With the recent alleged sex scandal involving Kevin Clash, the voice of Elmo, fans of "Sesame Street" have begun to see their beloved show in a very different light.
While the under age sex allegations have since been dropped, the scandal has still cast a shadow over what is supposed to be a colorful, kid-friendly show.
But this isn't the first time the popular PBS children's show has gotten bad press.
The show's 43-year history has been riddled with scandals, ranging from the more recent Katy Perry appearance debacle to the long-time rumors about Bert and Ernie's sexual orientation.
In 1969, "Sesame Street" was aimed toward an older audience and was labeled "Adult Only."
Early episodes of "Sesame Street" showed Cookie Monster smoking a pipe and an early green incarnation of Grover partaking in civil disobedience with hippies.
According to an NPR interview with The Week's Dale Hrabi in 2009, original episodes from 1969 to the early '70s are labeled "adult only" upon purchase and were meant to reflect the era.
Here's the Grover clip we mentioned:
In the 1970s, African American muppet Roosevelt Franklin caused controversy among parents.
Franklin appeared on "Sesame Street" from 1970-1975 before being removed from the show after allegations that he promoted negative stereotypes of black children. While he was often shown teaching about Africa and values, his rowdy nature and after-school-detention-looking class angered parents.
In the 80s, the show was forced to address Mr. Hooper's death.
When actor Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper, died in 1982, "Sesame Street" writers had a challenging task on their hands. During a Thanksgiving Day episode in 1983, adult characters on the show explained death to Big Bird, who didn't understand why Mr. Hopper wasn't coming back. While the topic was addressed in a sensitive manner, many parents believed their children were still too young to learn about it.
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