“Sesame Street” swears that Muppets Bert and Ernie are only friends, but that hasn’t stopped the maker of a new at-home test for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases to suggest that the two fuzzy BFFs have something much more intimate in mind.
In a promotion for Mately, the puppets are shown looking at test results. “See Ernie, you’ve got nothing to worry about, everything is positive,” it reads.
It is part of Mately’s edgy campaign to promote its subscription service that provides both discreet testing and results, and allows users to then broadcast those results on dating apps or directly through Mately.
Another promotion shows two gay men discussing their results.
Hours after this story posted, Sesame Street told Secrets that they were going to demand that Mately stop using the image of Bert and Ernie.The company’s targeting the 20 million new sexually transmitted infections identified annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Mately’s platform also aims to allow members to privately share their own and view other users’ test results via dating apps such as Grindr and Tinder, giving consumers the option to verify their partner’s sexual health status and help to relieve any worries they may have,” said the developing New York company.
The company is raising money to fund the project on Indiegogo.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
