Humbug! Disney World tells Santa look-alike to tone it down - Polidicks

[quote=MSNBC] With his roly-poly body and bleached-white hair, mustache and beard, 52-year old Thomas Tolbert of Roswell, Ga., is a spitting image of Santa Claus. In June, during a Father’s Day weekend trip to Disney World with relatives, theme-park officials pulled Tolbert aside and ordered him to stop signing autographs, posing for photographs, and dressing to look like Santa. “I wasn’t wearing a red suit, a hat or black boots,” Tolbert told NBC News, “just khaki pants, red high-top sneakers with green laces and a billowy, specially-made shirt decorated with a collage of Santa Claus heads and sayings from ‘The Night before Christmas.'” During his first two days at the park, Tolbert — a professional Santa Claus who once took third place for looks, believability and photo at a national Santa Convention — said he spent a good deal of time chatting and posing for photos with many children, adults and Disney “cast members,” But after a crowd gathered around him on this third day in the park, he said a Disney employee asked him to step around a corner. “He told me, ‘You cannot be Santa and you can’t wear that shirt in the park.’ He asked if I had any clothes in my hotel room that were less ‘Santa-ish’ and took me into a shop and pulled a 3X T-shirt from the rack to see if it would fit me.” It didn’t. But a large, short-sleeve, white button down shirt from the theme-park wardrobe department did. “Then they said to tell people, ‘I'm not who you think I am. I’m on vacation and you need to leave me alone.'" Tolbert refused. “I told them Santa would never tell people that.” Walt Disney World Resort confirmed that it asked Tolbert to change his clothes and to stop interacting as Santa with other theme-park guests because “it was disruptive to our operations and confusing to our other guests, particularly children who asked to take photos with him.” Tolbert was given some complimentary park hopper passes “because of the inconvenience,” but he’s not satisfied. “Disney doesn’t own the character of Santa, the world does,” he said. “And as Santa, I will try to make anyone’s day more magical. So my question is: If I go back with my free passes, how will it be different?” Tolbert is not the first to be asked to change his outfit at a Disney theme park. Citing the theme park’s dress policy, park recently officials asked April Spielman and her boyfriend to change out of their Tinker Bell and Peter Pan costumes. [/quote] [url="http://itineraries.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/25/12947983-humbug-disney-world-tells-santa-look-alike-to-tone-it-down?lite"]Source[/url]. The 'Santa' in question: [IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b196/Starmenclock/santathingie.jpg[/IMG] [b][i]Those Disney Employees are going on the Naughty List this Year![/b][/i]

Very dickish move on Disney World's part

First Obongo declares war on Christmas now Disney world!

I agree with him that Disney doesn't own the rights to Santa Claus, but at the same time, their parks have a rhyme, a rhythm and a flow to them, and introducing an element that isn't part of the cogs of the park tends to disrupt things.

They're just mad because they aren't making money off him.

[QUOTE=Keegs;36977779]First Obongo declares war on Christmas now Disney world![/QUOTE] I like that so early in the thread somebody has already imitated a stereotypical focks noose conservative despite the lack of any politics at all in the OP.

Oh god, this thread again? There was a thread about this before about a girl and her boy friend who couldn't go to Disney world dressed as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. There is a reason, a valid reason. People were gathering around him, taking pictures, signing autographs and apparently it was because people thought he was Santa Claus. Disney can't have that because unless he's a paid actor it's dangerous. There are a lot of children at Disney world and the concern is that if people just showed up dressed up they could potentially molest or harm children or guests, or at least be pricks and ruin the parks image. Disney's actors have to be screened before they hire them to make sure they aren't hiring sex offenders and what not. What if this Santa Claus-look alike was actually a pedophile and Disney let him do whatever he wanted? There would be another article like this one full of angry Facepunchers going "Why did Disney let this pervert into their park dressed like that?!" It's a safety thing.

Now let's try another sensationalist headline: "Disney employee dressed as Santa molests 7 children" Disney have to screen all of their actors to ensure the safety of both the staff and the children at the parks. Disney have to show that this man is not an employee of Disney, so that they are not held liable for anything that happens to him or the children. [editline]28th July 2012[/editline] Just read the post above, damn you.

y'know. he makes a damn good santa.

Disney Parks are anal about child safety, they dont like it when guests attract children like this

I'd hop into his lap anyday

[QUOTE=Dantai;36978205]I'd hop into his lap anyday[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b196/Starmenclock/santa2.jpg[/IMG] [b][i]Lets see if you are naughty or nice then.[/b][/i]

[QUOTE=Andokool12;36977876]I like that so early in the thread somebody has already imitated a stereotypical focks noose conservative despite the lack of any politics at all in the OP.[/QUOTE] No fun allowed.

[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;36977815]They're just mad because they aren't making money off him.[/QUOTE] Do you realize how Disney parks hell any parks work? Nothing about this statement is correct

Disney is alright. People go to Disney parks to see, well, Disney related attractions. This Santa lookalike is a third party that detracts from the official Disney attractions.

No one is allowed to be happy at the happiest place on earth, get out Santa. But seriously I can sort of see where the park's coming from, just an awkward and difficult situation for all parties involved.

[QUOTE=CodeMonkey3;36977947]Oh god, this thread again? There was a thread about this before about a girl and her boy friend who couldn't go to Disney world dressed as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. There is a reason, a valid reason. People were gathering around him, taking pictures, signing autographs and apparently it was because people thought he was Santa Claus. Disney can't have that because unless he's a paid actor it's dangerous. There are a lot of children at Disney world and the concern is that if people just showed up dressed up they could potentially molest or harm children or guests, or at least be pricks and ruin the parks image. Disney's actors have to be screened before they hire them to make sure they aren't hiring sex offenders and what not. What if this Santa Claus-look alike was actually a pedophile and Disney let him do whatever he wanted? There would be another article like this one full of angry Facepunchers going "Why did Disney let this pervert into their park dressed like that?!" It's a safety thing.[/QUOTE] Get out of here with your logic and reason. This is Facepunch we're talking about.

[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;36977815]They're just mad because they aren't making money off him.[/QUOTE] No, it's the same thing as that girl who tried to go to the park as Tinker Bell, Disney does normally have people going around playing as these characters, if they have someone else dressed as them people will assume they work for Disney and if they do anything Disney will be held accountable.

Wait a second. [i]There's a National Santa Convention?[/i]

[QUOTE=Flicky;36984170]Wait a second. [i]There's a National Santa Convention?[/i][/QUOTE] there's heaps of stupid groups like that

[QUOTE=Fangz;36977675]“And as Santa, I will try to make anyone’s day more magical.”[/QUOTE] Fuck yes.

He kind of reminds me of Mr. Oldman from the Amanda show.

I find it very strange that there is a such thing as a [i]professional santa[/i] They aren't doing half as much as they need to be to be declared a [i]professional santa[/i] in my book

[QUOTE=Keegs;36977779]First Obongo declares war on Christmas now Disney world![/QUOTE] This is barely a parody comment; it's so realistic it's [I]really[/I] just like something you'd see on a non-political article on Fox Nation.

[quote] a professional Santa Claus who once took third place for looks, believability and photo at a national Santa Convention[/quote] Who took first?