Back in June, Sesame Street resident Bert Twittered the following: "Ever notice how similar my hair is to Mr. T's The only difference is mine is a little more 'mo,' a little less 'hawk.'" In this case, "mo" was read by some as slang for homosexual, and it seemed as though Bert finally came out; he has, after all, been sleeping next to (and sharing a tub with) Ernie for decades now.

The Tweet, now months old, is back in the headlines, and the LA Times says even if Bert didn't officially come out, many are seeing a gay-friendly vibe on the show. (Even some vintage clips on YouTube seem to show gay rights support.) The latest season has featured openly gay stars like Neil Patrick Harris and Wanda Sykes, LGBT-loving Katy Perry (sort of), and a song by will.i.am that some called the "next gay pride anthem." As for Sesame Street, the VP of Communications there says, "We've always reached out to a variety of actors and athletes and celebrities to appear on the show, and our programming has always appealed to adults as much as children... the idea that anyone would interpret [this season] that way never crossed our minds."

In the past, she has said that Bert and Ernie were not meant to portray a gay couple, and "there are no plans for them to do so in the future. They are puppets, not humans." But filmmaker Peter Spears has cast the two as a gay couple, and a few years ago he put out Ernest & Bertram, which you can watch below: