3 RACIST PUPPETS

The streaming service Disney+ recently began carrying Jim Henson’s original “The Muppet Show.” Airing more than 100 episodes from 1976-1981, the family-oriented variety show featured a cast of lovable puppets who were the epitome of wholesome entertainment.

But apparently even Kermit the Frog is no match for modern-day hypersensitivities. Disney+ has added a disclaimer to several episodes, warning of “negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures” throughout the series. Openly applying 2020s standards to 1970s society, the advisory continues: “These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. 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.”

Episodes that open with the disclaimer include those guest-hosted by Steve Martin, Johnny Cash, Peter Sellers, Kenny Rogers, Marty Feldman and Joan Baez. Disney+ has not detailed the “negative depictions” that prompted each content warning but, in one episode from 1980, Johnny Cash performs while standing in front of a Confederate flag. In another, from season three, Spike Milligan appears in an array of caricatured national costumes while performing the classic racist anthem “It’s a Small World After All.”

Disney+ has applied similar disclaimers to other decades-old content, as part of its “Stories Matter” initiative, which was launched to improve representation in its output. Critics argue that, if stories really mattered to Disney, then Star Wars Episodes VII, VIII & IX would have had coh