Philadelphia’s Sesame Place theme park has apologised following a video in which one of its costumed staff appeared to shun two young black girls.
The video, posted by digital strategist Leslie Mac on Twitter shows a performer dressed as Sesame Street character Rosita high-fiving visitors before waving off the two girls when she gets to them.
“We sincerely apologise to the family for their experience in our park on Saturday; we know that it’s not ok,” said a statement posted by the park on Twitter. “We will conduct training for our employees so they better understand, recognise and deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience to our guests.”
An earlier post on the park’s Instagram account also suggested that the hand gesture seen in the video was not directed at a specific person but to multiple requests that Rosita hold a child for a photo, which is prohibited. The post also said that due to sight lines from inside the costumes, ‘hug requests’ can sometimes be missed.
