Facing a firestorm of protest and a threat of a boycott by parents nationwide, Walt Disney Studios has agreed to remove the controversial character Tickle Monster from their upcoming summer film, “Monsters University,” the prequel to the 2001 blockbuster, “Monster’s Inc.” In the latest installment, the characters Mike and Sully attend college at Penn State University where they major in scaring children and meet the Tickle Monster, who serves as the school’s football coach, and from whom students learn how to permentaly traumatize children.

“The Tickle Monster has been a staple for generations of American children,” Disney CEO Bob Iger told Hollywood & Swine. “Who hasn’t had a creepy adult growing up who refers to himself as the Tickle Monster and continues tickling long after it stops being amusing.”

The controversy around “Monsters University” began two years ago when the movie was forced to change the name from “Monsters Inc. 2: Penn State,” to the school’s nickname “Monsters University,” following the shocking football sex scandal that horrified the nation. All mentions of Penn State University have been edited out the film.

Things only got worse for Disney when the voice behind the Tickle Monster character, “Sesame Street” Elmo Puppeteer Kevin Clash, was accused last year of engaging in sexual relations with minors. But Disney immediately brought in veteran character actor Jeffrey Jones to redub all of Clash’s Tickle Monster dialogue.

This isn’t the first time Disney has faced the wrath of parents. Last year, the studio’s “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” about a childless couple who grow a boy in their backyard, resulted in thousands of alleged pedophiles taking a sudden interest in gardening (Hollywood & Swine, August 21, 2012). The studio soon came under fire after it began selling the controversial “Timothy Green” seeds at Home Depot in order to cash in on the film’s surprising merchandising potential.