# Re the Chick-Fil-A "safety notice" pulling Muppet toys. Is this fake or for real? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 25, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318 "2012-07-25T04:27:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/1 "2012-07-25T04:27:51Z")
[News outlets treating it is as real](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/24/chick-fil-a-jim-henson-toy-recall-gay_n_1699597.html) I thought this was someone’s failure obvious photoshop joke ie (“fingers stuck in the holes”) but the media says otherwise. > [@](#): > > Last week, the Jim Henson Company announced it would no longer partner with Chick-fil-A in the wake of the fast food company’s acknowledged support of anti-gay organizations. Now, however, Chick-fil-A officials are reportedly telling franchise customers that the kids’ meal toys which were produced as part of the now-severed collaboration have been recalled due to safety issues. > [@](#): > > “We apologize for any inconvenience but as of 7/19/2012 Chick-fil-A has voluntarily recalled all of the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Puppet Kids Meal Toys due to a possible safety issue. Please be advised that there have not been any cases in which a child has actually been injured, however there have been some reports of children getting their fingers stuck in the holes of the puppets.” Addition after posting - Looked at site updates apparently it’s for real. ---
**Author:** ![D-bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@D-bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D-bear)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/2 "2012-07-25T04:38:36Z")
I’ll translate the message posted at the counter… We Apologize for any indication that we might be hiding how bigoted we truly are as a corporate entity, but as of 7/16/2012 Chick-fil-A Chief Operating Officer Daniel Cathy has officially declared that the Corporate Parent of this establishment is “Guilty” of funding the effort to deny Civil Rights to LGBT citizens of the United States of America. Please be advised that there has been no indication that the most staunchly bigoted members of our society have been persuaded that Chick-fil-A is doing anything wrong, however there have been some reports of fair minded moderate members of society being alerted to what a hateful and hurtful company Chick-fil-A truly is. We are offering a very lame corporate response to the firestorm Mr, Cathy has stirred up, claiming that we will leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena, but no one is really being fooled on either side of the debate. Thank You ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/3 "2012-07-25T05:26:26Z")
I read that the funds they received from CFA are being diverted to GLAAD, what a smack in the face. Also, Mike Huckabee is going to have to up his order to 1,500 sandwiches per week to overcome his “endorsement” of the chain, so that they don’t lose money. “Chick-fil-A. We make a damn good chicken sandwich, and we also care deeply about what happens when you’re naked. [sup]TM[/sup] Let us serve, and judge you today!” ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/4 "2012-07-25T05:37:26Z")
I’m happy I’ve never set foot in one of those places. I’m also sure the Henson company is perfectly happy the toys that represent them have been pulled from CFA’s meals. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/5 "2012-07-25T06:10:21Z")
I’m a bit confused as to why the Chick-fil-A story from just a week ago has blown up so much. Didn’t most everybody who cared already know about the Cathys’ idea of “biblical principles” in business? How they’re closed on Sundays? How they give money to things like Marriage & Family Legacy Fund? The relevant recent comment was just, > [@Dan Cathy](#): > > Well, guilty as charged. We are 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. We operate as a family business. Our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that. Okay, so we know what that means. But it’s hardly anything new. There were articles about CfA’s partnership with the Pennsylvania Family Intitute back in January '11. The Henson Company was presumably aware of CfA’s general positions before the toy deal was set up in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/6 "2012-07-25T06:39:50Z")
Why are the right-wingers/christian fundamentalists at Chick-Fil-A partnered with The Muppets in the first place? Don’t they know The Muppets promote liberal propaganda? > **[Miss Piggy: Fox News Is Not News](https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/miss-piggy-fox-news-not-news)** ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/7 "2012-07-25T08:43:27Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > I’m a bit confused as to why the Chick-fil-A story from just a week ago has blown up so much. Didn’t most everybody who cared already know about the Cathys’ idea of “biblical principles” in business? How they’re closed on Sundays? How they give money to things like Marriage & Family Legacy Fund? Nope, many people did not. Or they did not take it seriously. Or they ignored it because they preferred their fries in the shape of a waffle. But now it’s getting increased attention, because the people who run this fast food joint are getting more brazen about their hatred. Is that a bad thing? It’s not always easy for people take action in support of things that are right, but now that this stuff is getting more attention, is it bad that more people are taking notice? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/8 "2012-07-25T10:01:51Z")
> [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](#): > > Nope, many people did not. Or they did not take it seriously. Or they ignored it because they preferred their fries in the shape of a waffle. But now it’s getting increased attention, because the people who run this fast food joint are getting more brazen about their hatred. Is that a bad thing? It’s not always easy for people take action in support of things that are right, but now that this stuff is getting more attention, is it bad that more people are taking notice? Plus, there are Christians who believe everything else Chick-Fil-A promotes, but also are not homophobic. Thus they had plausible deniability. There’s something worse in most people’s minds about supporting a an admitted bigot rather than just someone who likely is one. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/9 "2012-07-25T10:54:10Z")
