Viewed more than 700,000 times on Instagram, a nine-second video showing a Sesame Street mascot at a parade in Sesame Place park near Philadelphia refusing to hug two black children has created an uproar in recent days.
The mum who took her daughter and niece to the park posted the video to Instagram, writing, “This disgusting person flat out said NO to our kids and then gave the little white girl next to us a hug! “. She also added that she would “never set foot in the amusement park again.”
Since the incident last weekend, the children’s family have hired a lawyer and want to pursue the action. In an Instagram post, B’Ivory LaMarr, the attorney representing the family, said they consider what happened to be “nothing less than intentional abuse,” and that they “will exercise all legal remedies” to hold the park accountable.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, the amusement park said it had apologized to the family and offered them another visit.
In a separate statement, Sesame Workshop said Sesame Place, which is its licensed partner, “will conduct bias training and a thorough review of how it engages with families and visitors.”
— Sesame Workshop (@SesameWorkshop) July 18, 2022
The park first explained that the incident may have been a “misunderstanding”, as the character used the same refusal gesture more than once in response to requests from several people in the crowd who wanted Rosita to hold. their children for a photo, which is not allowed. They also added that the suit might make it difficult to see lower levels.
Some social media users have called for a boycott of the amusement park since new videos emerged showing the character appearing to ignore black children, including user @champagne_tio who shared a video of her five-year-old daughter who appeared to be ignored by the mascot.
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