A tavern owner in Georgia has been peddling the shirt with a picture of a happy Curious George eating a banana above the words “Obama in ’08.”
The tavern owner, who some have described as an “ultra-conservative,” has denied to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the T-shirt is racist. But protesters outside his tavern say the comparison of Obama, who is an African- American, to a monkey is an old racist stereotype.

Comparing a black man to a monkey is racist? Who would have thought?

Not surprisingly, the publishers of the Curious George books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt , is considering legal action against the gay making and selling the shirt because it goes against what Curious George represents.

In a statement, the Boston publisher, which owns the book rights to Curious George, said today the firm finds the T-shirt “offensive and utterly out of keeping with the values Curious George represents.”
The statement, issued by Houghton spokesman Richard Blake, added: “We are monitoring the situation and weighing our options with respect to possible legal action.”

Via / Jack and Jill Politics andThe Boston Herald