July 1, 2023

Title: COOKIE MONSTER (FREESTYLE)

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. The title, COOKIE MONSTER, is a nod to THE MOST OREO OREO (53A: Limited-edition Nabisco product with chocolate cookies and Cookies-N-Creme filling).

Things I learned:

• THE MOST OREO OREO (53A: Limited-edition Nabisco product with chocolate cookies and Cookies-N-Creme filling) Somehow I missed the introduction of THE MOST OREO OREO

  

  COOKIE MONSTER mug

  in January of this year. I only buy OREOs on special occasions (due to a lack of self discipline...), and every time I do so I'm astounded by the vast number of OREO options. It's a brilliant marketing strategy, as the multiple varieties take up a lot of shelf space, giving OREO a dominant presence in the cookie aisle. I generally make my tea before solving the puzzle, but for some reason I'm off of my usual routine today, and I happened to open the puzzle and see the title before making my tea. Once I saw the title of COOKIE MONSTER, my mug choice for today was easy.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• WHAT IS THIS ABOUT (14A: "Can you tell me why we're here?") and I STILL DON'T GET IT (17A: "Sorry, you're going to have to explain that to me again") and I SEE WHAT YOU MEAN (60A: "OK, yeah, that makes sense) These three grid-spanning conversational phrases are superb!
• POMP (26A: ___ and circumstance) Although the clue isn't styled as the song name, this clue/answer pair immediately had "POMP and Circumstance," the song often played at graduations, through my head.
• MIT (44A: Cambridge sch. with an annual Mystery Hunt) The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Each year, about 120 teams - comprised of 5 to 150 people each - compete in a puzzle hunt. A puzzle hunt is a series of puzzles linked together in some way, that when solved accomplishes an objective. In the case of the MIT puzzle hunt, the ultimate objective is to find a "coin" hidden on the MIT campus. The MIT Mystery Hunt is held in January, with each hunt being designed by the team that won the previous year.
• EATALY (3D: Italian market chain with a portmanteau name) The first EATALY opened in Turin, Italy in 2007. The chain, whose name is a portmanteau of "eat" and "Italy," now has stores worldwide.
• ONE WEEK (22D: Barenaked Ladies song that opens with "It's been...") "ONE WEEK" is a 1998 song by Barenaked Ladies. "It's been ONE WEEK since you looked at me / Cocked your head to the side and said, 'I'm angry.'"
• MIA (30D: Soccer star Hamm) MIA Hamm is a retired professional soccer player and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. 
• STAY HOME (32D: Forgo the bar to hang out with your cat, maybe) Who would do that?!

  

  Hanging out with Willow

  (I resemble this clue..)
• SNL (41D: Punkie Johnson's show) Punkie Johnson has been a cast member on SNL since 2020. 
• HSU (54D: Film and stage actress Stephanie) You may recognize Stephanie HSU from her portrayal of Joy Wang / Jobu Tupaki in the 2022 movie Everything Everywhere All at Once. Her most recent stage appearance was playing the role of Karen in The SpongeBob Musical in Chicago and on Broadway.

Geography review:

• OSLO (33A: Norwegian capital) The capital and most populous city of Norway is OSLO. The Norwegian painter Edvard Munch donated all his work to OSLO after his death. Those works, including the painting The Scream, are housed in OSLO's Munch Museum.
• SIAM (34D: Thailand's former name) Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia. Historically the country was known as SIAM. The country's name was officially changed to Thailand in 1939, then changed back to SIAM in 1946, and once again change to Thailand in 1948. The capital of Thailand is Bangkok.
• TETONS (46D: "Grand" mountain range) The TETON Mountain Range is located in Wyoming. The highest summit of the TETONS is Grand TETON, at a height of 13,775 feet. The TETONS are the centerpiece of Grand TETON National Park.

"WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?"

"THE MOST OREO OREO."

"I STILL DON'T GET IT."

"Here, have a THE MOST OREO OREO."

"I SEE WHAT YOU MEAN."

This puzzle has me feeling silly and imagining conversations in my head! Perhaps I should add a "BEEP BOOP," at the end? Maybe I didn't get enough REM SLEEP last night. Thank you, Amanda, for this delightful puzzle that was the perfect way to start my Saturday.