Gandalf Tempts Cookie Monster With the One Ring

Ian McKellen recently used Sauron’s ring of power to try and teach Cookie Monster about the power of resistance.

When I think of Peter Jackson’s Middle-Earth movies, the thing that most prominently comes to mind is actor Ian McKellen. There are other elements of the films that I like, of course, but when I really get down to it, McKellan’s Gandalf is probably my favorite part of both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. The man just has a natural gravitas that can’t be beaten. Seriously, try and imagine another actor standing toe-to-toe with the Balrog and convincingly bellowing out lines about the “flame of Udun.” I don’t know about you but I can’t think of anyone else who could do it better. Nor can I think of anyone better suited to teach kids about the virtues of resisting temptation.

Mr. McKellen found himself doing just that in a recent skit on Sesame Street, where he attempts to teach Cookie Monster about the meaning of the word “resist.” Falling back on the Middle-Earthian gold standard of enticement, he initially tries to tempt Cookie Monster with a nondescript but “precious” ring. Proving more hearty than even the most hardcore of Hobbits however, Cookie is completely unaffected by the ring. Intent on making his point, McKellen follows this up with some baked goods that drive the Muppet wild.

This, of course, isn’t the first time that Sesame Street has touched on The Lord of the Rings. Another recent Cookie Monster segment entitled Lord of the Crumbs did a direct spoof of the films, focusing on similar themes of patience and resisting temptation. As amusing as that piece was however, I think I prefer the McKellen clip. It’s just more subtle and, obviously, has a lot more Ian McKellen. Give it a watch and let us know what you think.

Source: Sesame Street