Everything's not A-OK for "Sesame Street." A judge has denied a request by the children's show for a temporary restraining order to halt ads for Melissa McCarthy's new film, "The Happytime Murders," a vulgar adult comedy featuring puppets reminiscent of shows like Off-Broadway's "Avenue Q" or Comedy Central's defunct "Crank Yankers."
Sesame Workshop claimed in a lawsuit filed last week that the movie's trailer, which included "drug-using, misogynistic, violent, copulating, and even ejaculating puppets," was inflicting "devastating and irreparable injury" to the Sesame Street name, reports Page Six.
The film's description says it's "a filthy comedy set in the underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist. Two clashing detectives with a shared secret, one human (Melissa McCarthy) and one puppet, are forced to work together again to solve the brutal murders of the former cast of a beloved classic puppet television show."
"They are distributing a trailer that deliberately confuses consumers into mistakenly believing that Sesame is associated with, has allowed, or has even endorsed or produced the movie and tarnishes Sesame's brand," the lawsuit claimed.
Manhattan federal Judge Vernon Broderick disagreed, pointing out that the trailer's tagline, "No Sesame. All Street," made it clear that the film and TV show are different.
The film, from STX Entertainment, is directed by the late Jim Henson's son, Brian Henson. Jim Henson created the Muppets and helped develop characters for "Sesame Street."
The trailer has divided the Henson family, as Brian's sister, Lisa Henson, is upset about the film's marketing, saying, "It makes me terribly sad that the marketing campaign for 'Happytime Murders' has devolved to this state of affairs." But Brian reportedly gave his approval to the movie's tagline, "No Sesame. All Street."
