diff --git a/collects/net/cookie-sig.ss b/collects/net/cookie-sig.ss
index 390f5be3d6..5c492cdaee 100644
--- a/collects/net/cookie-sig.ss
+++ b/collects/net/cookie-sig.ss
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #lang scheme/signature
 
+cookie-name?
+cookie-value?
 cookie?
 valid-domain?
 set-cookie
diff --git a/collects/net/cookie-unit.ss b/collects/net/cookie-unit.ss
index b3d3b5c21a..f7f19e914e 100644
--- a/collects/net/cookie-unit.ss
+++ b/collects/net/cookie-unit.ss
@@ -294,13 +294,14 @@
 ;;
 ;; Returns whether this is a valid string to use as the value or the
 ;; name (depending on value?) of an HTTP cookie.
-(define (cookie-string? s [value? #t])
-  (unless (string? s)
-    (error* "string expected, received: ~a" s))
-  (if value?
-      (rfc2109:value? s)
-      ;; name:  token
-      (rfc2068:token? s)))
+(define (cookie-value? s)
+  (and (string? s)
+       (rfc2109:value? s)))
+
+(define (cookie-name? s)
+  (and (string? s) 
+       ;; name:  token
+       (rfc2068:token? s)))
 
 ;; Host names as per RFC 1123 and RFC952, more or less, anyway. :-)
 (define char-set:hostname
diff --git a/collects/net/scribblings/cookie.scrbl b/collects/net/scribblings/cookie.scrbl
index 75cbff2afc..ef983332ae 100644
--- a/collects/net/scribblings/cookie.scrbl
+++ b/collects/net/scribblings/cookie.scrbl
@@ -25,7 +25,15 @@ otherwise.}
  Returns @scheme[#t] if @scheme[v] represents a valid domain, @scheme[#f] otherwise.
 }
 
-@defproc[(set-cookie [name string?] [value string?]) cookie?]{
+@defproc[(cookie-name? [v any/c]) boolean?]{
+ Returns @scheme[#t] if @scheme[v] is a valid cookie name string, @scheme[#f] otherwise.
+} 
+ 
+@defproc[(cookie-value? [v any/c]) boolean?]{
+ Returns @scheme[#t] if @scheme[v] is a valid cookie value string, @scheme[#f] otherwise.
+} 
+
+@defproc[(set-cookie [name cookie-name?] [value cookie-value?]) cookie?]{
 
 Creates a new cookie, with default values for required fields.}
 
@@ -74,7 +82,7 @@ Prints @scheme[cookie] to a string. Empty fields do not appear in the
 output except when there is a required default.}
 
 
-@defproc[(get-cookie [name string?] [cookies string?]) (listof string?)]{
+@defproc[(get-cookie [name cookie-name?] [cookies string?]) (listof cookie-value?)]{
 
 Returns a list with all the values (strings) associated with @scheme[name].
 
@@ -86,7 +94,7 @@ initial-request structure, etc.  The @scheme[get-cookie] and
 from a @scheme["Cookie"] field value.}
 
 
-@defproc[(get-cookie/single [name string?] [cookies string?]) (or/c string? false/c)]{
+@defproc[(get-cookie/single [name cookie-name?] [cookies string?]) (or/c cookie-value? false/c)]{
 
 Like @scheme[get-cookie], but returns the just first value string
 associated to @scheme[name], or #f if no association is found.}
diff --git a/collects/web-server/http/cookie.ss b/collects/web-server/http/cookie.ss
index f6cc9c953e..8a6e3d3c47 100644
--- a/collects/web-server/http/cookie.ss
+++ b/collects/web-server/http/cookie.ss
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
          scheme/contract)
 
 (provide/contract 
- [make-cookie ((string? string?) (#:comment (or/c false/c string?)
+ [make-cookie ((cookie-name? cookie-value?) (#:comment (or/c false/c string?)
                                             #:domain (or/c false/c valid-domain?)
                                             #:max-age (or/c false/c exact-nonnegative-integer?)
                                             #:path (or/c false/c string?)
diff --git a/collects/web-server/scribblings/http.scrbl b/collects/web-server/scribblings/http.scrbl
index 06619ef2c1..d242ea5c00 100644
--- a/collects/web-server/scribblings/http.scrbl
+++ b/collects/web-server/scribblings/http.scrbl
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ transmission that the server @bold{will not catch}.}
 @defmodule[web-server/http/cookie]{
  This module provides functions to create cookies and responses that set them.
       
- @defproc[(make-cookie [name string?] [value string?]
+ @defproc[(make-cookie [name cookie-name?] [value cookie-value?]
                        [#:comment comment (or/c false/c string?) #f]
                        [#:domain domain (or/c false/c valid-domain?) #f]
                        [#:max-age max-age (or/c false/c exact-nonnegative-integer?) #f]