Hot and Cold " Hot and Cold " is a " Sesame Street " song performed by Katy Perry and Elmo . The song parodies Perry ' s " Hot n Cold . " The musical segment , originally intended to air as part of episode 4238 , was pulled from the show due to concerns over Perry ' s low - cut outfit . In the segment Katy wants to play dress up with Elmo like he promised , but he runs off instead . She sings about the many places he is ( up , down , around , in , out ) and how contradictory his is to her ( being hot , cold , yes and no ) while chasing him all over the city . When she finally catches him , he says they ' re playing tag and the chase continues . Oscar the Grouch makes a cameo peering out from an alley - way trashcan ; and a green Anything Monster , several Muppet chickens , two birds , a cactus , a penguin , two small dogs , and a butterfly also appear in the digital environment of the video . The backgrounds were produced by Magnetic Dreams Animation Studio . Though unused on the show , the song was performed in the " Sesame Street Live " show , " Make a New Friend " by Elmo and Grover , when they feel Abby Cadabby and Chamki have forgotten about them . Controversy . Sesame Workshop released the video online via their YouTube channel to promote the upcoming 41st season . As the clip rapidly approached the million - hit mark , Perry ' s low - cut costume started an uproar among parents and conservatives . On September 23 , it was announced that the segment would be pulled from the television broadcast of " Sesame Street " due to the feedback from viewers of the YouTube video . Producers found the segment to be provocative for television , even though Perry ' s " bare chest " is reportedly covered in flesh - colored mesh that goes all the way to her neck . In an October interview , " Sesame " head writer Joey Mazzarino explained that Perry ' s outfit didn ' t ring any alarm bells for the staff : Sesame Workshop issued an official statement on September 23 : Despite saying the video would remain online , as of September 23 , the video on " Sesame Street ' s " official YouTube channel has been " removed by the user . " The video , however , remains on Perry ' s YouTube channel , " KatyPerryMusic " . The statement from Sesame Workshop as posted on its official Facebook page replaces the YouTube reference with one to Katy Perry ' s official website . Both Perry and her fiancé , Russell Brand , made light of the incident on their official Twitter accounts , with Perry commenting " Wow , looks like my play date with Elmo has been cut short ! " and Brand quipping , " today ' s Sesame Street will NOT be brought to you by the number 34 or the letter D . " In an interview on " Good Morning America " , Elmo told George Stephanopoulos that he wants to sing with Perry again , stating : " We ’ ll have another one . Elmo loves Ms . Katy and we had a good time , so we ' ll have another play date . Yes Miss Katy , come , come , come , come ! We ' ll have another play date ! " Writer Carol - Lynn Parente also commented that she was surprised at the controversy behind the video . Also on hand was Grover , who asked Stephanopoulos " How do you like my new outfit , huh ? It is not too revealing , is it ? " Although pulled from air , the segment is still listed in the " Parodies " section of the official press kit . On the September 25th broadcast of " Saturday Night Live " , musical guest Katy Perry appeared in a sketch with host Amy Poehler lampooning the controversy . Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa parodied the skit on their talk show " Live " . Sources . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _