TikTok/@lifesigma
Someone at Disney World is reading headlines, or so it seems based on how a Woody character went out of the way to engage Black children waiting along a parade route.
Check out this video posted by a proud dad who took his 2 young kids to Disney’s Orlando theme park this week — it shows the little ones shouting out to a costumed Jessie mascot from the ‘Toy Story’ franchise as the characters walk down the street lined with cheering fans.
Jessie was on the other side of the street and appeared preoccupied entertaining that part of the crowd, but her pal Woody notices some Black kids and actually responds to them.
Check it out … Woody flags Jessie down, points to the young’ns … and they both head over to interact with them — which is obviously awesome, since they were desperately trying to get Jessie’s attention and seem to be really big fans.
Instagram / @__jodiii__
Not to turn this into a negative story — because it’s obviously very sweet — but one can’t ignore this happened in the midst of what’s become a disturbing trend lately … namely, mascots/costumed characters at theme parks and such snubbing Black children, allegedly intentionally.
It’s been happening all over the country, it seems … whether it’s Sesame Place, Disneyland or even Chuck E. Cheese. All over, some messed-up videos have circulated appearing to show classic characters either ignoring or walking away from kids of color.
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While most of the establishments have denied any overt racist intentions, people are having a hard time buying that.
It’s hard to say for sure whether Woody here had any of that on his mind when he did what he did … but it’s certainly possible. Considering how big this controversy has gotten in recent weeks, ya gotta imagine some higher-ups at places like this have had talks with their staff.