Clearly puppet owners have feelings too.

Rusty the rooster and Jerome the giraffe have left the building (The CBC Museum in Toronto) , and the Friendly Giant is rolling over in his grave after the legendary puppet duo were mocked in a short comedy sketch prepared for and aired at the 2007 Gemini Awards.

Richard Homme, the son of the late Bob Homme (aka The Friendly Giant) feels that trust and contract were violated because approval to use the puppets was never sought. He also insists that had permission been sought, they would have never given the CBC the green light to portray Rusty and Jerome as forgotten, retirement home-dwelling, drinking, smoking, and over-sexed has-beens.

I'm not sure where the real problem is. Clearly the sketch aimed to be funny, nostalgic, hip, and risquĂŠ. Was it the part where one puppet was shown "going down" on another that went too far? Or was it their referring to (legendary) retired puppets as a "flop"?

Rusty and Jerome, you will be missed.