Huge Chicken of Sesame Avenue attends the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22, 2018 in New York Metropolis. His announcement about getting the COVID-19 vaccine elicited a blended response.
Noam Galai/FilmMagic
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Noam Galai/FilmMagic
Huge Chicken of Sesame Avenue attends the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22, 2018 in New York Metropolis. His announcement about getting the COVID-19 vaccine elicited a blended response.
Noam Galai/FilmMagic
Huge Chicken ruffled some conservatives’ feathers this weekend by asserting that he had been vaccinated towards COVID-19.
The beloved Muppet tweeted on Saturday that he had gotten the shot, which is newly available for Individuals between the ages of 5 and 11. Huge Chicken has been a fixture of youngsters’s tv since 1969 however is technically 6 years old.
“My wing is feeling somewhat sore, however it’ll give my physique an additional protecting enhance that retains me and others wholesome,” he wrote.
Twitter customers sounded off within the feedback, with many thanking the character for doing his half to maintain Sesame Avenue protected and set a optimistic instance for youths. President Biden and Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky had been amongst those that provided their thanks and reward.
Others weren’t as appreciative.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) decried Huge Chicken’s tweet as “authorities propaganda.”
Fox Information contributor Lisa Boothe accused the Muppet of “brainwashing youngsters,” whereas Newsmax host and former Trump adviser Steve Cortes slammed the announcement as “evil” propaganda.
Each made false claims that youngsters usually are not vulnerable to COVID-19 — whereas most youngsters contaminated with the virus exhibit solely delicate signs, consultants say vaccines can prevent many infections and hospitalizations, in addition to disruptions to education.
Different commenters denounced Huge Chicken as a puppet (actually) and communist. Lavern Spicer, a congressional candidate in Florida, wrote that “Huge Chicken & Elmo are a minimum of a step UP from [Dr. Anthony] Fauci, however utilizing them to push the drug is simply as reprehensible nonetheless.”
And a few went a lot darker, like Tennessee congressional candidate Bobby Starbuck and alt-right social media character Mike Cernovich.
Many observers famous the irony of the pile-on, provided that Huge Chicken is each a fictional character and one identified for spreading messages of kindness and curiosity. Plus, they identified, this is not the primary time he is gotten vaccinated.
Huge Chicken has been serving to youngsters vaccinate for the reason that starting, I am positive everybody remembers their classes from Sesame Avenue, particularly those about Kindness and caring for one another. pic.twitter.com/L84kTjRWbV
— Kwertzy fulla Turkey (@kwertzy) November 7, 2021
Huge Chicken himself mentioned he had simply discovered that he had been getting vaccines since he was “somewhat hen.”
An account known as “Muppet Wiki” backed up these claims with a series of video clips from a 1972 episode wherein Huge Chicken will get vaccinated towards measles.
And Huge Chicken is not the one younger resident of Sesame Avenue to get the COVID-19 jab, both. The turquoise, bilingual muppet Rosita (who is outwardly 5) additionally bought vaccinated lately.
The 2 appeared on CNN — with Granny Chicken too — over the weekend to share their questions, experiences and recommendations on getting the shot.
This story initially appeared in the Morning Edition live blog.
