Growing older doesn’t necessarily mean growing out of the icons that marked one’s childhood. Few among us could forget those fantastic hours spent on Sesame Street, with an assortment of characters as real to us as our own neighbors.

Perhaps the most lasting and long-cherished character is none other than the confection-gobbling Cookie Monster, whose unabashed glutton for baked goods combined with a voracious good nature rendered him the best kind of sidekick to carry into adulthood.

It’s rare to encounter someone whose greed (in this case for cookies) is offset by an equal generosity of spirit, and here is where the Cookie Monster makes the perfect tattoo companion. With legendary catchphrases like “Me want cookie!” and

“Om nom nom nom,” combined with an unfogettable appearance, the Cookie Monster is perfect for the man with a gregarious lust for life and childlike zeal for forbidden goodies. A mere glimpse of this beloved blue muppet on a wrist, forearm, or shoulder is sure to illicit an instant smile of recognition.

So much of being an adult involves being told “no” more often than “yes;” that one’s simple and well-meaning pleasures cannot take precedent over sensible values. The Cookie Monster is a reminder to us all that there’s no harm in dipping into the cookie jar every now and then, and spreading the deliciously forbidden joy.