Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

An interesting choice to represent all gay couples and their reaction to the Supreme Court decisions from earlier this week. I assume whoever runs Sesame Street and its licensing rights these days signed off on this ...

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/06/new-yorker-cover-bert-ernie-gay-marriage.html

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

I seriously doubt anyone at PBS signed off on this.

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

PBS was pretty adamant about the characters "not having sexual orientation" a couple years ago. I'm guessing The New Yorker went ahead with the cover knowing that worst case scenario, they have to issue an apology.

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

I don't think an apology is going to cut it with either the Sesame Street producers or the Hensons/Muppets ... they've gone after people/companies that have misused their "images" in the past, and gone after them hard ...

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

They're using it for news. There's no fair use infringement or anything to "go after." My guess is an apology (or even a non-apology) and that's about where it ends.

Didn't the New Yorker have another cover recently that they ended up apologizing for?

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

Was it the Obama one during '08 where he was depicted as a terrorist? It was obviously a mock-up of the image being pushed by conservatives, but the campaign saw a chance to score points, and took it. I recall Ryan Lizza got his credential yanked for a while, or something like that, as a result.

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

I remember one in 2008 where Obama is burning a flag and fist-bumping Michelle who has a giant Afro.

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

Bert is sitting in the chair behind Ernie.

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

The cover is clever, but I certainly understand why people would take issue with people finding the need to assign sexuality to a character on a children's show.

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

I like it. I don't think the New Yorker is trying to assign them sexuality as much as it is riffing on the fact that others have done so throughout the years.

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

Well, that's why the cover works... I tend to think when they saw the cover, they said, "Oh, this is great, run it and we'll deal with the consequences later..."

 

Re: Sesame Street's Bernie and Ernie "come out" on New Yorker cover

As with the Obama cover (which is indeed probably what I'm thinking of), the New Yorker's reach is usually confined to those who are going to get the joke, but something like this takes the whole thing out of their audience.

I loved the Obama cover a ton. I think this one shows a lack of respect and understanding for a show and its creators that do what they can to stay out of the fray and be likable to everyone.