[SleepinCatz]

From a legal standpoint it was the right thing to do when he would not cease his actions. They stopped it because park goers were complaining about the other Santa. That's the official whatnot.

As far as predators and who they are and what they do, it isn't always family or friends. They come in all shapes and sizes, all walks of life and you may or may not know them. The statistics show that yes, family and friends is right there at the top, but strangers ranks high too.

And before it gets said...my family is no stranger to predators either. So yeah...I do understand.

Catz

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[RachaelK]

I've thought about this , and I wouldn't want anyone not employed by Disney pretending to be Cinderella , Santa, etc near my child . When I took Rachael to see Santa I chose where to go , I was always careful to make it as magical as I could . When we go to Disney I trust Disney to create the wonderful Magic with all their fantastic well trained C.M'S , so I would not want a stranger not vetted + employed by Disney pretending to be Santa, why would Iwant that when I have chosen the very best place in the world ?
So I would agree with Disney as a red jacket with Santa on it is not just someone happening to look like Santa .

[sheerema]

i read about and i dont have a problem with that, its disney propertry, and u cant have "fake" characters roaming around.... imagine if something bad went wrong then who gets the blame, DISNEY

[Schwinncoll]

I was there and saw him when he was walking past Its a Small World. I told our daughter she better be good. I told her it probably wasnt the real Santa because he was too busy but that it was one of his spys keeping an eye on the kids at Disney. She just stopped, looked and stared at him for a minute. No cast members or anyone was around him at the time. When we got back home our neighbor told us about them asking him to leave. We also told the cast members that he goes to Hemmingway Days in Key West as he looked like a heavy set Ernest Hemmingway. Its sad that they asked him to leave and I believe it was wrong on their part also.

[G00fyDad]

Originally Posted by sheerema

i read about and i dont have a problem with that, its disney propertry, and u cant have "fake" characters roaming around.... imagine if something bad went wrong then who gets the blame, DISNEY

Absolutely. I dont blame them for asking him to leave. Though by other posters here it seems that he was asked to "alter his appearance" and when he refused they then asked him to leave. Like maybe take off the big red coat and stop saying that he actually was Santa. The guy seems to have made it sound like Disney just walked up to him because he was round and had a white beard. I doubt Disney did anything like that. From what I read, he seems to have been outright portraying himself as Santa.

Very Bad Form, Disney? I say Very Bad Form, Fake Santa.

[Schwinncoll]

Goofy, when I saw him, he was in regular street clothes. Just like every other guest wears in the park. I think he had on a red printed Hawaiin shirt and tan shorts or pants from what I can remember. It was just that he had white hair and the beard. Like Scott Calvin would have when in the principals office. Now go watch the movies guys.... Wait, Christmas is over till the end of the year. I gotta go take down my lights!

[Mickey Crazy]

Originally Posted by Schwinncoll

Goofy, when I saw him, he was in regular street clothes. Just like every other guest wears in the park. I think he had on a red printed Hawaiin shirt and tan shorts or pants from what I can remember. It was just that he had white hair and the beard. Like Scott Calvin would have when in the principals office. Now go watch the movies guys.... Wait, Christmas is over till the end of the year. I gotta go take down my lights!

Perhaps you did not see him on the day in question. It could have been just before or after . The Disney folk had him leave the park on that day, but did not ban him from returning to the parks.
We had a report from a CM that he was wearing a jacket that said "Yes I am Santa, ask me " .
He was also letting kids sit on his lap on the day in question, in order to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas.
After they escorted him out he was told in order to return, not to wear the jacket or to let kids tell him what gifts they wanted .
Many moms there, and on our site, became concerned after finding that he was not a CM.
Disney cannot take a chance on the intent of guests that do these things , if the intent was for evil, and it could have been, Disney would also have been in the news for that. And that press would have been worst .

[Oo-de-lally]

I can see both sides of the story, but after hearing the point that he could have been some kind of predator I think it's great that Disney asked him to stop impersonating Santa Claus. How scary for you as a parent to let your child sit on Santa's lap only to find he's some random stranger endorsed by no one? And also confusing for kids to see two Santa's... all the man had to do was change his attire and stop pretending he was Santa. Interesting story.

[MonorailGuy]

Unfortunately, keeping it the happiest place on earth requires that you assume the worst of people, but at the same time not letting that consume you. It's the same way that, at Chuck E. Cheese's, every adult and child gets a hand stamp in the Blacklight ink. If you try to leave with a child, they want to see your hands first, to verify you are together.

But let's say this Santa was not up to no good, as I would like to believe (sorry for the double negative).
There's also the illusion that must not be broken. When you go so far in designing not just the area in the park, but also outside so that you can only see a hotel that matches the theme of the area you're in (Grand Floridian only visible from Main Street USA, Contemporary Resort from Tomorrowland), when you've spent so much time, money and energy on creating an illusion that you are really in a new world when you take three steps from Main Street USA to Fantasyland, when you ban any CM wearing the wrong costumes in any part of the park, you don't want a kid to get off the knee of some Santa wearing CLOSE to the Santa costume, bounding down the road and running into another Santa in proper costume. That was unthinkable to Walt Disney, and so it is unthinkable to those who are in the employ of his legacy.

On both fronts, I see no reason to look badly on any part of Disney. I'm sure they made the decision knowing it would go to the press. However, they made the right call.

Now, if this gentleman was wearing a red Hawaiian shirt and shorts as described earlier, I would agree that Disney was in the wrong. Had they said he needed to shave off his beard, I would have a complaint.

[hwallace123]

You know, there could have been more then one person with a beard, white hair and round belly in the parks during the Christmas holiday. There's nothing to say that the person wearing the Hawiian shirt was the person in question. I would have to say that I would never in a million years allow my kids to sit on a strangers lap unless he was an endorsed Santa Claus who has had a background check. This person was an impersonator. And, good intentions or not, he had no right to allow children to sit on his lap - period. That's indecent and wrong, no matter his purpose. There are characters all over the place at Disney and seeing one dressed as Santa, parents are bound to believe without question that he is employed by Disney. This person had no right to touch these children in any way. I feel it was Disney's civic responsibility to ask this person to cease and desist. If he would not, he should have been asked to leave. Because if I had been one of those parents whose child sat on his lap, I would have been livid. It makes my blood run cold just thinking about it. Yes, Disney was right, protecting our children at all costs is their top priority. Personally, I feel safer going to their parks because of it.

[laughingplace<3]

I agree. I mean, shaving your beard is going too far, and if you look like santa to leave the park, but a sweater that is asking for attention and letting children SIT ON YOUR LAP is too much.

Disney did what was right, as many of you have already said. That's the bottom line--they weren't even assuming he was a predator, just asking for him to not confuse guests. And if concerned parents actually put in a note that he was letting children sit on his lap, then, that's a bit too much.

[mberenato]

sheesh this topic ranged all over the place.... but im going to have to agree with Ed, Rick etc. on this. I try and as most do to keep up that (St. Nick) persona as long as possible and he was drawing attention to himself... In May that would be neat... not in November\December.

[laughingplace<3]

Can anyone tell me what park this was?
It is magic kingdom ,right??

Because I'm using this story for something I'm writing. So if anyone could provide that detail....Ed?? Lol.

[GOOFYMAN]

Disney was absolutely correct in their actions if this an was portraying himself as santa as well as having children sit on his lap. I personally appreciate disney looking out for our children.