The city of San Francisco initiated a "whimsical" $50,000 public awareness project called "Healthy Penis 2002." As part of the campaign, large bus shelter-sized ads displayed a smiling cartoon penis with syphilitic sores. The motto of the campaign is: "Making every penis a healthy penis."

The city of Los Angeles is spending nearly $400,000 on a similar campaign featuring "Phil," a bumpy, red cartoon syphilis sore who wears silver shoes and an earring. The city plans to distribute some 40,000 sqeezeable Phil the Syphilis Sore toys.

[Ed.: Sesame Street Workshop announced it was canceling plans to introduce an HIV-positive muppet on American television. The muppet will still appear in AIDS-ravaged South Africa.]

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