That Bert and Ernie New Yorker cover that the Socialist Left has been gushing about this morning was not conceived overnight, in a sleepless fit of post-DOMA glee. Rather, artist Jack Hunter's image of Sesame Street's most famous same-sex cohabitants dates back to May of 2012.

In his note about next week's "Moment of Joy" image, New Yorker art director Francoise Mouly acknowledges that Hunter's image was originally submitted, unsolicited, to a Tumblr. But that Tumblr was actually Blown Covers (which for some reason is currently down), the blog Mouly runs with her daughter Nadja. Hunter's image won "The Gays " contest, a theme of the week last spring.

From a cached version of the page:

Nadja had to gently break to me the news of all the rumors surrounding these two beloved muppets. But this scene is so sweet (I love their 1950’s television set) — it had to be the winner.

The TV screen has since been modified from a grainy Obama shot to a grainy Supreme Court group photo, as you can see. But otherwise, the design and ("Innocence. Lost.") spirit are the same.

There's still hope, Silence of the City contributors!

[New Yorker // image by Jim Cooke]

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