengers” and taught kids a lesson that’s important for every superhero: staying focused. If only Cookie Monster had learned that before he joined the Aveggies. While trying to stop the evil Bon Bon, Cookie…er, Dr. Brownie…fails at staying focused on the mission, which results in him eating Captain Cauliflower’s shield and Mighty Corn’s hammer. What makes the parody brilliant is how it manages to capture what makes Marvel movies so cool while being silly and educational. That, and how Cookie practically burned Hawkeye…uh, Zucchin-eye.

What better way to compare CIA agents and terrorists than with sheep and wolves? In “Homelamb,” we find a group of sheep coming up with a plan to catch the Big Bad Wolf. Their solution? Recruiting Special Sheep Agent Nicholas Ba-a-a-a-rody, who doesn’t exactly look much like the other sheep. Eh, that’s nothing to be suspicious about! Ca-a-a-arrie is just being a little paranoid! The parallels between this parody and “Homeland” are quite entertaining to watch. The whole skit ends up becoming not just a “Homeland” parody, but something quite similar to “Red Riding Hood.” Now that we think about it, “Homeland” is a little like “Red Riding Hood,” huh? How appropriate.

Remind us to never team up with Cookie Monster if we end up in a cookie apocalypse instead of a zombie apocalypse. After waking up from his nap, Cookie finds that monsters known as “Crumbies” are running rampant, eating any cookies they can find. Despite knowing what attracts the Crumbies, Cookie opens up boxes of cookies anyways, putting him, Michonne, and Daryl in danger. Eventually, he finds out that he can teach the Crumbies self-control by dancing. The references to “The Walking Dead” are creative and hilarious. Norman Reedus fighting gingerbread with a kitchen utensil? An indication of The Governor’s shadiness? Seems like the “Sesame Street” writers are big fans, too!

The original “Mad Men” title referred to the slang term for advertisers in the 1950’s, and yet “Sesame Street” rolled with the idea of making it incredibly emotional. After some confident table smacking, our advertisers start their emotional rollercoaster with a few pictures, causing the Ad Men to become Mad Men, then Sad Men, and finally, Happy Men. It’s the shortest skit on the list, but considering the amount of sex and profanity that occurs within the show “Mad Men,” the alterations make the skit too dang funny.

The James Bond movies are nowhere close to being appropriate for children. With gun fights, sexual innuendo, intense action scenes, they’re just not kiddie entertainment. (That’s why we had “James Bond Jr.,” folks.) Leave it to “Sesame Street” to wipe away the mature content and bring a lesson about paying attention. When the Crowned Cookies are in danger of getting drenched in milk, Double Stuffed Seven must find a way to break into Lady Finger’s hideout. What makes the parody hilarious is how Cookie Monster contrasts with Bond’s masterful spy skills, choosing to run straight into Lady Finger’s lair with absolutely no caution. We say, Cookie for the next 007!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions:

“The Grouch Apprentice”

“Smell Like a Monster”

“The Hungry Games: Catching Fur”

Needless to say — yet we will — there’s nothing family-friendly about “Game of Thrones.” So, how could “Sesame Street” possibly make an appropriate parody of it? Easy: make the cast compete for rule over Jesteros in a game of musical chairs. With Grover as their musical accompaniment, the cast dance around thrones made of paddles, golf clubs and bats. This doesn’t go without Eddard Stark getting frustrated by Grover’s scatterbrained behavior. Who ends up becoming the king or queen of Jesteros? The answer may shock you…or just entertain you. From the caricatures to the overall concept, this is easily one of “Sesame Street’s” funniest skits.