A rainy cloud has drifted over Sesame Street. The show’s theme park, Sesame Place, has come under fire earlier from a video uploaded by an upset parent. The video, which can be viewed below, has sparked controversy and a calling for action.
Sesame Place is a Philadelphia-based theme park and water park where families can come visit their furry friends of Sesame Street. The video in question was taken during one of the many parades featured at the park. Two little black girls are eagerly waving as a park employee dressed as Rosita approaches, waving. As both girls hold their arms out for a hug, Rosita shakes her head in their direction and keeps walking.
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The video was uploaded by Leslie Mac, who tagged Sesame Place and expressed her frustration over the incident. The video has attracted the attention of other parents of the black community, who began uploading other videos of costumed characters in the park either ignoring or playing too rough with children. Sesame Place was quick to respond on their own Twitter, issuing an apology and stating that the video was a misunderstanding. The park has promised to do better with training employees on how to interact with young guests and has invited the family to come back for an exclusive meet and greet with the characters.
Alongside the Sesame Place apology post, Sesame Workshop made a post of their own about the incident. The tweet, which can be read below, also apologizes for the incident. Sesame Workshop agreed that the behavior of the employee was not acceptable and did not match the overall message that Sesame Street was founded on.
Sesame Street has a long history of lifting the voices of marginalized communities, all the way back to the first season. From being set in an urban street to featuring a diverse human cast, it’s not surprising that Sesame Workshop would be quick to respond to such an accusation. In 2021, two new Muppet characters were introduced, a father and son duo named Wes and Elijah. The two were created as a means of discussing racial identity for audiences of young and old. A clip of the two visiting a barbershop, as well as a 2021 quote from Kay Wilson Stallings, executive vice president of creative and production for Sesame Workshop, can be seen below. Stallings told Time how recent racial tensions called for the topic to be visited in the show.
The Sesame Place incident has an extra layer due to Rosita’s own history on the show. Debuting in 1991, Rosita was the first Latina Muppet introduced to the show, as well as the first bilingual Muppet. A clip below features Rosita singing about being proud of her Mexican heritage.
