UPI en Español  |   UPI Asia  |   About UPI  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Disney guest told to be less 'Santa-ish.'

|
 
Published: July 25, 2012 at 1:15 PM

ORLANDO, Fla., July 25 (UPI) -- A guest at Florida's Walt Disney World said an employee told him to dress less "Santa-ish" and banned him from signing autographs or posing for pictures.

Thomas Tolbert said he was visiting the Orlando park on a family vacation when he ran into a familiar situation -- children asking him to sign autographs and pose for photos as Santa Claus, WKMG-TV, Orlando, reported Wednesday.

Tolbert said he wasn't dressed as Kris Kringle, but his clothing was "Santa-related."

"I had a shirt that had -- it would be like a collage -- and it had Santa faces and it had sayings from 'The Night Before Christmas,'" Tolbert said.

He said a Disney representative approached him and asked him to change into something less "Santa-ish."

However, he said changing clothes did not help.

"The face and the persona is what makes Santa," Tolbert said. "They're looking at my face and they're looking at my features."

Tolbert said he was told to turn children away.

"Disney had informed me that I must inform anybody who came up to me that 'I am not who you think I am, I am on vacation and please leave me alone,'" Tolbert said.

He said Disney gave him free tickets to the park for his trouble.

Topics: Santa Claus
Recommended Stories
© 2012 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
'Star Trek Into Darkness' screening NBC upfronts Met Ball 2013
'Great Gatsby' premieres in New York Spire raised on top of One WTC 2013: Celebrity break ups and divorces
Additional Odd News Stories
Your Daily Horoscope
The almanac
1 of 18
Iranians celebrate the qualification of  their soccer team  for 2014 World Cup
View Caption
Iranian women flash the victory sign during a street celebration in Tehran, Iran on June 18, 2013. The Iranian national soccer team defeated South Korea in their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying soccer match in Ulsan, South Korea. UPI/Maryam Rahmanian .
fark
If creative dog grooming is not a crime, then this slideshow is proof that it should be
News: Father and son pimps acquitted. Fark: After prostitutes come to their defense saying they...
FBI busts a "domestic terrorist" and alleged KKK member for plotting to build an atomic death ray...
Torre looks up, gets under it, reaches out, makes the catch and gets the save
Ugly-assed baby liliger born in Russian zoo, for its skills in magic
"I'm trying to dry off my car, eh" is probably not the best answer to why you were doing 112mph