The creators behind a raunchy comedy featuring Melissa McCarthy and cast of puppets are being sued by the educational nonprofit organization behind “Sesame Street.” McCarthy portrays a police officer who teams up with a new puppet partner to solve “the brutal murders of the former cast of a beloved classic puppet television show.” Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit, claimed the new film, titled “The Happytime Murders” through its creators, STX Productions, wrongfully misappropriates the “Sesame Street” trademark, trusted brand, and goodwill for promotional purposes. The complaint further alleges that defendants do not own or have any right to the “Sesame Street” mark and that the trailer deliberately confuses consumers into mistakenly believing that Sesame Workshop is in some way associated with or has endorsed the R-rated film. In particular, the nonprofit organization took issue with the film’s tagline “No Sesame. All Street.”
For these reasons, Sesame Workshop sought a temporary restraining order barring STX Productions from continuing to use the tagline but such order was denied. The movie, to be released on August 17th, is directed by Brian Henson, son of now-deceased Jim Henson, who helped develop the iconic “Sesame Street” characters prior to creating “The Muppet Show.” After the court’s ruling, a representative from STX publicly stated the company’s satisfaction with the ruling, claiming it reinforced STX’s intention in honoring the heritage of The Jim Henson Company’s creations while clearly distinguishing those characters and the new world Brian Henson and STX has envisioned.