Sesame street scariness

For my birthday when I was little (I couldn't say for sure how old) Mum made me one of those old classic Bert-and-Ernie-from-Sesame-Street cakes, like this one (although I don't remember the colours being so lurid):

That night I had a nightmare that the Ernie reached out from the cake and pulled off my nose.

I'm not sure if that's why these cupcakes (below) freak me out so much.

Maybe it's just the slightly evil look of glee they have ... as though they're about to come and eat me. Like little cake piranhas.