Katy Perry Too Hot For ‘Sesame Street’

A clip of the pop star singing a kid-friendly version of “Hot N Cold” to Elmo was removed from the official “Sesame Street” YouTube channel after parents complained that Perry’s outfit wasn’t so kid-friendly. The children’s show has released a statement explaining that the segment won’t air on the television broadcast. The clip was set to appear later this year as part of the show’s 41st season.

In the clip Perry asks Elmo if he’s ready to play dress up and then sings, “You wanna play so I wore dress up clothes. Then you ran away, left me here in this pose. How am I supposed to play with you?”

The singer’s dress up clothes consist of a low-cut lime green sweetheart dress along with a wedding veil. Although her chest is covered in flesh-colored mesh the dress still reveals quite a bit of cleavage.

The children’s show has released the following statement:

“Sesame Street has a long history of working with celebrities across all genres, including athletes, actors, musicians and artists.  Sesame Street has always been written on two levels, for the child and adult.  We use parodies and celebrity segments to interest adults in the show because we know that a child learns best when co-viewing with a parent or care-giver.  We also value our viewers’ opinions and particularly those of parents.  In light of the feedback we’ve received on the Katy Perry music video which was released on You Tube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of Sesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers.”

Yesterday Perry tweeted, “I can totally tell you how to get to Sesame Street! I’ve been, Elmo & I hang out.” The tweet included a link to the video that has now been removed.

Today the 25-year-old singer added, “Wow, looks like my play date with Elmo has been cut short! If you still wanna play see it at www.katyperry.com Tag you’re it, Elmo!”

On the one hand, parents are probably paying way more attention to Perry’s cleavage than the toddlers. Then again, Perry’s scandalous outfit sends the wrong message to impressionable children about how girls should dress to get attention. The singer could have stayed true to her funky style while covering up a bit more at the same time. And the “Sesame Street” wardrobe department could have suggested another outfit before the segment went online.

Do you think the segment should have been banned from “Sesame Street”? Or are the offended parents just overreacting?

Click here for Katy Perry’s website.