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The Muppet Show receives content warning from Disney+ for negative stereotypes

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 The Muppet Show. (Courtesy)

Episodes of The Muppet Show now carry a pre-warning for "negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures" on Disney Plus. On February 19, the streaming service made the classic Jim Henson variety series available on its platform, including iconic characters such as Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, and, of course, Miss Piggy.

Now, the episodes come with a pre-warning for "negative depictions" of certain peoples or cultures in the episodes, which first aired from 1976 and 1981.

There are 18 episodes carrying the warning, which according to Variety, include those fronted by guest presenters such as Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Marty Feldman, Debbie Harry, Steve Martin, Spike Milligan, Kenny Rogers, and Peter Sellers.

 The Muppet Show. (Courtesy)

ALSO READ: Disney+ blocks children from watching Peter Pan and Dumbo over offensive stereotypes

The pre-warning statement on the episodes reads: "This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now."

The studio acknowledges that it does not want to make the content unavailable but instead wants to address its offensive content directly.

The statement continues: "Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe."

 The Muppet Show. (Courtesy)

ALSO READ: 'Black Panther' director developing Wakanda TV series for Disney+

They then direct those seeking further information to their Stories Matter website. The statements do not address which offensive depictions prompted the warnings directly, however, Reddit user /ItachiIshtar has noted which episodes include them and the likely reasons why.

These suggestions put forward that the Johnny Cash episode including a Confederacy Flag, which is commonly associated with White Supremacy, a Kenny Rogers episode featuring an Arabian muppet, and also the Peter Sellers episode containing a segment entitled A Gypsy’s Violin and sees the Pink Panther star don a red vest, red belt, and black headscarf and proceed to speak in a heavy accent.

The service itself has also noted that titles with the content advisories will not appear in a kids profile on the platform but can be watched on standard profiles.

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