The Happytime Murders is Getting Sued by Sesame Street

The trailer for The Happytime Murders was just dropped last week, but now news has it that the film is getting sued by Sesame Street for ‘tarnishing' their brand.

As per Deadline, Sesame Street is asking the movie to remove any references of their show to the promotion of the movie. The Happytime Murders trailer has a tagline that say "All Sesame. No Street" with the premise that the film follows the more adult adventures of the Muppets when they're not in front of a camera performing for kids. Here's a small excerpt from the suit:

"Sesame has demanded that Defendants simply drop the references to Sesame Street from The Happytime Murders marketing materials – a relatively small burden compared to the devastating and irreparable injury Defendants are causing. But Defendants have refused, and the confusion and tarnishment are building, as evidenced in numerous social media postings."

The film is being directed by Muppet master Jim Henson's son Brian Henson, and the film refuses to comply with Sesame Street's request to have them omit the references in the marketing. STX Productions released this statement:

"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."

Early test screenings for the film are said to have been positive, and hopefully the film isn't ‘tarnishing' the good brand that is Sesame Street. It looks like a fun romp for adults, and it's refreshing to see a genre so familiar be flipped on its head for the film.

The Happytime Murders comes out Aug. 17.

See Also: Mark Hamill Talks About his Affinity for Muppets