The videos made like EW were made for co-workers. They wouldn't leak out, unless somebody stole a copy. But you can't possibly expect them (Any of the performers, even back to the early days.) to be sugary sweet all the time. They're normal people. If it's only going to be shown to an adult audience, there's no reason why they shouldn't parody themselves. Also, Sesame and Henson are not the only places to do stuff like this..most animation companys, such as Disney have done films like this too, that were never seen by the public (IE, Tinkerbell and Jiminy Cricket...well..must I say more?)
<<Thats why henson sued "Meet the feebles" they did...didnt they? >>
I believe they did. If they did, it would have been because it was too closely related to Muppets, not because it WAS Muppets. Therefore, comparing that to the Elmo wrap tape doesn't make much sense.
<<It jepordizes the character integriety of the Henson brand.>>
I disagree. Henson himself even said he never took the characters seriously. If they were parodied, he didn't mind. They were only acting tools.
Also, to be fair, Avenue Q does warn people that is is NOT affiliated with Henson or SW, and they will not allow people under the age of 13 in the theater. It also is not a direct parody. It uses the same style of puppetry, and it mocks children's television, but it's not saying "Here's Sesame Street With Sex and Cursing." That's not what they are trying to do. They respect the area they are somewhat mocking. The show also is not all sex and shocks. It's a story of a youngmman finding his purpose. It's a love story. It's a story about stuff everyday people have to conquer.