MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

THE CANCELLATION OF ROSITA: After 31 years, iconic Mexican muppet gets the axe after racism controversy

The character Rosita has reportedly been cancelled by Sesame Place, and banned from meet and greets and the daily parade

The character Rosita has reportedly been canceled by Sesame Place and banned from meet and greets and the daily parade. This development comes after a family launched a $25million lawsuit against the park after the character seemingly ignored a woman's Black daughter and niece as they reached out to her during the parade in July 2022. Rosita has been a loved and adored character over the past 31 years. 

The Daily Mail reported that the bilingual Muppet from Mexico is being erased after the racism controversy. A video showed two Black girls from New York allegedly being snubbed by Rosita during a parade at the park in Langhorne, outside Philadelphia. Sesame Place later claimed that the actor inside the Rosita suit was unable to see the girls, and apologized for its actions.

READ MORE

Who is Malik Shabazz? Black lawyer who led search for Emmett Till accuser has history of 'racism'

Woman slammed for claiming Delta only offered her an interview after she applied as White woman

In a statement, theme park officials said of the incident, which has been called racist, "Our brand, our park, and our employees stand for inclusivity and equality in all forms. That is what Sesame Place is all about and we do not tolerate any behaviors in our parks that are contrary to that commitment. We also are, and always have been, committed to making sure every family and every child has the best possible experience at our parks and we are incredibly disappointed when that does not happen. We spoke to the family and extended our apologies and invited them back for a special meet-and-greet opportunity with our characters."

It has been reported that several buildings with the costume character’s face on them have remained closed since the incident. The staff has claimed that Rosita has been "canceled". Rosita’s Cocina restaurant is also said to have remained closed for weeks. "With recent events, Rosita hasn’t been around much anymore," a staff member told the Daily Mail. "She’s been taken off the parade entirely since the racism allegations. None of the character’s walk the street in the parade anymore, and any meet and greets for her have been called off. That is all because of the allegations, they don’t want anyone potentially making the same claims. Essentially, Rosita has been canceled and I don’t think she’ll be back any time soon."

"The Rosita restaurant has been closed for the last few weeks," another staff member said. "There hasn't been a real explanation as to why, but staff are assuming it could be to do with the accusations. The meet and greets have also changed recently but that could also be because of the heat with some other characters."

However, the character has not been removed from the latest series of the TV show, which premiered on HBO Max in November 2021. Some staff members have claimed that the characters were on rotation for meet and greets, and even Big Bird did not appear at the parade.

Meanwhile, stores that sell Sesame Street merchandise seem to have removed items featuring the character. Items like mugs did not feature the character, and for t-shirts and plush toys on display, none of the stores had a Rosita section.