WTF Santa is a Disney Character

[wakeme2008]

:grr:



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6189521.stm

Disney tells Santa clone ho-ho no
When James Worley paid a visit to Disney World in Florida his portly frame and white beard soon had kids asking: "Are you Santa Claus?"

Not wanting to disappoint, Mr Worley, 60, played along with some "ho-ho-hos".

But Disney officials descended, telling him to stop the impersonation or get out of the park. They said they wanted to preserve the magic of Santa.

Mr Worley took off his red hat and red shirt but said: "I look this way 24/7, 365 days a year. This is me."

..cut..

He said Disney had told him "Santa was considered a Disney character".

..a little more at link....

[ixion]

1. from now on, it's

Santa® :eyes:

[TAPat]

2. WTF

is right! :crazy:

So, who died and made Goofy Santa?

[Bassic]

3. Evil bastards.

Just plain evil bastards.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. When I was a kid,

there were several department store Santas. I don't think that ever bothered me. Little ones young enough to believe aren't going to think anything about seeing Santa at a Disney attraction and then seeing him later-they'll think he's just enjoying the park like they are. Unless the chap was right by the Disney Santa, or was cussing or doing something un-Santa like (neither of which appears to be the case), why would kids be confused or upset?

[baldguy]

5. Tell that to Coca-Cola

[YOY]

8. or Norelco (Phillips)

[NotGivingUp]

6. DISNEY SUCKS!

Their parks suck. You pay atrocious prices to get in...then they have the nerve to charge you for parking...then they say 'bend over again' when it comes to buying anything to eat or drink. tons of money so that you can be in their BORING park and wait in EXTREMELY long lines for an hour. I wish people would stop being so brainwashed as to thinking it's a good time.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. How stupid

[WePurrsevere]

9. I'm pretty sure you can't legally trademark/"own" something or someone

like Santa.

Although I'm not a lawyer if I remember correctly they can trademark a unique design of a character... much their unique design of the old fairy tale character Snow White but Disney can't own the rights to a character like Santa who would certainly fall under something like public domain. Years ago I remember a case where McDonald's tried to tell the McDonald clan the same basic nonsense and, if memory serves me correctly, lost.

I must admit that I find the story a little amusing though. My husband, red shirt/hat or not, is seen as Santa by little kids all the time (especially at this time of the year). Even adults will comment on the similarity and he's getting used to it enough now that he'll usually laugh and play along... especially with the little ones. They're so cute and it's amazing how fast they stop acting up when "Santa" gives them the raised eyebrow. :D Of course it probably won't help any that I am increasingly looking more like a Mrs. Santa. :D

[Orangepeel]

17. you can on your own property

Disney couldn't stop him from being Santa anywhere outside of the park. But in the park, it isn't a copyright issue as much as it is an issue of managing the product experience.

Now, I think it was kind of petty of Disney to do this, but I'm not at all surprised. If a department store or a mall had a Santa and someone else showed up dressed that way, I expect they'd ask him to leave as well.

[WePurrsevere]

18. My concern isn't that Disney asked him to stop as much as it is that

they supposedly said that, "Santa was considered a Disney character" which implied that they own the rights Santa much like they DO own the rights to Mickey Mouse.

Although I feel that it could have been handled better and agree that it was kind of petty I actually agree that, within certain bonds, they have a legal right to tell someone to leave. In this type if case however I do tend to think it could be rather useless.

Little children seem to take a certain "leap of faith" in "knowing" that Santa doesn't dress like he does at Christmas all year. Apparently they have no problem with seeing him in a dark blue t-shirt with a Chinese dragon on it, old worn out ("comfortable") jeans and sneakers like my husband had on one time. I've also seen both the joy and the hurt and confusion in their eyes when the man they see as Santa tells them either plays along or gruffly tells them he's not him. Of course if "Santa" tells them nicely that he's not Santa I've watched my own daughters, years ago when they were still very young, "logic" it out that Santa must want where he is to be a secret and maybe he's on vacation. :D

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

10. To be fair, here...

If he's on Disney's property, and I assume that Disney has an "official" Santa somewhere in the park, I can see where they wouldn't want some guy "freelancing" with the guests. First of all, it could confuse a kid who maybe has just seen Santa and then sees this guy. Secondly, if the guy did something inappropriate, a guest might well assume that he was a bona fide Disney employee and all hell would break loose.

[Frank Cannon]

11. Ha! I'd love to see the "Disney police" take Santa away in cuffs

That would leave a lasting impression on the kiddies, for sure.

[TechBear_Seattle]

12. To invoke this man's rights, though....

He was ordered to remove a red shirt and a "Santa hat." How many hundreds of other people in the park were wearing both a red shirt and a Santa hat? If the park did not ask each and every one of them to cease and desist, he is a victim of discrimination, profiling based solely on his weight, age and not being clean shaven.

If he was not actually dressed as Santa, the park is in very deep legal shit.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

15. Very thin shit, actually...

You're on Disney's property and they can ask you to leave for pretty much whatever reason they like.

Look, I'm no fan of Disney World (never been there, don't plan to) but they maintain a very (very) carefully controlled environment -- they're selling fantasy. Anything or anybody that goes off the reservation and intrudes upon the fantasy will be dealt with quickly.

I'm not saying it's good or bad (actually, I guess I'm saying that it's bad because that's one of the reasons I'll never go there), but that's part and parcel of the whole Disney experience. And if I've shelled out a small fortune to take my whole family to Orlando (not to mention admission to the park), I'd damn well better get what I came for.

[Mad_Dem_X]

13. Good point; however...

I have issue with them telling this man that "Santa is a Disney character." He most certainly is not.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

14. Look at the story...

The guy says "Disney" told him. Was this some underpaid rent-a-cop or a corporate attorney? The story isn't clear on that point.

The story is also unclear (what in the hell are they teaching in J-School these days?!) whether he was asked to leave the park or to just stop pretending to be Santa while he's there.

And in response to the guy's question about "How do you tell a kid, 'No, go away, little kid." I would suggest that he simply smile and say, "No, I'm not Santa. We just look alike."

In rereading this article, I'm wondering how in the hell this even qualified as newsworthy (much less as newsworthy to the BBC). Unless there's a lot more to this story, Disney made a request and the guy complied with it.

"Mr Worley said he still loved Disney and Christmas." -- and so why is this reporter wasting my time on this non-story?!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. Fine with me.

The guy sounds a bit creepy, to be honest.

[ktlyon]

19. I think Santa started at Coca Cola

correct me if wrong

[Norquist Nemesis]

20. Well, in part

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp

[KansDem]

21. Quick, have the USPS send Mr. Worley 1,000s of "Dear Santa" letters from the dead-letter office

That should settle it.

Well, it worked for Edmund Gwenn, anyway...