‘Sesame’ pair run
into mean street

Performers are attacked
during a show

By Lori Tighe
Star-Bulletin

Under the category "What is this world coming to?": A man attacked Ernie and the Cookie Monster at yesterday's "Sesame Street Live" performance at Blaisdell Arena.

The unidentified man in the audience of the 1 p.m. show, "When I Grow Up," apparently flew into a rage after volunteering to dance with the characters on stage, said an audience member.

He flipped Ernie over and tried to pull off Cookie Monster's head, said Nick LaFontaine, vice president of VEE Corp., producer of "Sesame Street Live," reached at his Minneapolis home.

The woman who plays Ernie suffered from a stiff neck and went to a hospital, LaFontaine said. The performer who plays Cookie Monster was shaken but not injured.

The show did go on.

"We have never had an incident like this to my knowledge in the history of the show," LaFontaine said. Asking a dad from the audience to volunteer for the short dance number is a routine part of "Sesame Street Live," he said.

"My first concern is the welfare of my performers. I'm sure the individual involved has a different story. "I obviously want to speak with our legal folks."

Honolulu police responded to the incident, but there was no report of an arrest or call for an ambulance.