Chick-fil-A has seen its last sunny day on Sesame Street: Last Friday, The Jim Henson Company announced that it dropped a partnership with Chick-fil-A, explaining on its Facebook page that it “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.” According to ABC News, the partnership would have included toys from the company's Creature Shop in Chick-fil-A kids' meals this summer.

The Jim Henson Company's decision comes soon after an interview with Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy was published in the Baptist Press in which he said his company is “very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”

For its part, Chick-fil-A released a statement, stating, “Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.” That the chain will be completely silent on the issue, however, might be as unlikely as Cookie Monster making a proper sandwich: Between 2003 and 2010, the company used its charitable foundation, WinShape, to support several anti-gay organizations dedicated in part to influencing the policy debate on gay marriage.

Meanwhile, former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee proclaimed his solidarity with the chicken chain and invited like-minded folks to celebrate “Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day” on August 1. “Let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1,” he says. “Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we're considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant.”

Relatedly, National Grouch Day is on October 15.

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