Chuck E. Cheese Accused of Racial Discrimination After Mascot Doesn’t High-Five Little Girl

Weeks after theme park Sesame Place Philadelphia came under fire for its character performers allegedly discriminating against Black families, a similar incident has been alleged at a Chuck E. Cheese.

By Ashley Joy Parker Aug 02, 2022 3:00 PMTags
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A New Jersey mom is accusing Chuck E. Cheese of racial discrimination.

Twitter user Umm Safa alleged in an Aug. 1 tweet that her 2-year-old was "racially discriminated against" at a Chuck E. Cheese location in Wayne, New Jersey, on July 30.

In a video she posted to Twitter, the mouse character Chuck E. Cheese at the family entertainment center and pizza restaurant appears to high-five several white children standing on a stage, but doesn't seem to respond to a Black toddler who is seen excitedly jumping up and down next to the mascot.

Along with a clip of the incident, Safa wrote, "As you can see, he gives all of the [white] kids hi-5s & PURPOSELY ignored my black baby."

Safa said that she reported the incident to the restaurant's staff but was "ignored." She also shared a photo of her daughter and the Chuck E. Cheese mascot posing together, which she said management "insisted" they take after apologizing that the mouse was "not able to see her."

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In a statement to E! News, Chuck E. Cheese said they are "saddened when any family or child has a less than perfect experience."

"We want to thank the family who brought this to our attention at our Wayne, NJ location and for giving the onsite manager an opportunity to apologize and address their concerns in person," the company continued. "As home to millions of families and kids every year that celebrate the big and small milestones, including fun, our goal is to create an inclusive experience for children and parents of all ages, races, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, and learning differences. Our mission is to provide a fun and a safe place Where A Kid Can Be A Kid, and all cast members are trained to ensure that we live up to this promise."

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Chuck E. Cheese isn't the only children's destination to find itself in hot water over behavior of its character performers. Just last month, a Baltimore man filed a civil lawsuit suit against suing SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment for $25 million, alleging similar race discrimination against his 5-year-old daughter.

Quinton Burns alleged that in June, performers dressed as Sesame Street characters ignored his family and "all other Black guests in attendance" during a meet-and-greet at one of the company's Sesame Street-themed park, Sesame Place Philadelphia. 

A video posted by NBC Philadelphia appears to show Burns' daughter reaching out toward the Telly Monster and Ernie performers, who do not interact with her but do engage with other kids sitting in front of her.

"Just looking at her face," Burns told the news station of his daughter's reaction in the video, "it makes me want to cry every time I see it."

Burns brought the suit after seeing a viral video of another incident of alleged discrimination that happened to a family from New York at the same theme park. That video showed a performer dressed as the character Rosita seemingly ignoring two young Black girls while then reaching toward another girl—who the family's lawyer said was white—and giving her a hug. 

Sesame Place Philadelphia said in a statement in response to his filing, "We will review the lawsuit filed on behalf of Mr. Burns. We look forward to addressing that claim through the established legal process. We are committed to deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience for all our guests."

(E! and NBC Philadelphia are part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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