@AndreaJames (Andrea James) posted a new topic, subject "Happytime Murders film successfully trolls Sesame Street into marketing the film". It read:

   Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/05/31/happytime-murders-film-success.html  
      
    …

Then @sgtcrispy (sgtcrispy) said

    Does no one remember Meet the Feebles?

Then @Martyn_Drake (Martyn Drake) said

    How many people are really going to associate Happytime Murders ( _murders_ is a clue here) with Sesame Street. Sesame Workshop hasn't a leg to stand on (or should I say an arm up a furry puppet's bottom for support) IMHO.
    
    And yes, I definitely remember Meet the Feebles. Though I'm not sure that was marketed as a filthy version of the Muppets - though plenty of reviewers did describe it as such IIRC.

To which @Boundegar (Boundegar) replied

    Oh man, I hope a muppet ejaculates a foot or so of white yarn. Hot!

So @Brainspore (Tim) replied

    The preview basically showed a variation on the “Austin Powers peeing for a really long time” joke but with silly string.

Then @anon75430791 said

    Or after that, “Puppets who Kill”

So @timstellmach (Tim Stellmach) replied

    It is not possible to “successfully troll” Sesame Street. Trolling Sesame Street is an asshole move, which is not something that meets my idea of success.

To which @Franko (Frank Ozaki) replied

    i'm on the side of Sesame Street here. i agree that from a kid's perspective, which is their audience, they would not be able to tell that this movie is not a Sesame Street product and as such, it damages their brand. i wish Jim Henson was around to see what his son is doing with his life's work. Frank Oz is certainly not happy about it, and that's enough for me.

After which, @Exonauts (Jay Exonauts / BBS Captain) added

    I watched the trailer 3 times hoping to see something actually funny. It's just the same gross out humor. And yeah, Sesame Street is totally getting dragged through the mud. Even if they didn't use the tagline, they LOOK like Muppets.
    
    People will totally make the association!

Then @TobinL (Tobin Lathrop) said

    sgtcrispy:
    
    > Does no one remember Meet the Feebles?
    
    Still haven't seen that. I have seen Let My Puppets Come though.
    
    ETA : Don't bother seeing that unless you really interested in bits of obscure cinema curiosity.

@agies (Brian Easton) replied

    I'm not sure when a Sesame Street aged child will see much advertisement for Happytime Murders. Can't be much more often than say marketing for Avenue Q, or Team America.

To which @BenGruagach (BenGruagach) replied

    Ummm… Avenue Q has been exploring the “adult” side of muppets in a very popular live musical show, on and off Broadway, since about 2002. They've even won awards.
    
    Here's a famous bit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTJvdGcb7Fs

Then @v_vxn (vxn) said

    I was surprised that Sesame Street lost. If HTM had not had “No Sesame, All Street” in their trailer I doubt the movie would have had as high an awareness. From where I sit they definitely were riding on the name of Sesame Street.
    
    Then again, I'm also surprised that Brian Henson is behind The Happytime Murders. A bit of cognitive dissonance here.
    
    Also: does no one remember Greg The Bunny?

Then @nungesser said

    Brian Henson's been doing adult-themed puppet stuff for a very long time (with his long running Puppet Up shows, Tinseltown, and lots of other shows); this movie's just an extension of the Henson Alternative things he's been writing and directing.

@Brainspore (Tim) replied

    BenGruagach:
    
    > Avenue Q has been exploring the “adult” side of muppets in a very popular live musical show, on and off Broadway, since about 2002.
    
    Like the original post says it was probably the explicit reference to Sesame Street in the tagline that pushed this production over the line.

To which @Mister44 (The High Plains Drifter) replied

    Wonder Showzen was even crazier and adult. Or the Dark Crystal, for that matter, even though it was marketed to kids (several scenes marred me back in the day, but I stand by my decision to see that instead of ET with my mom and sister.)
    
    v_vxn:
    
    > I was surprised that Sesame Street lost. If HTM had not had “No Sesame, All Street” in their trailer I doubt the movie would have had as high an awareness.
    
    I am not. Sesame Street is part of pop culture and should be able to be referenced as much as anything else. Though you're probably right the law suit has added to their marketing campaign.
    
    And the tagline was attempting to not just reference but SEPARATE itself from Sesame Street. As if the actual trailer before Deadpool 2 wasn't a give away, the tag line at face value is making it clear that this isn't a kids show.
    
    Look I love Sesame Street. I love the Muppets. They are both magical, wonderful things. But they aren't sacred cows. This new movie of course is partly derivative (any puppetry can't help but have SOME influence by the masters before it.) but also it's own thing. Referencing another thing doesn't make it infringement or make people unable to discern the two.
    
    I just hope the scenes in the preview that made me literally LOL aren't the only ones like that in the movie. As it stands, I want to see it now.

After which, @Pensketch (Collin) added

    sgtcrispy:
    
    > Does no one remember Meet the Feebles?
    
    I have it on VHS from ages back, and looking to get the DVD at some point. I haven't watched it in a long time though, so I'm not sure if I would still like it or not.
    
    anon75430791:
    
    > Or after that, “Puppets who Kill”
    
    I have two seasons on DVD, and really enjoy it.
    
    v_vxn:
    
    > Also: does no one remember Greg The Bunny?
    
    I loved this show, and was bewildered when it was cancelled.
    
    * * *
    
    As for “Happytime Murders”… I'm not really feeling it, based on the trailers. I might give it a shot, but it won't be one I see on the big screen. I'll wait for it to show up on Netflix, Hulu or Redbox.
    
    I certainly get Sesame Street's position on this. Unless that tagline was meant to appeal to former viewers that are now adults, like myself (and if so, it didn't really work), I see no reason for it to be there.

