Fake Elmo caught hustleing tourists for tips

[Rapid T Rabbit]

I remember seeing this poser hanging around Times Square, sometimes with a bogus Spongebob and/or Bugs Bunny.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/08/22/2009-08-22_what_the_helmo_man_surly_man_dressed_as_sesame_ street_character_hassles_times_sq.html

[SlapHappy]

Wow, that's. . . just horrible. XD

[zeekeroo]

I saw him a few weeks ago when I was in NYC.

A little girl we were with wanted her picture taken, he asked for a dollar, we left.

Although the examples of rudeness that was shown in the article was kind of trashy of the dude.

[joshferrell]

wow this Elmo is almost as Evil as the real one...although not quite...

[Larry the Tech]

Showed this to my sister, she said that when she went to NYC in June, this guy was in the Elmo costume, sitting in front of a clothing shop, holding up a sign that told you that he lost his job, needs money, pictures $5. There was a big crowd around him. Its crazy what happens there in New York City.

[VegaNova]

What a dirtbag... although it is kinda strange that CTW hasn't tracked him down and/or taken him to court. The funny thing is that the law allows people to take photos for free so long as he's on a public sidewalk. If he's not in a place where there's "assumed privacy", which in the middle of Times Square there isn't, then he can't do jack about people taking photos for free. Short of being a total ass that is.

I dunno, even when I was in college and my friends and I used to go tearing around taking photos for the "Adv of CEC" site, we had a few guidelines that we strictly adhered to. Never take the head off in front of a child, never speak, and never do anything remotely bad in view of kids. Of course afterwards I did bend those rules once I wrote stupid stories to compliment the photos, but that was online and I think most of the humor went over the heads of the little ones. Then again maybe I'm splitting hairs here...

At any rate, I'm sure CTW is aware of this. Does anyone know if they've said or done anything about this yet? Yeah he may be trying to make a living, short of getting a real job like the rest of us schlubs have to do, but charging for photos dressed as Elmo isn't even legal to begin with (not to mention being a jerk "as" Elmo).

[Rapid T Rabbit]

What a dirtbag... although it is kinda strange that CTW hasn't tracked him down and/or taken him to court. The funny thing is that the law allows people to take photos for free so long as he's on a public sidewalk. If he's not in a place where there's "assumed privacy", which in the middle of Times Square there isn't, then he can't do jack about people taking photos for free. Short of being a total ass that is.

I dunno, even when I was in college and my friends and I used to go tearing around taking photos for the "Adv of CEC" site, we had a few guidelines that we strictly adhered to. Never take the head off in front of a child, never speak, and never do anything remotely bad in view of kids. Of course afterwards I did bend those rules once I wrote stupid stories to compliment the photos, but that was online and I think most of the humor went over the heads of the little ones. Then again maybe I'm splitting hairs here...

At any rate, I'm sure CTW is aware of this. Does anyone know if they've said or done anything about this yet? Yeah he may be trying to make a living, short of getting a real job like the rest of us schlubs have to do, but charging for photos dressed as Elmo isn't even legal to begin with (not to mention being a jerk "as" Elmo).

Real job? If that guy in the costume really wants to be Elmo he should go try working for Sesame Place or Sesame Street Live but I doubt he would even pass the auditon.

I've occaisionally passed through Times Square as Tenderheart Bear of the Care Bears and seen this Elmo (clutching a TIPS sign) sometimes with a fake Spongebob or Bugs Bunny.

Tenderheart Bear NEVER asks for tips from tourists for pictures and hugs and in fact REFUSES them outright, because that's the caring way a real Care Bear would be.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/2991855011_9b8580e6cf_d.jpg

Back in February I was in the Times Square areasporadically giving out free Care Bear Valentines. My practice is not to solicit any interaction from anybody, only posing on request and even refusing tips. I try to keep moving in one direction (usually heading uptown) with only occaisional pauses.

I sat down for a moment on a seat in Duffy Square when a BID officer told me to move down to the triangle immediately to the South. So I did, but then one of those living Statues of Liberty shooed me away from that block, saying I was taking money away from him, even though I was not asking for money. I really only planned to stay there for a few minutes and was mostly waving to the passing vehicles anyway. What I am wondering about today is how the closure of Broadway to vehicles in the Times Squuare area for a pedestrian mall affects foot traffic there now.

My big concern with this Elmo incident and the reporting thereof (it even made the "Best Persons" [i.e. ironic news story] list on MSNBC Countdown with Keith Oberman) may cause the police to ban ALL non-officially appearing characters from public places like Times Square and/or make the tourists suspicious of them. After all, this isn't Disney World, is it?

That's one reason I wanted so much to be part of the regular official celebrity costume character performing community here in my hometown but as you all know, corporate mascot politics has mostly gone against me in that regard over the years. I didn't even make it to my tenth season as Chuck E. Cheese.