Pampers denies removing ‘Sesame Street’ characters from diapers over gender concerns

Keep calm, Sesame Street fans. Pampers is firing back following a report that the company was removing the beloved show’s characters from its diapers because they are “too masculine.”

It started with a report from the New York Post, claiming the diaper brand was pulling the Sesame Street characters after parents with daughters allegedly complained that Elmo and pals lacked female representation.

The article quickly spread on social media with many parents angrily tweeting the company, prompting Pampers’ parent company Procter & Gamble to respond.

“This story is not true. We still feature Sesame Street characters on our Baby Dry diapers while updating our Swaddlers and Cruisers with fun, new graphics offering a variety for moms and dads to choose from,” the Pampers Twitter account responded to one upset customer.

Procter & Gamble spokesperson Laura Dressman elaborated in a statement to People magazine, calling the story “speculation”  an inaccurate portrayal of the company’s graphic design changes.

“As part of our ongoing research with parents, we have heard a growing desire for variety within the Pampers diaper lines, so we recently introduced new colorful graphics on our Swaddlers and Cruisers diapers,” she told the magazine. “This allows us to offer new designs across our entire portfolio, including the beloved Sesame Street characters.”

Dressman says the loveable Sesame Street gang isn’t going anywhere.

“As a proud partner of Sesame Street for over 15 years, we love featuring Sesame Street’s iconic characters on our Pampers Baby Dry diapers,” she continued. “[We have] always included a range of Sesame’s characters — male and female (although we know from research that children love the characters equally). This includes Elmo, Zoe, Cookie, Rosita, Big Bid, and Oscar among others.”