Pink Puppet Washing?

You know it is a slow news day when you have stories like this.

And about ambiguously gay puppets.

AP Photo/Yossi Weiss, Israel Electric Corporation, HOPD
AP Photo/Yossi Weiss, Israel Electric Corporation, HOPD

The goal was merely to promote clean energy in Israel — but television ads starring a pair of male puppets called “plug” and “socket” have instead unleashed a debate about gay pride.

The puppets, named Sheka and Teka in Hebrew, have appeared in ads for the state-owned Israel Electric Corp. for more than a decade. Israelis have long playfully questioned whether they might be gay. But the arrival of a baby puppet in the new campaign set off fresh speculation about their sexual orientation.

The ads highlight a striking paradox of the Holy Land: Although religion holds great sway and there is no civil marriage, gays have gained a widespread acceptance that is increasingly noted around the world. Gay activists demand the ad characters, who have a close but ambiguous relationship, officially come out of the closet.

Some gay rights advocates accuse the company of being intentionally ambiguous about their sexuality in a cynical publicity ploy.

“This should weigh on the conscience of everyone who worked on this campaign, who will come home and ask themselves whether they would want to raise a child in a country where the electric company says: ‘Hide, don’t be proud,’” wrote Dvir Bar in nightlife magazine City Mouse.

Sheka and Teka have drawn comparisons with another famous puppet pair: Bert and Ernie, whose sexuality also has come into question in pop culture. Sesame Workshop, which produces “Sesame Street,” has declared that the two are just good friends and they “remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”

In their latest ad, Sheka and Teka are seen in a living room, talking to a pinkish baby puppet with a tuft of orange hair. The scene then flashes back to a hospital nursery, where the baby is sucking on a pacifier and Teka congratulates Sheka on the birth of his child. It’s unclear who the mother is.

Later in the ad, the duo sits on a park bench with the child. They breathe in the fresh air the electricity company suggests is made possible by cleaner energy production. Teka sniffs and suggests that the baby needs a diaper change.

Other ads have seen the two on a shaded paddle boat in the Dead Sea, driving a red convertible in crisp black suits and sunglasses, and lounging on the couch in their pajamas. They have also been seen sharing a room with single beds. Many of the ads are public service announcements, warning children about the dangers of climbing electricity towers or getting too close to space heaters.

The Israel Electric Corp. says it does not understand the fuss over the campaign. It says the puppets, who have been on the air since 2002, are merely delivering the company’s messages.

“They represent the concerned Israeli, who is really worried about the air quality he is breathing and the environment he lives in. The baby that was born now represents the next generation,” said Oren Helman, a senior vice president who is behind the commercial. “There are no hints or ambiguities here.”

Ok, hold it right there. Their names are plug and socket for goodness sake. And you needed a baby puppet to reveal their sexual orientation?

But in case you needed further proof, here is an example ad with Sheka and Teka (with a cameo by Helen Thomas, apparently). The puppets seem to be almost kissing at one point.

Here’s another one, where the puppets seem to be in a compromising position.

And in this one we see more of their living arrangements.

So yes, I do suspect Teka and Sheka play for the other team.

And yes, I do not know why I just wrote a post about it. As I said, slow news day.

Update: Mind you, I think Elmo might be getting more such action right about now

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