CM vs Santa: Disruptive for just Claus?

[GreenCntryGirl]

Based on his comments and actions, I got the impression that he was looking for the attention at least on some level.

Unlike the Miss Bell lookalike, this gentlemen looks like who he looks like. My ex-husband looks like someone who used to be popular in country music (I'm not a country fan so the name escapes me) and people would approach him frequently.

However, my ex never let people continue the impressions and certainly never tried to sign autographs.

 

[GraceMonica]

What if he was a creepy child predator and lured the children away from their parents?

Im not saying this is what happened...its what COULD have happened and Disney was right to stop what he was doing. (For the safety of their own butts...because if anything happened to those kids...the parents would definitely blame disney for not doing something to stop him!)

I don't understand WHY the parents would let their kids go up to strange men who aren't even dressed like santa to get their autograph or picture. That's just odd.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

This is ridiculous! He wasn't in a Santa suit! As for Disney recommending he turn away with a "leave me alone" imagine how many kids would be devastated by Santa telling them to go away!! I understand if people are in Disney costumes but just looking like Santa? What if someone just "looks" like Snow White?

 

[BlovesC]

What if he was a creepy child predator and lured the children away from their parents?

This. Isn't this one of the main reasons why adults are not allowed to wear costumes in the parks? If you look like an authentic character that children love, you INSTANTLY gain children's trust. You're not a 'stranger' to them, you're their beloved Belle, or Pluto, or Santa Claus. In a park packed with children, this could be very dangerous.

If this Santa lookalike shows up to the park in his hawaiian shirt and crocs and keeps to himself, that's fine. But if he shows up in Santa-themed clothes and signs autographs, I think it's completely appropriate for Disney to get involved.

 

[Gorechick]

Agreed. If he were just in plain clothes then kids might do a double take but not be as interested. He was purposefully walking around in the Santa themed clothing. C'mon who dresses for Christmas in Florida in July?!

 

[TDC Nala]

What I don't get is that some years ago (looks like in 2006) they had the same problem with a guy who was telling kids he was Santa Claus and signing autographs. That particular "Santa" refused to stop signing autographs or talking to kids as Santa and had to leave the park. Apparently a different guy from this one. Just how many Santa impersonators are there who come to the parks and sign autographs for the kids? There's also some indication that this particular guest (the 2012 one) came in wearing red and green. Not a Santa suit, but with Christmas-type theming. He apparently enjoys going out in public and having others identify him as Santa Claus. He says himself that nearly every day he is photographed and given "special wishes" by children and adults.

I look a lot like King Triton/Santa too...will I be escorted out the front gate next time I go to Disney World?

Most likely, if you go around telling kids in the park that you ARE King Triton or Santa, posing for photos and signing autographs.

I can fully understand why Disney does not want someone that they do not employ soliciting the attention of guests in this manner inside their parks. Not that it should be assumed that he is a "predator" or anything like that. Just that a company like Disney understands the possible liability aspects.

I bet this guy thinks he should be given celebrity status.

 

[Herbie]

Did he have any candy canes with him?

 

[thruthelookinglass19]

Did he have any candy canes with him?

 

[mom2rtk]

Too bad there wasn't a photo se we could see just what he was wearing.

The whole thing is silly. If he was wearing clothing suggestive of Santa, and if he replied to kids as if he realy IS Santa (including signing autographs) then Disney was right in asking him to stop.

 

[pequele]

Where were the parents of these kids that were getting his autograph. Unless a person is a Disney Character, escorted by another CM, there is NO reason to approach them. Santa is his job. He was not dressed as Santa. He was not wearing a Disney costume, and he did not have a CM forming a line. Why would you let your kid go up to him in the first place. If you looked like someone famous, would you like people coming up to you asking for an autograph while you were on vacation?

Yeah!!!! Exactly MY thought, too!!! Why is this gentleman having his vacation ruined and Disney telling HIM what to do and not the parents of the kids who go up to a stranger going about visiting a park vs standing in a picture spot with a CM? Disney doesn't tell the annoying South American tour groups to tone it down or there would not be so many people commenting on how annoying and disruptive those people are! They aren't telling people who line up for parades 3 hrs early that they can't because they are disrupting the crowd movement by stationing themselves an belongings in the middle of where everyone is walking.

Really, who THINKS that Santa is going to show up at Disney in July?

 

[Gorechick]

Even if it was harmless and he was just walking around...crud lost my train of thought.

Now I remember...there were probably so many guests complaining rather than having fun with it that CM's had to step in.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

We have a game in our family, of spotting "Santa" in the off-season. You know, elderly gentlemen with white hair, maybe a beard, etc. This guy? He's a little creepy to me. I will have nightmares about that slideshow of him on the HP site.

If he changed clothes so as to not look so Santa-ish, I wonder what he was wearing to begin with?

What an odd situation.

 

[sadiras]

Yeah!!!! Exactly MY thought, too!!! Why is this gentleman having his vacation ruined and Disney telling HIM what to do and not the parents of the kids who go up to a stranger going about visiting a park vs standing in a picture spot with a CM? Disney doesn't tell the annoying South American tour groups to tone it down or there would not be so many people commenting on how annoying and disruptive those people are! They aren't telling people who line up for parades 3 hrs early that they can't because they are disrupting the crowd movement by stationing themselves an belongings in the middle of where everyone is walking.

Really, who THINKS that Santa is going to show up at Disney in July?[/QUOTE]

Not me...that's ridiculous. Santa knows that the BTG's are there in July.

 

[WDSearcher]

Totally agree with Disney on this one.

