Sesame Place park apologizes after Black girls asking for hugs snubbed

Sesame Place has apologized for the snub, but more videos have begun to circulate that show characters ignoring other Black children.

Sesame Place, the Philadelphia-area theme park based on the children’s show Sesame Street, has responded to allegations of racism after one of its characters was accused of snubbing two six-year-old Black fans.

In a video posted to Instagram over the weekend by Jodi Brown, the mother of one of the girls, the costumed character of Rosita is seen waving to and high-fiving white onlookers during a parade, but gesturing “no” and turning away from the two young Black girls.

“I will never step foot in @sesameplace ever again,” Brown wrote.

Brown told CBS News that as soon as the girls were ignored she stopped recording and sought out a manager.

“I had to explain to them, ‘You didn’t do anything. It’s OK. I’m going to speak to a manager and find out why it happened,'” she said, adding that the girls were “sad” and “heartbroken.”

Sesame Place responded to the video this week, saying in a statement posted to Instagram that the park stands for “inclusivity and equality in all forms.”