Curious George creates a stir

[audtatious]

The publishing company that owns the Curious George image says it is considering legal action to stop the sale of a T-shirt depicting Barack Obama as the monkey from children's books.

The T-shirts are being peddled by Marietta bar owner Mike Norman at his Mulligan's Bar and Grill in Cobb County. They show a picture of Curious Georgie peeling a banana, with the words "Obama '08" underneath.

Rick Blake, a spokesman for publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which owns Curious George, said Wednesday that the company didn't authorize the use of the character's image, but hasn't been in touch with anybody selling or manufacturing the shirts.

"We find it offensive and obviously utterly out of keeping with the value Curious George represents," Blake said. "We're monitoring the situation and weighing our options with respect to legal action."

Norman has said he got the T-shirts from someone in Arkansas. He started selling them at his bar -- known for the provocative, ultra-conservative political slogans often posted on signs out front -- in April but said he has no plans to mass market them.

The sales came to light this week when a loose coalition of local groups called a protest of the T-shirts.

About a dozen protestors rallied against the shirts Tuesday afternoon, condemning them as racist and asking Norman to stop selling them.

Norman acknowledged the imagery's Jim Crow roots but said he sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey.

"We're not living in the (19)40's," he said. "Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears -- he looks just like Curious George."

Marietta native Pam Lindley, 47, joined Tuesday's protest after reading about the controversy.

"I don't want people to think this is what Marietta is all about," she added, motioning towards the tavern. "This is what some people think the South is still like. Marietta's come a long way but I guess it's still got a little ways to go."

She said she'd like to see the city ban Norman's provocative musings regularly posted on a sign out front of the bar, which is near Marietta's downtown square. Those who gathered Tuesday say they will continue their campaign against Norman's "hate speech."

But his defenders are just as resolute. Mulligan's is a refuge, they say, in an otherwise hypersensitive world. Smoking isn't only allowed at the bar, it's expected.

"This place is a diamond in the rough," said Gene McKinley, a Woodstock engineer among the patrons Tuesday. "People here are genuine and honest. It's the one place I can go without having to worry if I'm offending someone."

Norman said he fielded calls throughout Tuesday about his T-shirts. An ajc.com story about the controversy was picked up on the Drudge Report. "One guy in New Jersey wanted me to send him 100 shirts," said Norman, 63.

He said he noted physical similarities between the Democratic frontrunner and the cartoon monkey while watching a Curious George movie with his grandchildren.

Someone -- "probably a customer, I don't know" -- from Arkansas sent him the shirts, Norman said.

The Tennessee native said he's providing a public service of sorts, reminding people they have a right to offend.

"This is my marketing tool," he said.

[rn79870]

I really don't see the resemblance, at least physically. If I could vote for the monkey I'd consider it, as it may be the better choice in November.

[Sil40_Mayhem]

Kinda reminds me of the banana-tossing scene after the game on "Remember the Titans".

On topic, I'm on the fence, here. While I don't condone the free proliferation of bigotry, I also am not a big fan of overblown PC. I've seen monkey-/ape-looking folks of all kinds of descent. As such, It should only be fair that someone can be said to look like a monkey if they truly do. This would've been an open-and-shut case if the caption below the monkey said something like "Obama in '08? Nigga please..."

[audtatious]

It's not like they just hate the shirt alone. Seems he puts statements on his pubs billboard which they want to suppress as well. It's the "you will hear what we say and we will stop you from speaking back" syndrome.

The PA (Pussification of America) gang has been full-force for years.

[smockers83]

Legal action or not, supportive of Obama or not, I actually find the shirt somewhat disturbing. Why would one take a monkey and put it on a shirt for a black man? Blacks used to be racially called monkeys and apes back in the day, and probably still do.

[ishkabibble]

About par for the course for wingnuts. Racist and unoriginal (the Curious George thing has been used for Dubya since the beginning of his presidency).

[audtatious]

Yes, because racism and decency is seperated on party lines. The democrats have always been the ones to press forth equal rights and civil liberties because they are the party for the people...

Wait....democrats were for Jim Crow laws and racial segregation until the 1960's. WTF?

[ishkabibble]

Yeah, then they broke off from the party and became the neocons.

[audtatious]

Not really. Tho the republicans that are anti-conservative need to step back over to the dem side. Take Mac and go.

[ishkabibble]

I'd rather they reform the Know-Nothing party, actually. The name suits them.

[AZhitman]

I have mixed feelings on this.

I think it's tacky and in poor taste, but the flip side is, turnabout is fair play.

The libbies are fine with offensive images of Jesus, but they want legal action when a Black man is portrayed as a monkey?

Can't have it both ways, morons.

[ishkabibble]

I didn't know Jesus was copyrighted.

[audtatious]

Are you simply hanging with the copyright image issue or the "oh noes, Barak is black (1/2) and they have a monkey picture...RACISM!!!!!!" stance?

[audtatious]

I'd rather they reform the Know-Nothing party, actually. The name suits them.

Since the "neocon" republicans are doing everything the dems are doing they should all be thrown into a pot of liquid steel. Then we can work on getting new representatives that will properly run this country.

[AZhitman]

I didn't know Jesus was copyrighted.

No one mentioned copyright issues.

I have no problem with the owner of the image copyright, he has a valid case.

My gripe is with the crybabies who think that freedom of expression is reserved for them alone.

[ishkabibble]

Are you simply hanging with the copyright image issue or the "oh noes, Barak is black (1/2) and they have a monkey picture...RACISM!!!!!!" stance?

I don't know what your question is, but the lawsuit is about misuse of a copyrighted character. You can't really copyright Him, so a comparison can't really be drawn here.

Edit: with respect to the other topic, the monkey pic is not coincidental.