‘Avenue Q’ puppet too busty for Colorado Springs

Lucy the Slut has proudly displayed her cleavage all across the country, appearing in posters that feature her voluptuous bosoms barely contained in a glittery brassiere.

But Lucy, one of the puppet stars of the risque Broadway show “Avenue Q,” won’t get the same exposure in the conservative bastion of Colorado Springs, Colo., where her ample -- if also pink and fuzzy -- endowment has proved too much for a billboard company.

“They said it wasn’t appropriate for their market,” said Kristy Maple, marketing director for NewSpace Entertainment, which is bringing the touring production to mid-sized cities around the country.

The show bills itself as “60% adult situations and 40% foam rubber” and features the adventures of both humans and puppets in New York. One of its songs -- “The Internet is for Porn” -- has become a YouTube sensation.

When NewSpace Entertainment approached Lamar Advertising about placing bus stop ads in Colorado Springs, a representative initially didn’t see a problem with it, Maple said. “It was going to the presses, and a top executive said, ‘We can’t do this in Colorado Springs,’ ” she said.

Jeff Moore, an account executive with Lamar, declined to comment Tuesday, and other officials were not available. However, Moore told the Colorado Springs Gazette that the puppet cleavage didn’t pass the test: “If I have to explain it to my 4-year-old or my grandmother, we don’t put it up.”

Nationwide, Lucy has gone over pretty well in most of the markets in which the ads have appeared, although a few have turned them down, said Marya Peters, spokeswoman for Allied Live, which handles the show’s national marketing.

In Colorado Springs, bus stop ads are featuring Lucy’s fellow puppet stars. One of them is Rod, a well-groomed, buttoned-up, closeted gay Republican.

Correll writes for The Times.