Chick-Fil-A and the Jim Hensen Company are going through a very public break-up.
The fast-food chain has come under fire several times this year for its financial contributions to conservative groups like Focus On The Family, Exodus International and the Family Research Council, which critics say promote anti-gay agendas.
Chick-Fil-A was even the target of a hoax that sent the internet into a frenzy when a fake hiring flier for the NYU location was uploaded, which said the restaurant reserved the right to question the sexual preferences of applicants.
Now, the embattled chicken chain is once again in the headlines after news that the Jim Hensen Company, famous for its Muppet characters, decided to end a partnership with Chick-Fil-A, which provided Muppet toys for kids meals. The decision came after Chick-fil-A’s president, Dan Cathy said the company was “guilty as charged” in its support for the “traditional family.”
“The Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-Fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors. Lisa Henson, our CEO is personally a strong supporter of gay marriage and has directed us to donate the payment we received from Chick-Fil-A to GLAAD,” the company said in a statement Friday.
In another twist, Chick-Fil-A then issued a “voluntary recall” of all the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Puppet Kids Meal toys due to a “possible safety issue,” according to the company.
A flier posted on the window of a Chick-fil-A location stated, “There have not been any cases in which a child has actually been injured, however there have been some reports of children getting their fingers stuck in the holes of the puppets.”
The company is denying that the voluntary recall had anything to do with the Jim Henson Company’s decision to end its partnership with Chick-Fil-A.
“I can tell you that the two issues are unrelated,” Chick-Fil-A spokesperson Tiffany Greenway told Metro. “We have no additional statement.”
