Sesame Street has been making headlines today, but this time it’s not about Bert and Ernie. It’s about Pampers diapers.
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Earlier this summer, Proctor & Gamble, the company that makes Pampers, removed Sesame Street characters from some of its Pampers diapers varieties, replacing the iconic characters with different illustrations. Now, Proctor & Gamble is officially denying that the change has anything to do with gender.
“The story speculating on our decision to make graphic changes based on gender is inaccurate,” Proctor & Gamble spokeswoman Laura Dressman told PEOPLE (via KDKA Pittsburgh) in a statement.
The controversy started when Susie Wong-Benjamin purchased a pack of Pampers diapers and, upon seeing the more “generic” illustrations, thought she had somehow received counterfeit products. Wong-Benjamin told the New York Post that when she called customer service, she was told gender issues were the reason Elmo was out and different illustrations were in.
“The Pampers rep said … parents who have daughters thought that the Sesame Street characters are too masculine.”
Other parents noticed the changes as well and the gender claim quickly took off. However, the real reason for change does involve parent feedback, but according to Procter & Gamble that feedback wasn’t directly about the gender of Sesame Street characters. It was more about overall feedback on the products which happened to include a call for wider variety in diaper designs. The feedback led to shifts in the designs on some, but not all, of Pampers’ offerings.
“Some parents wanted a wider variety in the diaper designs, so we updated Swaddlers and Cruisers to provide that,” a comment on the company’s official Facebook said. “We’ve been proud to partner with Sesame Street for more than 15 years, and their beloved characters are still featured on our Pampers Baby Dry diapers.”
Even with the explanation as to why the designs changed as well as the reassurances that the characters still appear on one of the brand’s offerings, many consumers aren’t happy with the change.
“No Sesame Street? No more Pampers for us!” one customer wrote.
What do you think about this Sesame Street diaper controversy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
