Katy Perry: 'Too sexy' for 'Sesame Street'

The video: Katy Perry is probably as famous for her seemingly endless array of skimpy, figure-hugging outfits as for her pop hits "I Kissed a Girl" and "California Girls." Even so, you might have expected her to put some clothes on for her appearance on "Sesame Street," that perennial favorite of pre-schoolers. But Perry dressed for her duet of "Hot and Cold" with Elmo much as she did for her music video with Snoop Dogg: In a cleavage-baring look.

The reaction: "'Sesame Street' is supposed to be for toddlers, right?" asks Matt Cherette at Gawker. Was it really too much to ask "playmate" Perry to "cover up a bit more?" But Perry is a big draw for the "pint-size set," says Amy Graff at The San Francisco Chronicle. Even if she left parents "with a lot of explaining to do," her music is "candy for kids' ears." It's no wonder "Sesame Street" booked her. [Update: "In light of the feedback" they've received on their YouTube preview, "Sesame Street"'s producers have opted not to air the Perry segment. "Too sexy" after all, says CNN's Marquee blog.] Watch Perry shed light on the concept of "opposites" with a not-particularly-scandalized Elmo:

Originally published Sept. 22, 2010. Updated Sept. 23.

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