You didn’t expect the company behind a movie with a trailer showing copious amounts of puppet jizz to respond to a lawsuit with class and dignity, right?
And I mean that with no offense to STX Entertainment because honestly, I think it’s hilarious that they responded to a recent lawsuit by Sesame Workshop with a statement from a puppet lawyer, named Fred, Esq. But before I get to Fred and his statement, here’s the lowdown on the puppet controversy.
You see, after the first trailer for “The Happytime Murders” was released, which featured the aforementioned jizz, Sesame Workshop, the company behind “Sesame Street,” filed a lawsuit against STX Entertainment over the controversial film. According to the lawsuit, the Sesame Workshop “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.”
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Long story short, the creators of “Sesame Street” feel the trailer for “The Happytime Murders” tarnishes their good name with their tagline “No sesame. All Street,” as well as the violence and sex. For those that didn’t watch the trailer, the film features actress Melissa McCarthy as a police officer who teams up with her puppet partner to solve a recent string of murders against puppets. In the trailer alone, there’s drug use, foul language, sex, and way too much of a particular bodily fluid.
While the trailer isn’t the greatest piece of marketing ever (in fact, it makes the film look pretty stupid and silly), STX definitely alludes to the famous children’s program with their tagline and the mention of Jim Henson’s son Brian, who directed the film.
Well, in response to the lawsuit, STX released a statement to Huffington Post from their lawyer Fred, Esq.:
“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.”
The statement is all well and good. However, the real news is with the picture of Fred that STX included, seen below. As you may notice, Fred is not a real person. In fact, Fred is not even a real human.
With the level of immaturity seen here, one has to wonder if perhaps this is all a work and that the legal drama is just to drum up interest in the film. Or perhaps, STX is just having a bit of fun at “Sesame Street’s” expense. Either way, it’s pretty damn funny.
“The Happytime Murders” is will hit theaters August 17.
STX Entertainment released this picture of Fred, Esq.