How do you throw a birthday party for the Grouch who hates everything? Oscar the Grouch’s grumpy disposition has been bringing joy to children for decades, but we think he deserves a little joy himself! Although he prefers to keep his birthday a secret (lest any merry celebrations ensue), we did some digging and found out that his birthday is actually the first of June. What kind of party could entertain—not enrage—a Grouch like Oscar?
Make sure to invite his family and friends. Even though Oscar says that he wants to be left alone, once everybody is gone he realizes that he has no one to irritate or bombard with complaints. That’s why you should absolutely remember to invite all the Sesame Street pals like Big Bird and Elmo. In addition, you definitely can’t forget Oskie’s girlfriend Grundgetta! You’ll also want to invite his parents, his brother Ernest and sister Bunny, as well as his Grandpa and Granny Grouch. He also sometimes baby-sits for his niece Irvine, so be sure to see if she has time to stop by. Last but not least, be sure that Oscar’s favorite pet Slimey the worm gets an invite.
Warn him ahead of time. There are a few good reasons to make sure this birthday party is no surprise to Oscar. You didn’t actually think he likes surprises, did you? Oscar’s mission in life is to complain as much as possible and generally be miserable, which is exactly why he’s a Grouch. If you give him warning then he’ll have plenty of time to complain about your plans before they even happen! Moreover, if he does that, his expectations are sure to lower with his negative attitude, meaning that he should theoretically be very pleasantly surprised when he finds out what a great party you’ve planned.
Don’t clean up. Haven’t you ever noticed that Oscar, like his other Grouch and Muppet pals, doesn’t even have a nose? Our first thought was to bring him a nose as a gift, but then we remembered Oscar’s favorite thing: trash. This grumbling grump loves trash so much that he lives in a garbage can and even sings songs about trash! If we gave him a nose, he might start to realize why we aren’t exactly fans of that stinky stuff. Oscar doesn’t like a lot of things, but he does love trash and we don’t want to ruin that for him, so let’s forgo the gift and leave his party room nice and messy the way he likes it. Maybe we don’t need a room—he would probably prefer a dumpster or a landfill!
What kind of party do you and your children think Oscar would enjoy? See what you can come up with to cheer up this choosy garbage-lover. If you don’t want to act it out and create a lot of clean-up, ask them to draw you a picture or make their own list. Be sure to let us know how you want to celebrate Oscar the Grouch’s birthday!
