Katy Perry should have thought long and hard before upstaging a megastar like Elmo in a segment filmed for Sesame Street that appears to teach children the lesson 'C is for cleavage', to the dismay of too many parents.

On Monday, a video of Perry singing a version of her song Hot n Cold and begging to "play" with Elmo was leaked on the internet. Parents, outraged by Perry's low-cut dress, protested on various web forums. The Los Angeles Times bloggers spotted comments such as "You're going to have to rename [Sesame Street] Cleavage Avenue" and "My kid wants milk now".



In the wake of the protests, Sesame Street's producers decided not to use the clip, and put out a statement:

"In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video which was released on YouTube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of Sesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers ... We use parodies and celebrity segments to interest adults in the show because we know that a child learns best when co-viewing with a parent or care-giver. We also value our viewer's opinions and particularly those of parents."

Perry responded in another statement:

Katy enjoyed working with Sesame Street, [Elmo puppeteer] Kevin Clash and playing dress-up with Elmo.

The publicity and a couple of million Youtube hits won't do her any harm, but for Perry the affair may put her career in some perspective. In the US, and many other parts of the world, Elmo is a genuine A-list superstar. Elmo dolls, Elmo food items – including crackers shaped like his little red furry head – Elmo diapers and and Elmo books are ubiquitous. Perry has a long way to go.

TMZ noted: "This post was brought to you by the letter C-cup."