> [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](#): > > Nope, many people did not. Or they did not take it seriously. Or they ignored it because they preferred their fries in the shape of a waffle. I ignored it for a while because I’m not generally the boycotting type, and I wasn’t going to CFA often. On some level, I don’t care what the owners of companies think about gay rights or any other political issue, because people are allowed to their (bigoted) opinions if they really need to cling to them. But where before I saw CFA as just a Christian company that closes on Sundays to allow their employees time for church, I now see a political agenda that I don’t agree with. Is that reason enough not to eat there? For me, at this moment, I guess so. If it’s between the Muppets and the Chick-Fil-A cow, I have to side with Kermit. I do think the “safety recall” is hysterical, though. “No way, bro, I wasn’t _dumped_. \*\*I \*\*broke up with **him**! So there!” I’m curious to see whether the alleged timeline is true, and the “recall” happened before the Muppet announcement. I doubt it. It makes me a little uncomfortable in general that companies take sides on political issues, but I suppose that corporations are going to make charitable donations to _somebody_, for tax reasons, right? Who makes the call about where the money goes? Do shareholders have a say? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/10 "2012-07-25T11:07:50Z")
IIRC, Chick-fil-A is privately held. Therefore, there are no shareholders to answer to and the Cathy family is allowed to run the company as it sees fit. That being said, the free market works both ways. The Cathy family (or anyone else) is free to run their company according to whatever principles they want. Conversely, I am free to spend my money however I want, according to whatever principles I want. I don’t eat a lot of fast food, but you can bet that I will not spend my money at a company that does not reflect my principles, and I will be spending my money at companies that do. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/11 "2012-07-25T12:20:04Z")
I actually don’t understand how the recall is supposed to be related to the breakup of the partnership. No longer working with Jim Henson’s company doesn’t mean Chick Fil A needs to get all the toys _back_, so why the recall if not for actual recall-able reasons? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/12 "2012-07-25T12:32:49Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I actually don’t understand how the recall is supposed to be related to the breakup of the partnership. No longer working with Jim Henson’s company doesn’t mean Chick Fil A needs to get all the toys _back_, so why the recall if not for actual recall-able reasons? Maybe they intend to return the stock (including recalls) for credit. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/13 "2012-07-25T12:46:54Z")
I was in a huge debate with a friend about this issue a few years ago, because all I could find online (with my Google-fu) was evidence that Mr. Cathy himself was probably homophobic and funding anti-LGBT groups as an individual. I couldn’t find anything that indicated CFA was guilty as a company. And I just wasn’t sure it was fair to label the whole restaurant chain based on its owner. I’ve temped for a lot of companies over the years, and I’ve heard all manner of ignorant crap come out of the mouths of executives. One was making KKK jokes at lunch, to the delight of his colleagues. Perhaps it’s an argument for “eating local”, so that you’re supporting the politics of business owners whom you personally know? Although there, too, my favorite coffee shop is owned by a staunchly Republican, anti-Obama, gun-toting goofball. Who hires extremely Liberal artists and pays them well. I don’t want to fund anti-LGBT activities, even indirectly, but we’re all so connected I can’t imagine there’s any way to completely separate ourselves. Sort of like how cars aren’t truly “MADE” in one place anymore. Plus those waffle fries rule. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/14 "2012-07-25T12:49:44Z")
Some people just do not pay attention to the news. I was out with a group of people and someone suggested we go for a quick bite to eat. Someone suggested CFA. I voted against, and explained why. Half the people present didn’t have a clue, but know now. Chinese buffet won. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/15 "2012-07-25T12:54:14Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I actually don’t understand how the recall is supposed to be related to the breakup of the partnership. No longer working with Jim Henson’s company doesn’t mean Chick Fil A needs to get all the toys _back_, so why the recall if not for actual recall-able reasons? To explain to kids and parents why they’re not giving out any more of the toys, despite having promoted them. Kids get an ice cream or something instead. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/16 "2012-07-25T13:56:52Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > To explain to kids and parents why they’re not giving out any more of the toys, despite having promoted them. Kids get an ice cream or something instead. But for that, they could just put out a “sorry, supplier issue - have an X instead” notice. A recall means they want you to **return** the toys to CFA. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/17 "2012-07-25T14:10:34Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > A recall means they want you to **return** the toys to CFA. I bet if you did, you could get an ice cream. But I doubt most recipients of some junky little free toy are going to bother returning it. If they heed at all the very mild warning in this case, they’re just going to throw the things away. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/18 "2012-07-25T14:12:57Z")
> [@fessie](#): > > And I just wasn’t sure it was fair to label the whole restaurant chain based on its owner. That’s more or less my thoughts too. Cathy may be a bigot. But I don’t know that the owner of my local franchise is, or the people who work there, or the people who own and work for their suppliers, all of whom get a slice of my lunch money. My boycotting the company would hurt the people who work there more than they hurt Cathy, and they’re just doing their jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/19 "2012-07-25T16:08:36Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > That’s more or less my thoughts too. Cathy may be a bigot. But I don’t know that the owner of my local franchise is, or the people who work there, or the people who own and work for their suppliers, all of whom get a slice of my lunch money. My boycotting the company would hurt the people who work there more than they hurt Cathy, and they’re just doing their jobs. Well, so what? You’re going to eat something – the people at those restaurants are going to get their share of your cash instead. Regardless of one’s feelings on the particular matter at hand, this attitude is unsupportable. In a capitalist society, the best way for consumers to promote positive social change is by directing their custom. You abdicate that power because third parties might be injured. But third parties are already being injured. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318/20 "2012-07-25T16:15:31Z")
Since I live in Minnesota, it’s a bit of a moot point but you can bet that going forward, should I be in a location that has one of these restaurants, I’ll look for somewhere else to eat. I’m not going to hunt down anti-gay businesses in order to not go there, but when they make a point of pointing out their bigotry, I’ll skip over them. It’s little thing and probably meaningless, but it makes me feel better. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-the-chick-fil-a-safety-notice-pulling-muppet-toys-is-this-fake-or-for-real/629318.md?page=2)