Der goldene Leibniz-Keks (Golden Leibniz Cookie)

 In early 2013, a century-old golden ornamental cookie-shaped sign on renowned confectionery company Bahlsen’s Hanover headquarters mysteriously disappeared. A ransom note followed, signed by the ‘Cookie Monster’ (an iconic Muppet from the kids’ TV show Sesame Street), demanding complimentary shipments of Leibniz milk chocolate cookies to a children’s hospital; otherwise, the gold-colored emblem would end up in Oscar the Grouch’s trash can (a nod to another character from the TV series). Accompanying the letter was a photo of someone in a Cookie Monster costume, biting into the gilded snack.

The story quickly garnered national and global media attention, eliciting not only widespread interest but also a light-hearted response from the authentic Cookie Monster via Sesame Street’s official Twitter account, clearing his name and offering assistance in finding the imposter: “Me no steal the golden cookie. But me willing to help find real cookie thief!”

Despite initial resistance, Bahlsen compromised, allowing the return of the gilded pastry in exchange for donating 52,000 packages of sweet crisp biscuits to various institutions. A few weeks later, the restored gilded token reappeared, hanging from a horse statue at Leibniz University in Hanover. Bahlsen fulfilled its pledge by donating generously to charitable causes and retracting the complaint related to the cookie caper.

After extensive police investigations, the culprit’s identity remained a mystery (and still is today), resulting in the case’s closure by the public prosecutor’s office. Subsequently, the carefully restored 44-pound (20 kg) golden cake was placed back between the two pretzel men sculptures outside Bahlsen’s main office. It has since been continuously monitored through video surveillance.

In 2016, Bahlsen chose to integrate the cookie incident into the company’s history and preserve its memory through the introduction of a mural on its property. Local graffiti artists Philipp von Zitzewitz and Jascha Müller were assigned to the project, skillfully spray-painting the blue Cookie Monster alongside a Leibniz snack onto the firm’s backyard gate.