A Disneyland “Toy Story” character marching in the theme park’s daily parade made sure his partner was not the next costumed-cartoon player to be ostracized for seeming to ignore a Black child. Video captured him going out of his way to make sure the kid calling the character’s name from across the street got a hug from her favorite star.
The video opens with the cast of Pixar’s most popular titles, “Toy Story” and “The Incredibles,” walking in a parade. An African-American family can be heard screaming “Woody and Jessie” from the sidelines.
A tiny little brown beauty with yellow Minnie Mouse ears and wearing a Jessie-themed outfit is seen waving her hands at the characters. The older family members keep calling for Jessie, the cowgirl to come over, but instead, she is hooting it up for the kids on the other side of the way.
An alert adult-size Woody, her rooting-tooting partner, does all he can to call his gal pal Jessie, but she is busy doing high kicks and prancing around.
In the final act of determination, Woody throws his hands up to the family and then goes over to Jessie and tells her to get her tail over to the little munchkin.
Jessie runs over with a burst of energy and gives the little girl the biggest hug ever, blowing kisses as she gets back to the parade.
Clearly at the front of mind these days for costume actors in the nation’s amusement parks are the recent headlines where some characters are getting slammed for seemingly purposely snubbing young Black girls and boys.
Over the last week, a mascot player for a New Jersey Chuck E. Cheese restaurant has made news after a video of him moving past a toddler went viral.
Woody’s act was first posted on TikTok by Harold Colclough, who brought his child to Disneyland under his @lifesigma profile. The music bed was appropriately the chorus’ of Tay Money’s hit song “The Assignment.” The banner over the video read, “Woody for the Win,” and the caption read “Woody help make Havyn day!!! She got to get a Hug from Jessie.”
Social media celebrated the actor as only Black Twitter and IG could.
On one repost on Instagram, one person said, “Woody said ‘We ain’t getting canceled today.”
“The way Woody snatched Jessie to come say hi to them black kids. He definitely understands the assignment.”
“That Disney world clip with Woody & Jessie is sending me. They said it is not sesame place!”
“It’s the slow walk over to get her for me…”
Some commenting were sure to distinguish this case from the Sesame Place incidents that have rocked the summer.
In at least two separate cases, characters working at Sesame Place theme park have come under fire for reportedly ignoring young Black children. At least one of these cases is part of a class-action lawsuit, with the Sesame Workshop brand issuing a statement of apology for any form of discrimination the youngsters might have experienced.
