You won’t find Elmo, Big Bird or Cookie Monster on most Pampers diapers anymore.
The diaper brand, marketed by Procter & Gamble, quietly rid most of its diaper products of Sesame Street characters this summer in a move that has parents and media outlets scrambling to figure out why.
The New York Post reported the change on Saturday, saying the move wasn’t announced publicly and that spokespeople for both Sesame Street and Procter & Gamble were “cagey about the reasons.”
They cited a Bronx mother who said calls to customer service at P&G netted answers of concerns over gender equality. The mother said Pampers reps told her parents of daughters thought the Sesame Street characters were too masculine.
When The Post reached out to P&G and Sesame Street, neither confirmed the allegations of gender equality issues over diaper decor.
However, a spokesperson for Sesame Street sent The Post reporter a link to a year-old press release titled “P&G and Sesame Workshop Partner to Promote Gender Equality.”
10News obtained a copy of the press release from September 2017.
The release provides details about a public campaign to “address gender stereotypes and social norms that prevent girls from accessing education and following their dreams.”
Part of this campaign included a new Sesame Street program with new character Chamki, a 5-year-old girl Muppet on the Indian version of Sesame Street.
The Growing Up Chamki series “explores issues of gender equity in child-relevant ways, with girls and boys role-playing different careers and family roles.”
The shift in diaper design after a 15-year partnership is causing anger and confusion online while P&G and Pampers are trying to address concerns.
In replies to questioning parents online, Pampers called the information from The Post and other outlets “inaccurate” and that Sesame Street characters will still be featured on its Baby Dry products.
Pampers replied to comments on Twitter saying it is still partnering with Sesame Street and that it is “simply updating other versions of diapers with updated graphics.”
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