Muppet Fact #99
The 1996 film Muppet Treasure Island features Spa'am, the chief of the island's native pigs. However, in 1995, just a few months before the film's release, the Hormel Foods Corporation, creators of SPAM, decided to sue Jim Henson Productions for trademark infringement and dilution over Spa'am. They claimed that the "grotesque" "evil in porcine form" would tarnish their product's reputation and that it would decrease the sales of their SPAM merchandise.
In favor of Henson, the judge dismissed the case on September 22, 1995 saying, "one might think Hormel would welcome the association with a genuine source of pork."
Sources:
"Hormel Sues Over a Boarish Film Muppet." James C. McKinley Jr. July 26, 1995. The New York Times.
"Following Up – When Is a Wart Hog A Canned Pork Product?" Tina Kelly. August 6, 2000. The New York Times.
"Hormel Foods Corp. v. Jim Henson Prods., 73 F.3d 497 (2d Cir. 1996)."