DVD Review - Happy Healthy Monsters

El Burrito and I watched the Sesame Street DVD Happy Healthy Monsters this morning. It was better than I expected, given the cover photo (Elmo, Zoe, and Grover). I was worried that it would be Elmo-centered, with Grover & the other Muppets getting a few seconds of screen time.

(You have to understand that my personal preference is for the older Muppets. I really dislike the emphasis on Elmo that seems to have taken over the Sesame merchandising department. Just try to find non-Elmo videos or toys. Elmo-centered merchandise outnumbers the rest by at least a 2:1 ratio, and that's grouping all the other Muppets together. Pampers diapers have Sesame Street Muppets on them, and while I haven't counted, the Elmo diapers are at least twice the quantity of the others combined (the others being Ernie, Cookie Monster, and very rarely Bert). So, what I'm trying to say is, I prefer to spend my money and time on things that aren't Elmo-Elmo-Elmo.)

So, on to the review. The main portion of Happy Healthy Monsters is about 50 minutes long. There are also some bonus features - 3 clips from Sesame Street, some coloring pages (if you have DVD-ROM access, a "Chef Cookie" game, and previews of about 20 other Sesame Street videos, running about 1 minute per preview. The "plot" is that Elmo, Zoe, and 4 non-Muppet characters are watching an exercise program on TV. The exercise program, called "Fuzzy, Blue, and Healthy Too" stars Grover and two other Muppets (Sissy, a purple girl, and Bobby, a tan "surfer dude" type guy). Cookie Monster and a Jumping Cow also appear.

Cute parts: Grover bouncing across the screen on an out-of-control yoga ball. A thirsty Cookie Monster chasing a talking glass of milk, telling it "Resistance is futile!" Grover in general.

Not-so-cute parts: Okay, my main beef, and maybe I'm seeing things, is that Grover is made to look a little dumb. Grover & friends start jumping, and Grover says (paraphrased) that jumping makes you taller for just a minute. Then Elmo says No, that isn't right, etc. I may just be a bit anti-Elmo, but that seems to be making Elmo (supposedly age 3) smarter than Grover (Global Grover, SuperGrover, my favorite Muppet). Or not.

This DVD gave me my Cookie Monster Quotes of the Day:

• "Resistance is futile!"
• Me an enigma, wrapped up in a riddle, covered in chocolate sprinkles.

Overall, I really liked it. Elmo and Zoe weren't being shoved in my face, and Grover & Cookie got a lot of screen time. That alone is enough to make me like it. Sure, the exercise part was mostly jumping and stretching, but for the age they're probably aiming for, that's probably all right. The previews were pretty helpful, I thought, because I can use the 1-minute clip to at least know if there are any Muppets other than Elmo in a video.