One More Reason to Hate on Sesame Street

This Sesame Street number with Katy Perry and Elmo was first released online, prompting parents to complain about teh cleavage therein. The producers of one of the most beloved (and truly awful!) kids' shows of all time to cancel its planned TV run.

The children's program pulled a taped segment featuring the "California Gurls" singer and Elmo after it was aired on YouTube. Scores of concerned parents expressed concern at the pop star's risque outfit, which was a tight bustier, as she sang a version of her song "Hot & Cold."

Sesame Street said in a statement Thursday that in light of the "feedback we've received," they won't include it on the show. While the show said it would still be available on YouTube, it had been removed by the official Sesame Street YouTube channel.

More here. This strikes me as perfectly consistent with the demographic of the fussy, hyper-anxious parents who make their kids watch Sesame Street (based on my personal experience and those of my own kids, I refuse to believe that any child would willingly do so). It's the Castor Oil of the small screen. Yes, I know it's a contentious argument, but Sesame Street was the bleeding-edge (if hand puppets bleed, and I hope they do) of the turn to ultra-didactic kids' programming that so befouled the Johnson-Nixon years, a.k.a. The Saturday Morning Massacre. If there's a case for eminent domain for in TV, please let Sesame Street be the first block bulldozed!

Equal time: Jesse Walker is an admirer of Sesame Street. Me? Obviously, not so much. (Blame Barry Goldwater, who stepped in to secure public funding at a key moment in the show's development.)

Update!: Elmo attempts to do damage control with this YouTube-hyped interview, which is the Interwebs equivalent of Christine O'Donnell appearing on Hannity!