Sesame Workshop, the company that produces the children’s program “Sesame Street,” filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against STX Productions, which produced the new Melissa McCarthy-starring film, “The Happytime Murders” — which features Sesame Street-esque puppets engaged in sexually explicit behavior and uses the tagline, “No Sesame. All Street.”
“Sesame seeks to enjoin Defendants’ deliberate effort to appropriate its SESAME STREET mark, and its trusted brand and goodwill, to promote their R-rated movie, The Happytime Murders, by way of a violent and sexually-explicit trailer,” reads the lawsuit as reported by TheWrap. “SESAME STREET is a registered trademark of Sesame, an organization with a long and storied history of ‘helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder.’ Defendants’ widely-distributed marketing campaign features a just-released trailer with explicit, profane, drug-using, misogynistic, violent, copulating, and even ejaculating puppets, along with the tagline ‘NO SESAME. ALL STREET.’ Defendants do not own, control or have any right to use the SESAME STREET mark. Instead, 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.”
Citing social media posts, emails and public comments, Sesame says the film’s marketing has “confused and appalled” viewers because of what they perceive to be a “serious breach of trust” by Sesame supposedly supporting the film. “Defendant’s actions have diluted and defiled Sesame’s beloved Sesame Street children’s television show and SESAME STREET mark by associating their trailer with Sesame Street,” the suit reads.
The film’s allusions to Sesame Street, the suit says, threatens to inflict “irreparable injury” on the brand, which the company has spent almost half a century building. “Defendants threaten to inflict serious, irreparable damage to Sesame’s mark and brand by associating their adult movie with Sesame Street,” the suit states. Sesame is seeking a permanent injunction against any use of the Sesame Street brand in the promotion of the “profane” film.
In case you missed it, below is the “all street” trailer. Warning, it’s — as STX Entertainment admits in its own description — “filthy”:
STX Entertainment told TheWrap in a statement Friday that they are “confident” in their legal position.
“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,” said a representative. “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.”
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