A video showing Sesame Place character Rosita apparently waving away two black children has gone viral and sparked accusations of racism from critics.
A video shared by a person named Jodi on social media shows her two daughters excitedly greeting characters as they parade through the popular theme park in Philadelphia.
When the two girls see the character of Rosita walking by, they step forward for a hug or a high-five alongside other children in their sidewalk line-up.
They responded on seeing other children being accorded the same welcome.
The mother shared the footage of what happened next on her Instagram profile, saying the incident has made her “hot.”
“We were on our way out of sesame place and the kids wanted to stop to see the characters,” she wrote Sunday.
View this post on Instagram
The post then continued: “THIS DISGUSTING person blatantly told our kids NO then proceeded to hug the little white girl next to us! Then when I went to complain about it, they looking at me like I’m crazy.”
The woman said she asked after the identity of the staff member inside the Rosita muppet costume before seeking a meeting with a manager, but she was told they did not know who the employee in the character’s costume was.
The official Sesame Place Instagram account released a statement on the incident, claiming it was all the result of a misunderstanding.
“Our brand, our park and our employees stand for inclusivity and equality in all forms,” the statement read. “Regarding the incident yesterday, the costumes our performers wear sometimes make it difficult to see at lower levels and sometimes our performers miss hug requests from guests.
“The performer portraying the Rosita character has confirmed that the ‘no’ hand gesture seen several times in the video was not directed to any specific person, rather it was a response to multiple requests from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a photo which is not permitted.”
The statement also suggested that a representative for the park spoke to the family involved, apologized and invited them to a special meet-and-greet opportunity with the characters.
That was not enough to soothe some critics.
Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland for one posted a video on her Instagram stories saying the incident made her mad.
“Okay so had that been me, that whole parade would have been in flames,” she said. “Like, are you serious? You’re not going to speak to my child? And did you see that baby’s face at the end? The little one with the pink on? She deserves an explanation.”
File/Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland has added her voice to those disapproving of Sesame Place character Rosita’s theme park actions. (David Livingston/Getty Images)
The person involved in the incident, Instagram, user @__jodiii__ posted her response on Instagram stories.
“I never asked for that character to take a picture and As I am watching my video I don’t believe that family asked either. I wholeheartedly feel as though that statement was released to save face. Also a [manager] reached out to me earlier via phone convo. I responded via dm to confirm.”
She continued: “Since the post went viral no communication was had since then! [Sesame Place] instead of trying to save face you should of gave a public apology to my girls! That statement disrespectful and distasteful. Talk about adding insult to injury. I will re-post this video every day until it is rectified.”
Sesame Workshop (once known as the Children’s Television Workshop) owns the production company behind the Sesame Street series which gave the world the Rosita character.
It has produced the series since it debuted in November 1969 while PBS is the exclusive screening network.
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