US News

Sesame Street wants Big Bird out of Obama campaign ad

WASHINGTON – President Obama has ruffled some feathers at PBS by putting Big Bird in a TV ad attacking Mitt Romney.

“We have approved no campaign ads, and as is our general practice, have requested that the ad be taken down,” Sesame Workshop, the PBS-affiliated non-profit behind Sesame Street, said today in a statement.

“Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns,” said the statement.

An Obama campaign official said that the campaign “received and will review their concerns.”

The 30-second spot mocks Romney for saying in the presidential debate last week that he’ll cut the federal subsidy for PBS.

The movie-trailer style ad sarcastically touts Romney as a hero ready to go after Big Bird, which is described in the ad as the “evil genius” behind Bernie Madoff and other real life Wall Street “gluttons of greed.”

“Mitt Romney knows it’s not Wall Street you have to worry about, it’s Sesame Street,” the baritone narrator says in the ad. “Mitt Romney. Taking on our enemies, no matter where they nest.”

Obama has practically made the loveable Big Bird character an unofficial campaign mascot since Romney gave the giant puppet a shout out in the presidential debate last week in Denver.

“I like PBS. I love Big Bird,” Romney had said. “But I’m not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it.”

Obama last week sent Big Bird — or at least a crude imitation — to pester Romney at a rally in rural Virginia.

The faux-Big Bird carried a sign that read, “Crack down on Wall Street not Sesame Street.”

smiller@nypost.com