Word on the Sesame Street: Happytime Lawsuit

Sesame Workshop filed a suit against the upcoming movie The Happytime Murders, an R-rated movie produced by The Jim Henson Company that recently debuted a trailer that ends with an ejaculating puppet. 

The Sesame Street rights holders argue that imagery like that (“explicit, profane, drug-using, misogynistic, violent, copulating, and even ejaculating puppets”) will cause irrevocable damage to their brand, which has spent nearly 50 years building up a public trust and establishing itself as a destination for family-friendly children’s programming..

Makers of the movie got creative in their response..

STX Entertainment issued a statement on the matter saying puppet lawyer Fred, Esq. will represent the studio in the lawsuit. The studio even provided a photo of Fred.

FRED issued a statement.

“STX loved the idea of working closely with Brian Henson and the Jim Henson Company to tell the untold story of the active lives of Henson puppets when they’re not performing in front of children. Happytime Murders is the happy result of that collaboration and we’re incredibly pleased with the early reaction to the film and how well the trailer has been received by its intended audience. While we’re disappointed that Sesame Street does not share in the fun, we are confident in our legal position. We look forward to introducing adult moviegoers to our adorably unapologetic characters this summer.” – Fred, Esq., lawyer for STX Entertainment