Do we like them?

Do we like Cookie Monster?

A character from Sesame Street (1969–present)

Our score: 8 out of 10. Yes, we'd back him. He's a big-hearted, childlike softie whose only real crime is crumbs. He's the friend you'd happily share a biscuit tin with, once you'd hidden the tin.

Cookie Monster is one of the main Muppets on Sesame Street, the long-running children's show set on a friendly city street. He's a big, shaggy blue monster with googly eyes, a growly voice and a famous catchphrase, "Me want cookie!" His daily life revolves around cookies. Chocolate chip is his favorite, though he'll eat almost anything, including things that aren't food.

He grew out of a snack-hungry monster Jim Henson created for 1960s commercials. He arrived on Sesame Street in its first season, and his "C Is for Cookie" song became one of the show's best-known. He also hosts the spoof "Monsterpiece Theater" as the refined Alistair Cookie.

Why the score: he's affectionate, honest and endlessly enthusiastic, and he usually tries to do the right thing even when a cookie is begging to be eaten. His struggles with self-control are what make him fun, and they give the show a way to teach kids about patience and waiting. In 2005 the show gave him a "a sometime food" lesson about eating cookies in moderation, and he took it in good humor. He loses a point or two for the chaos and the crumbs.