• As has been mentioned, no one knows who this guy is. Little kids are running up to him thinking he's Santa Claus and parents are trusting it's okay because they're "at Disney". If this guy hauled off and hit someone or was drunk or smoking, guess who'd take the heat for that? Parents would be complaining to Disney, not "Santa".
• The guy admits to dressing in "Santa-like clothing". He clearly wants the attention. He has no problem signing autographs and posing for pictures. (And I'm thinking that he wasn't signing "Thomas Tolbert" on those autograph pages.) He knows he'll attract attention, and that's his point. So maybe he could just show up in a normal old polo shirt and jeans and enjoy his vacation. Problem solved.
• I don't think this guy was "having his vacation ruined" by these people asking for autographs and photos. I think it's what he's looking for. Why else would you dress in "Santa-like clothing" when you're on vacation? Clearly he knows he'll attract attention that way. That's the point.
• And the kicker is this: "Tolbert said a possible solution is for Disney to treat look-alikes like celebrities so they are not seen by other guests." And ... there you go.

 

[LilyWDW]

He was acting like Santa, taking pictures and signing autographs. He was asked by Disney to turn these requests down which is perfectly understandable for a multitude of reasons. If he had not agreed, he would have be asked to leave the parks for not following the rules asked of him.

I see nothing wrong with he. He was seeking attention by agreeing to take pictures and sign autographs. It is quite obvious that he seems to enjoy the attention.

 

[RabFlmom]

I think the point is, (just like the recent issue of the young woman dressed as tinkerbell) people will think disney is endorsing them.

what if your child runs up to tink, asks for her autograph, and tinkerbell is fighting with her boyfriend or swearing? what if your child runs up to Santa (who does appear at the parks during holidays) and "santa" reeks of booze and is sloshed?

then parents get upset. this is why, with the exception of Halloween parties, anyone over a certain age is not allowed to "portray" themseves as a "character". Disney has hired CMs to do that.

I am curious as to what name he was signing when he gave autographs....if it said Santa then he was in the wrong because" he was on vacation and not wanting attention, right? " Also the hair....is it his natural color? Same question for the facial hair. Why not just color it with wash out color when not being Santa in December and he wouldn't have the problem. What was he actually wearing when first approached and asked to change clothes? He said it was somewhat Christmas Santa related. Why not wear shorts, put on a ball cap, etc. and he wouldn't have the problem.

I have seen other people who have the Santa look, but people don't approach


I think Disney had the right to tell him to tone it down, quit giving autographs, etc. because to some guests it appeared he was a Disney employee. They have the right to protect their business. Had he done something like touch inappropriately etc, Disney would have gotten the flack for letting the man do what he was doing.

I am thinking the man just got his 15 seconds of fame. Now he can ask to be paid more when he appears as Santa because of the flack he made at WDW. LOL

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Where were the parents of these kids that were getting his autograph. Unless a person is a Disney Character, escorted by another CM, there is NO reason to approach them. Santa is his job. He was not dressed as Santa. He was not wearing a Disney costume, and he did not have a CM forming a line. Why would you let your kid go up to him in the first place. If you looked like someone famous, would you like people coming up to you asking for an autograph while you were on vacation?

I'm not suprised people let thier kids go up to a stranger for pics and autographs even while at WDW. Have you ever been to Times Square in NY? there are Disney impersonators everywhere creepy impersonators in ratty costumes and people let thier kids hug them and stuff. It's just gross. FWIW we also saw this in a couple other big cities in the past year or so, Wash DC and Atlanta, in Wash it was Elmo though. That Elmo lookedl ike he was put out to pasture 6 months ago and hosed off for this greeting. it was icky icky.

 

[Edgehopper]

What if he was a creepy child predator and lured the children away from their parents?

Im not saying this is what happened...its what COULD have happened and Disney was right to stop what he was doing. (For the safety of their own butts...because if anything happened to those kids...the parents would definitely blame disney for not doing something to stop him!)

I don't understand WHY the parents would let their kids go up to strange men who aren't even dressed like santa to get their autograph or picture. That's just odd.

Well, no...child predators aren't so common, and they don't generally grab strange kids out of a crowded theme park. The typical child predator forms a relationship with a child over time--the stereotype of a creepy guy luring random kids into his car with candy is extraordinarily rare.

The problem is quality control and branding, not safety--Disney can't have people not under their authority acting like Cast Members or being confused for Cast Members.

It seems to me that the easiest solution would be for the guy to just wear some sort of facial clothing--hat, sunglasses, etc.--that would be decidedly un-Santa-like. Or he could dye his beard brown before the trip, no one would think a guy with a big brown/black beard is Santa

 

[TDC Nala]

Or he could leave the red and green clothes at home to wear to the mall, go out to the Disney parks in a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts and a baseball hat like everybody else. Mr. Tolbert admitted he was wearing "Santa-related" clothing. Don't remember where I read this but there was a report that he had on a shirt with Christmas theming and one green shoe and one red shoe, stuff like that. He says this is what he normally wears and that people would approach him no matter what he wore.

Apparently the guy in 2006 actually had on a Santa suit. So do they have to overtly dress as Santa or is it okay to just drop a really big hint that you might be Santa.

 

[awoogala]

First of all, that article was terribly inaccurate. Read some of the others,like clickorlando.com
Other patrons were complaining. He was wearing a Christmas shirt. He was asked to stop posing for pictures and signing autographs. If he behaved badly while representing the park, you knowsomeone would try to sue disney.
There was a crowd gathered, and he is not an employee. Thus, no handler to control the crowd. What if someone attacked him? He could attempt to hold disney responsible.
They were very reasonable, and he seems like he is looking for his 15 minutes.