As Sesame Street began its 39th season, some of its members, such as Cookie Monster, got off to a rocky start. Monster, 43, is best known for a 1998 episode in which he was admitted to an eating disorder clinic after being diagnosed with bulimia and depression.

Monster was not well for long though, as he publicly binged and purged at his paparazzi-studded birthday

event not long after. His consumption of "a buttload" of cookies was enough for his concerned friends to summon the medics. The guest list seemed an apparent cause of the relapse.

Quoted Monster, "C is for cookie, and cookie is for those times when I eat to forget that I'm fat, hairy, and best friends with an ambiguously gay unibrow."

Other characters from the Muppet industry have had similar struggles with mental disorder and addiction. Kermit the Frog, star of rival show "The Muppets," reacted irresponsibly to recent changes in California medical marijuana guidelines. "It's not easy being green, but at least scoring green is easier than ever," the drug-addled frog reported. Some have dismissed the seriousness of Frog's condition, calling it a publicity stunt to promote the release of his new album, "Un-Frog-Ettable Hoes (Hop on "'Em)."

Other Muppet characters have had more success with their rehab treatments. Big Bird, known for his flashy feathers and paranoid schizophrenic hallucinations of beloved friend Aloysis Snuffleuphagus IV, sought treatment for his disorder and is currently living a psychosis free, substantially medicated life. Thankfully, the hallucinations have disappeared, reassuring Bird that Snuffleuphagus was part of his condition and not a flashback from his "wild acid days."

"It's a tough world for actors in this business," quotes Monster's co-star, Oscar the Grouch. "The temptation for drugs, sex and alcohol, but mostly sex, are strong. Not that it bothers me much," he added, staring lustily in the direction of half-naked "Muppets" star Miss Piggy.