Demonstrators protest 'racist' Obama t-shirts

The owner of the facility, called Mulligans Food & Spirits, said he did not intend to be racist and demanded that the demonstrators leave his parking lot. "If that offends them, they're hunting for a reason to be offended," owner Mike Norman told CNN.

Norman said he simply made the t-shirts because he saw a resemblance between Obama and the monkey, which resembles the character Curious George.  "I looked and I thought, man, look at those ears and that hairline. That's what I saw. I didn't see anything offensive," he said.

Protesters were not amused by his explanation, and one demonstrator, identified as the Rev. Dwight Graves of the Cobb County SCLC, called the image was based on a "historical stereotype." CNN reported that there was "plenty of support" for the t-shirts and the bar has already sold out of the item.

The publisher that owns the book rights to the Curious George character is considering legal action. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt issued a statement that said the company finds the t-shirt "offensive and utterly out of keeping with the values Curious George represents," according to the Boston Herald.

The Herald also reported that this isn't the first time the Curious George character has been dragged into the presidential contest. Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh reportedly apologized on air for laughing at a caller's comment that her daughter thought Obama resembled the cartoon character.