Muppets Head for the National Mall to Protest

Muppets, puppets and Sesame Street characters are headed for the nation’s capital in November to protest presidential contender Mitt Romney's threat to cut funding for public broadcasting, where the television show Sesame Street has aired for decades.

Organizers say friends of the Public Broadcasting Service will gather Nov. 3 at 9 a.m. on the National Mall to defend PBS.

The grassroots movement was sparked shortly after comments to cut the PBS budget were made by Romney during the first presidential debate. Organizers are encouraging protesters to bring their puppets.

Michael Bellavia and Chris Mecham started organizing the puppet protest on Facebook through MillionaireMuppetMarch and on Twitter with MillionMuppets.

As of Oct. 15, the Facebook page had 188 likes and there were 915 followers on Twitter.

The protest, scheduled three days before the presidential election, already has received support from celebrities including Ian Somerhalder and Pam Grier.

Neiher Disney, which owns the Muppet brand, nor PBS have endorsed the march.