“Happytime Murders” Creator Responds to “Sesame Street” Lawsuit with Puppet Lawyer

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Summary: Melissa McCarthy’s new movie is sparking a strange puppet war. 

Melissa McCarthy’s upcoming movie “The Happytime Murders” tells the story of two detectives, one human and one puppet, who solve the murders of former members of a “Sesame Street”-type show. While the puppet victims are not actually “Sesame Street” IP, creators of the PBS program are suing the “Happytime” team for copyright infringement.

  

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To promote the raunchy film, the movie’s production companies, STX Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company, used the tagline, “No sesame. All street.” Because of the slogan, the makers of “Sesame Street,” Sesame Workshop, sued last week, and STX Entertainment has decided to get cheeky with their response.

Using a puppet attorney called Fred, Esq, STX released a statement to The Huffington Post.

“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 said.

While STX appears to be having a good time with the case, it is unclear if the Sesame Workshop is in on the joke. They were not involved with the film, and they said that the filmmakers did not have the right to use “Sesame Street” in their advertising.

“[The tagline] 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 lawsuits said.

“The Happytime Murders” is directed by Brian Henson, who is the son of Jim Henson. Jim Henson helped create characters in “Sesame Street” and The Muppets, according to CNN, and he died in 1990.

The Sesame Workshop is asking for damages and for the movie to change its advertising.

The film is set to be released on August 17.

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What do you think of Sesame Street’s lawsuit against the creators of “The Happytime Murders?” Let us know in the comments below.