Sesame Place apologizes after Rosita character disses girls

A children’s park is under fire and a muppet on the defensive after a performer at Sesame Place apparently breezed by two crestfallen Black girls after giving high-fives to other spectators.

The two girls were being filmed by their mother, who was waiting for the character Rosita, who was greeting people all along the road. In the video, the Rosita performer walks right by the young girls at the Philadelphia park even as they reach up their expectant hands. Their faces crumple as Rosita wags a finger, shakes her head no, and strides away, leaving the girls in the lurch.

The mom, who goes by the handle “__jodiii__,” posted the video on Instagram, where it went viral.

“THIS DISGUSTING person blatantly told our kids NO then proceeded to hug the little white girl next to us!” she wrote on Saturday. “Then when I went to complain about it, they were looking at me like I’m crazy.”

The park had a different take, and offered an apology, along with a declaration that it supports “inclusivity and equality in all forms.”

The park said that Rosita had been unable to see the girls specifically due to the nature of the costume, and had been shaking her head at someone else who had asked her to hold a baby for a photo. Characters are not permitted to do that, the park said.

“Regarding the incident yesterday, the costumers our performers wear sometimes make it difficult to see at lower levels and sometimes our performers miss hug requests from guests,” the Philadelphia theme park said in its own Instagram statement. “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 Rosita performer did not intentionally ignore the girls and is devastated about the misunderstanding.”

The park has offered the family a special meet-and-greet with all the characters.

The park also said its staff would undergo bias training, something the nonprofit Sesame Workshop, a licensed partner of Sesame Place, said it had told the park to do.

“Sesame Workshop is aware of the recent incident at Sesame Place Philadelphia, which we take very seriously. What these children experienced is unacceptable. We have been in contact with Sesame Place, our licensed park partner, and they have assured us that they will conduct bias training and a thorough review of the ways in which they engage with families and guests,” Sesame Workshop tweeted.