More videos have emerged of a Sesame Place character seemingly ignoring Black kids, a day after the Sesame Street-themed park in Philadelphia claimed a viral clip was the result of a one-off misunderstanding.
The videos surfaced after a clip of two Black girls watching the Sesame Street Party Parade went viral over the weekend, showing Rosita, an aqua blue monster, seemingly snubbing them to give high-fives to white children.
The girls’ family has since vowed to file a lawsuit if “appropriate remedies” are not taken. “We think this was an intentional act that resulted in emotional distress,” the family’s attorney, B’Ivory LaMarr, told The Daily Beast.
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The park initially apologized, claiming the performer couldn’t see the girls because of the costume and was shaking their head at other attendees who were asking for photos with their kids, which is not allowed. But LaMarr said multiple families have since contacted him about their Black children also being snubbed by the same character at the park.
In one video shared by @theneighborhoodtalk, Rosita appears to ignore a Black boy during a parade when he steps out to greet her.
In another video shared by @hollywoodunlocked, a Black girl—who is the most prominent in a crowd—consistently waves to Rosita, but the character ignores her and hugs a white child next to her.
Multiple videos from @frobabies show Rosita prioritizing hugs for white children in a diverse crowd of kids.
A small girl is seen in a video running up to Rosita in the park, but the character waves at other kids and walks off, leaving the girl confused and by herself.
With the video, the user posted the caption, “Now, I’m not saying #Rosita is racist.. but whoever is under this/those masks sure is curving a bunch of brown kids..She ignored Lola TWICE last Sunday. (7/10) Lola ran up to her saying ‘ROSITA!’ The character went out of their way to change course and Immediately after hugged and took a pic with a little white girl. Investigate this pattern.”
Speaking to The Daily Beast Tuesday, LaMarr said Rosita was a favorite character of the girls, who are six-year-old cousins. They were excited to see the muppet approach them during the parade, but were left heartbroken when the character turned away and ignored them. One of the girls’ mothers—who recorded the interaction—was so disturbed by their disappointment, LaMarr said, that she went to management to report the incident. However, park administrators dismissed the situation, he said, even after they were shown footage of what happened.
“Obviously, [the girls] were confused,” LaMarr said. “They were in a lot of stress—the whole family.”
LaMarr said the mother attempted to explain racism to the girls on their ride home from the park. He also said she contacted management again, but staff members told her, “Our employees would never do anything like that.”
LaMarr claimed Sesame Place only later put out an apology on social media after the mother’s video went viral on Instagram.
In a post with the video, the mother claimed Rosita interacted with white guests immediately before and after her daughter and niece tried to hug the muppet.
“I will never step foot in @sesameplace ever again !” she wrote.
LaMarr said that the family doesn’t want to file a lawsuit but will if they have to.
“The family wants a couple of things,” he said. “[T]hey want a public, formal apology. They want something that is genuine, authentic… Acknowledge what happened and investigate it and take the appropriate action.”
In a general statement to The Daily Beast about the latest videos and the family’s potential lawsuit, Sesame Place apologized to the family and said it is “committed to making this right.”
“We will conduct training for our employees so they better understand, recognize and deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience to our guests,” the statement read, which was also posted on Instagram. “For over 40 years Sesame Place has worked to uphold the values of respect, inclusion and belonging. We are committed to doing a better job making children and families feel special, seen and included when they come to our parks.”
