Sesame Place Philadelphia has apologized following backlash from a video in which a costumed employee seemed to ignored two small black children during a parade. But that apology couldn’t save poor Elmo.
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Elmo and a jet engine faced off with the ending pre-determined.
Interestingly, Elmo was first brought to life and played remarkably well by Kevin Clash from 1984-2012. Clash, 61, is black.
Regardless, it was indeed a bad look for the costumed Sesame Place employee to wave off the children, who wore a major look of disappointment after the fact.
“We sincerely apologize to the family for their experience in our park on Saturday; know that it’s not OK,” the company said in a statement. “We are taking actions to do better; are 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.”
“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.”
Sesame Place, however, has not yet released a statement on the jet-engine-obliterated Elmo.