What itches, Bert? That’s a question Sesame Street never wants to hear uttered by any of its iconic characters…and one that is on many people’s lips after a recent unauthorized advertising stunt by a home STD test company that dared to use “Bert & Ernie” as spokespeople…or Muppets.
The controversial and intellectual property infringing ad shows puppets Bert and Ernie looking over an STD test as Bert exclaims, “See Ernie, you’ve got nothing to worry about, everything is positive.”
The good folks at the Children’s Television Workshop/ Sesame Street were none too amused.
“The Mately ad is an unauthorized, unlicensed use of our characters. We will be contacting Mately and the appropriate parties with a cease and desist letter instructing them to take this down,” Sesame Street publicly has said.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that Bert and Ernie have been caught up in sexual innuendo at the hands of perverted minds. For several years, the two puppets have been the subject of an urban myth that the two Sesame Street roommates are actually gay lovers–a claim the show has vehemently denied.
In 2011, Sesame Street even released an official statement that Bert and Ernie don’t have any sexual orientation…after all, they’re made of felt…and Bert may be anal, but that doesn’t mean he’s into…well, you know…
