Man cited for disorderly conduct for poking "Sesame" character

Associated Press ^ | 08/05/03 | Staff Writer

[bedolido]

A New York City man became annoyed with a theme park worker dressed as Telly from "Sesame Street" and shoved an umbrella into the worker's stomach, police said.

Hiram Cruz, of the Bronx, was cited for disorderly conduct for poking the 17-year-old employee Friday during a visit to Sesame Place outside Philadelphia, police said.

The teen complained of minor stomach pain and was taken to a hospital as a precaution, Middletown Sgt. Ken Mellus said.

"He felt that Telly was bothering him in some way," Mellus said. "I don't think he was trying to hurt the kid. He thought the costume had padding."

Cruz was visiting the theme park with his ex-wife and 3-year-old child when the altercation took place, police said. A message left for a Hiram Cruz in the Bronx was not immediately returned today.

Two years ago, a Maryland man kicked, punched and knocked down a Sesame Place worker dressed as Cookie Monster because she wouldn't pose with his 3-year-old daughter. Lee P. McPhatter Jr., then 22, of Waldorf, was convicted of simple assault, disorderly conduct and harassment and sentenced to a year of probation. He also was ordered to take an anger-management class.

[bedolido]

[bedolido]

Say it isn't so, Cookie Monster

[Yo-Yo]

Man cited for disorderly conduct for poking "Sesame" character

Oh wait, Tinky-Winky is a Teletubbie, not a Sesame Street character.

[b9]

People really can be rude to costumed characters.

I made Sylvester and Tweety costumes for my daughter and her friend one time ... they wore them in the local Christmas parade and were poked, punched, shoved
and harassed...til my daughter (Sylvester) shoved a big kid right back. He was shocked!

[Hank Rearden]

Oh wait, Tinky-Winky is a Teletubbie, not a Sesame Street character.

Correct. It's open season on Teletubbies, and no charges would have been filed.

[eyespysomething]

This is Telly:

[eyespysomething]

Its in subtitles.

[al_c]

I guess he thought it was some sort of life-sized Tickle Me Elmo spinoff. ;o)

"OOOFF!! Telly's not ticklish there!"

[bedolido]

People really can be rude to costumed characters.

If it's not halloween, or there are no kids close by, costumed characters MUST be tormented. It's a man thing. We torment costumed characters and wives... and cashiers in foodmarts, librarians, waitresses, flight attendants, ... actually most everything (according to my wife)

[Drango]

[San Jacinto]

Mascot abuse is becoming a big problem in this country. The San Diego Chicken has been threatened. There was that giant Sausage thing in Milwaukee that the ball player hit with a bat, the Cookie Monster attack, and now this. I know many people who have harbored homicidal thoughts toward "Rowdy", that stupid idiot with the big foam cowboy hat at Dallas Cowboy games. Even when I was a teenager it was a problem. I was hired to dress up in a clown suit and try to wave people in to a hamburger joint on a busy street one Saturday. Every old fart over the age of forty shot me the finger as he drove by.

I say it is time for a new civil rights law to protect Costumed Characters. It should be a Hate Crime to abuse, threaten or harass a Costumed Character, regardless of color, species, animation status, or studio affiliation. Why can't we just all get along?

[bedolido]

I say it is time for a new civil rights law to protect Costumed Characters. It should be a Hate Crime to abuse, threaten or harass a Costumed Character, regardless of color, species, animation status, or studio affiliation. Why can't we just all get along?

I agree. Those found guilty should be made to watch Ben-Lo and J-Lo in Gigli on an unending loop for 30 days.

[Map Kernow]

All the guy Cruz had to do was swing at "Telly's" head with a baseball bat and knock him down. That would guaranteed no charges. In fact, the person in the "Telly" costume would have held a press conference afterwards and giggled that there was no harm and no foul. Hey, it worked in Milwaukee, didn't it?

[MineralMan]

"People really can be rude to costumed characters.
"

They sure can. One year my wife worked part-time at a state fair, wearing a large, awkward, hot peacock costume for a local TV station. After the first day, she told me that she'd been kicked, punched, and knocked down several times by drunken men at the fair.

So, the next day, and each day following, I accompanied her quietly around the fairgrounds. She was right. Several times, guys approached this character and started in on her. She wasn't supposed to speak, as the character, so it usually began with some sort of taunting. Then it started to progress to pushing or shoving.

That's where I stepped in. Each time it happened, I stepped in, told the drunk that my wife was in that costume and that he needed to move off and leave the character alone.

Just one guy chose me out after I did this. The rest just swore at me and moved on. The one guy, though, wasn't so fortunate. I let him take a swing at me, dodged it, then beat the crap out of him. Lots of witnesses saw him start the fight, and nobody got arrested or anything.

I had to do this for two weeks while my wife worked that job, and dealt with dozens of drunken buttheads.

So, if you're reading this and thinking about harassing some costumed character, remember that it's usually a woman inside, and her husband just may be following her around.

[KarlInOhio]

Those found guilty should be made to watch Ben-Lo and J-Lo in Gigli on an unending loop for 30 days.

Amnesty International would come in and double tap the poor convict around the fourth hour.

[MineralMan]

"If it's not halloween, or there are no kids close by, costumed characters MUST be tormented. It's a man thing. We torment costumed characters and wives... and cashiers in foodmarts, librarians, waitresses, flight attendants, ... actually most everything (according to my wife)"

Read my #16.

[bedolido]

Read my #16.

I was being sarcastic... ummm sir. Won't happen again... well sarcasm will happen again.. but not in anyway that might involve you or your lovely wife... not that I know she's lovely... sir... I mean... knowing you---she's lovely. Must depart now...

[lepton]

Mascot abuse is becoming a big problem in this country.

Maybe it's a side-effect of them looking like cartoons. C'mon, you can't REALLY hurt a big (padded) Telly, can you?