Today we mark Jim Henson’s 75th birthday.

Here at TharpSter.Org, we aren’t really given to calling attention to birthdays unless they’re our own. Even then, we don’t want to make a whole lot out of them.

For reasons which will become obvious in a moment, I feel it only necessary to bring up the Henson birthday because the fruits of his labor were instrumental in my formative years.

Certainly, that’s a pretty generic statement. I’m sure plenty of my contemporaries out here on the worldwide web are publishing such fodder in their own tributes to the Master of Muppets in similar tributes. What makes this one any different?

I’ll tell what’s different about it. Among all of the bloggers’ tributes you’ll read about Jim Henson today, I would bet you my vast collection of losing lottery tickets that none of them make the bold and audacious claim that said blogger ever hosted the disembodied head of Cookie Monster in the club cab of their 2003 F150 before.

Here at TharpSter.Org, quality is job 1. I will make that claim and stand behind it.

I won’t go into too much detail to explain exactly how I came to host the severed head of a muppet in my truck, short of offering just a few basic facts.

It was March 13, 2010. We were making the trek across town to celebrate the 40th birthday of my little brother. While in the midst of a high speed romp on one of this city’s many freeways, a squirrel popped up in front of me and just stood there staring. That’s as much as I’ll say at this point.

Just know that when all was said and done, the head of Cookie Monster found it’s way into my truck.

We took it into the birthday party with us for whatever sick, twisted reason comes to mind. We then proceeded to have a really good time that night.

As far as the muppet head was concerned, I’ll say this.

It was delicious.