Publisher Threatens Lawsuit Over Curious George Obama Shirts

In a follow-up to this post, the publisher of the Curious George books is threatening to sue the Georgia bar that made news this week by offering Obama 2008 shirts with the likeness of the cartoon monkey and not the cartoon candidate:

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) - The publisher of the popular children book's series "Curious George" is considering legal action against a Georgia bar owner for selling T-shirts that link Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to the inquisitive monkey.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is upset with Mike Norman, owner of a Marietta, Ga., bar, for selling the shirts which show Curious George peeling a banana with "Obama in '08" printed beneath the image.

"Houghton Mifflin Harcourt did not nor would we ever authorize or approve this use of the Curious George character, which we find offensive and utterly out of keeping with the values Curious George represents," said Richard Blake, the company's spokesman. "We are monitoring the situation and weighing all of our options."

Nobody has a sense of humor these days.