Cookie Monster Munch

Name:	Cookie Monster Munch
Company:	Atari
Model #:	CX-26102
Programmer:	Gary Stark
Year:	1983
Released?	Yes
Notes:	Originally called Cookie Monster's Garden, then Cookie Monster's Maze

In the early 80's video games were under a lot of scrutiny.  It was felt that children were wasting their time playing pointless and violent games.  In it an attempt to deflect some of this criticism, Atari proposed making a series of education games starring characters from Sesame Street.  Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Ernie, Big Bird, and Grover were all given their own games in the Children's Computer Workshop Series (CCW).  A sixth CCW title called Count's Castle was also planned but never finished. 

Being a children's game, the gameplay is quite simple.  Using the large buttons on the Kid's Controller you must guide Cookie Monster around a simple maze of pathways picking up cookies and placing them in the cookie jar at the bottom of the screen.  After each round Cookie Monster will eat all the cookies and give you points.  According to the manual Cookie Monster Munch was suppose to teach children hand-eye coordination and relational concepts such as Up, Down, Left, and Right.

I don't know how many children were actually forced to play these games, but they probably still have flashbacks to this day (there's a cookie, no wait there's another cookie, the cookies are everywhere!  Make them stop!!!)  Nothing like turning today's children into tomorrows regular Atari customer (hook 'em while they're young).  Maybe it's just me, but if you were a small child wouldn't you rather learn hand-eye coordination from Missile Command than from Cookie Monster?

Here is a prototype overlay for Cookie Monster's Maze (notice how it's misspelled "Cokie").

Here's a picture of the Cookie Monster's Garden overlay from the 1983 CES show

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