Cookie Monster is getting his own TV special

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 20 (UPI) -- PBS Kids and Sesame Street have announced plans to air a one-hour special called The Cookie Thief, starring Cookie Monster.

Set to air Feb. 16, the program will mark the fuzzy blue puppet's first TV special. It is described as "a fun, action-packed special in which Cookie Monster explores self-regulation concepts -- such as impulse control, following directions and managing emotions." Human actress Rachel Dratch will guest star.

"PBS Kids is thrilled to collaborate with the Sesame Street team to offer the first-ever Cookie Monster special to families," Lesli Rotenberg, general manager of Children's Media at PBS, said in a statement Tuesday. "The Cookie Thief will delight both kids and parents with humor, mystery and 'cookie' art."

"We are excited to help kids learn self-regulation strategies through this wonderful Cookie Monster story," added Carol-Lynn Parente, executive producer of Sesame Street. "These are important skills that all kids need when starting preschool and throughout their lives."

"In The Cookie Thief, a cookie art museum has just opened on Sesame Street. Surrounded by beautiful cookie paintings, like 'Girl with the Cookie Earring' and the 'Muncha Lisa,' Cookie Monster and his friends feel as if they're in a whole new world," a synopsis said. "But when art suddenly starts to disappear, Cookie Monster quickly becomes a suspect. Can Cookie Monster clear his name? Will they find the missing art in time or will Cookie Monster be banished from the museum forever?"