Suspect: The Cookie Monster?
The rectangular gilded bronze sculpture was part of a statue gracing the facade of German cookie baker Bahlsen's Hannover office.
How the century-old symbol was taken remains unclear, but police say witnesses reported having seen two men with a ladder in the area earlier this month.
The company has offered €1,000 ($1,350) for information leading to the cookie's recovery.
A police statement said a local newspaper received a picture Tuesday showing someone in an outfit similar to Sesame Street's Cookie Monster holding a golden cookie.
The sender wrote to demand cookies be delivered to children at a city hospital.
Police aren't sure if it's the same cookie, or a real claim of responsibility.
