'The Muppet Show' is the latest programme to receive 'offensive content' warning on Disney+

Five seasons of the show have been added to the streaming platform, alongside a prior disclaimer

Elton John on an episode of 'The Muppet Show' in 1977. Rex Features 

Disney will attach an offensive content warning to The Muppet Show.

Five seasons of the famous children’s television show are now available to stream on Disney+, with each episode subject to a prior disclaimer warning that the show includes “mistreatment of people or cultures” and “stereotypes”.

“This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now,” the disclaimer states.

“Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together,” the statement continues.

“Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe."

It is the latest in a string of warnings added to classic Disney films and television shows on the streaming platform, which launched in November 2019.

The same message has been added to Peter Pan, The Aristocats, Dumbo and The Jungle Book, with some films even being removed from the accounts of children under the age of 7.

Although specific reasons have not been given for the warnings for each title, Peter Pan features a Native American tribe whose members are referred to by a racist term, while in the 1970 film The Aristocats, a Siamese cat called Shun Gon, has slanted eyes and prominent teeth, which are viewed as a caricature of East Asian people. Dumbo, which was released in 1941, has been accused of demeaning enslaved African-Americans on Southern plantations.