Jim Henson's Company Splits With Chick-Fil-A Over Gay Rights

A Chick-fil-A in Atlanta. Mike Stewart/AP Photo

Customers going to Chick-fil-A in search of a Muppets-inspired toy along with their Chick-n-Strips will be greatly disappointed. The toys are no more. The Jim Henson Company, founded by the creator of The Muppets, has severed all ties with Chick-fil-A and announced on its Facebook page that "we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors."

The Jim Henson Company had formed a partnership with Chick-fil-A at the beginning of summer in order to feature Jim Henson's Creature Shop toys in kids' meals from July until Aug. 18. Then, Chick-fil-A's president, Dan McCarthy, announced his support of Christian organizations that oppose gay marriage.

In an interview with The Baptist Press earlier this month, McCarthy was upfront: "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," said McCarthy.

A report from the LGBT advocacy group Equality Matters said that Chick-fil-A donated more than $3 million from 2003 to 2009 to Christian groups that oppose homosexuality. The company then escalated its donations, giving $2 million to such causes in 2010 alone, according to Equality Matters.

On its Facebook page, The Jim Henson Company mentions its CEO, Lisa Henson, as a "strong supporter of gay marriage."

The Jim Henson Company says it will be donating its final residual check from Chick-fil-A to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.