To which @NickyG (Nick) replied

    So it's a less-funny Meet the Feebles. Woot. I don't think Brian should have used Sesame Street's brand in the advertising, it's totally disrespectful to his father's legacy. I'm fine with the movie being made, heck I would've even been fine if they had used to tag line and then backed-down when confronted by Sesame Workshop. Fighting it out in court? Ugh.

So @v_vxn (vxn) replied

    Pensketch:
    
    > I certainly get Sesame Street's position on this.
    
    As do I. (Although I think their lawyers did a shitty job of making the point that this trailer wouldn't have garnered as much attention if they hadn't even mentioned “Sesame Street” in any way shape or form.)
    
    Pensketch:
    
    > Unless that tagline was meant to appeal to former viewers that are now adults, like myself (and if so, it didn't really work), I see no reason for it to be there.
    
    It didn't work for me either. Yeah, I think they were trying to create an association between HTM and Sesame Street, on a subtle or not-so-subtle level. If they had never mentioned the name, at all, I think the movie potentially wouldn't be as successful as it would be making the association.
    
    I'd actually have more respect for Brian Henson if he had never made any association to SS in the wordage in the trailer. It would fall more on the strength of its own merits, like Avenue Q. (Not saying that Avenue Q is exactly like this; Avenue Q is classier.)

Then @Franko (Frank Ozaki) said

    well, they are running commercials, so it definitely could happen.

After which, @nungesser added

    Update: Sesame Workshop has lost their suit against STX and Happytime Murders.
    
    syracuse.com
    
    ### 'Sesame Street' loses lawsuit against R-rated puppet murder movie
    
    Melissa McCarthy will star in "The Happytime Murders."

@aaooeeie replied

    For what it's worth, Jim Henson's legacy includes “Land of Gorch,” a decidedly adult recurring sketch from the first season of SNL.
    
    The movie marketing is gross, but now Streisanded out of proportion, I think.

To which @NickyG (Nick) replied

    aaooeeie:
    
    > For what it's worth, Jim Henson's legacy includes “Land of Gorch,” a decidedly adult recurring sketch from the first season of SNL.
    
    But he didn't refer to Sesame Street directly in its marketing, I'm guessing! I'm fine with adult-oriented puppet stuff, even coming from Jim Henson company, as I said. Referring to their beloved children's show in the ad? One notch too far.

After which, @v_vxn (vxn) added

    Well … this is interesting:
    
    It seems that Brian and Lisa Henson (Lisa Henson is listed as an executive producer on HTM) are actually * at odds * with STX Productions over the marketing of this movie. They didn't want any association to the Muppets or Sesame Street, and are displeased that STX used the “No Sesame All Street” tagline in the trailer. STX claims that Brian and Lisa Henson were consulted about this every step of the way. A disconnect and dispute from * within * the production, separate from Sesame Workshop …
    
    “Trading off the famous Muppets to sell the film is exactly what we did not want to have happened.”
    
    cbsnews.com
    
    ### "The Happytime Murders" may be dividing Sesame Street
    
    Is a Sesame Workshop suit over the puppet movie's tagline, "No Sesame. All Street," splitting Jim Henson's kids?

@57Lh7m5gq2f04iR (57Lh7m5gq2f04iR) replied

    Exactly. Sesame Street is one of the few apparently good actors left in media, the last thing we need to do is burden them with pointless litigation.
    
    Television programming that provides children with general education, and encourages them to be conscientious and compassionate toward others is far more valuable to me than adults getting to laugh at puppet dicks. I don't care if the film is the absolute apex of puppet dick based humor–an unquestionable masterpiece of felt genital-based humor–if it comes at the expense of something that is doing net good in a media landscape where being objectively bad is so frequently glorified and even _encouraged,_ then it's not worth it.

So @Sigmund (Sigmund) replied

    Hummm… might not be as funny as it could be. There is a fine line between raunchy puppets and just showing a jet of sperm, I guess.
    
    I miss Greg The Bunny.

So @ficuswhisperer replied

    AndreaJames:
    
    > Sesame Workshop complains that the film contains “explicit, profane, drug-using, misogynistic, violent, copulating, and even ejaculating puppets.”
    
    Sign me up!

To which @agies (Brian Easton) replied

    57Lh7m5gq2f04iR:
    
    > Sesame Street is one of the few apparently good actors left in media
    
    So good they went to premium cable and left PBS stale leftovers.

@ficuswhisperer replied

    Mister44:
    
    > Wonder Showzen was even crazier and adult.
    
    Now that was a wonderfully subversive, shocking, and side splitting show. I'm still shocked that MTV actually aired it. I doubt anything like that could ever be made again.

Then @hecep said

    Ejaculation and puppets.
    
    I believe that _adventurous_ people have been checking off that box since the advent of puppets.

@Mister44 (The High Plains Drifter) replied

    Yeah they pushed soooo many envelopes.

To which @roomwithaview (roomwithaview) replied

    Mister44:
    
    > the scenes in the preview that made me literally LOL
    
    You're a sick puppy!
    
    I like you!

After which, @roomwithaview (roomwithaview) added

    agies:
    
    > So good they went to premium cable and left PBS stale leftovers.
    
    I heard that was due to budget cuts.  
    Gots to pay the bills somehow!

After which, @nungesser added

    agies:
    
    > So good they went to premium cable and left PBS stale leftovers.
    
    To be clear, PBS stations get to show exactly the same shows that HBO does, at no charge, after HBO's 9-month exclusivity window.

After which, @rocketpj (rocketpj) added

    Youtube ads will have already shown most kids with an internet connection.

Then @smulder said

    Mister44:
    
    > I stand by my decision to see that instead of ET
    
    Good choice.

So @system (system) replied

    This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.


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