Entertainment

Sesame Place

Sesame Place is a Sesame Street–branded theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania (with a sister park in San Diego), operated in connection with United Parks & Resorts / SeaWorld Entertainment branding history.

The quick read Reason for concern Reviewed Aug 24, 2026

The quick snapshot

Public concern on the record.

These are summaries, not scores. Open every receipt before deciding.

Public concern

Why people pushed back

A July 2022 viral parade video showed a Sesame Place character appearing to skip Black children. AP reported a Baltimore family sued SeaWorld Parks, alleging characters ignored a 5-year-old Black girl at a June meet-and-greet while engaging white guests, seeking over $25 million and class status. The park apologized and promised training. Allegations plus apology—not a verdict in this file.

Viral incident + apology
July 2022: Viral video of character skipping Black childrenAP reported a widely shared video appeared to show a Sesame Place character snubbing Black girls during a parade at the Langhorne, Pa., park. Sesame Place apologized and promised more employee training. That is a public incident plus company apology, not a court finding.Source: Associated Press ↗
Lawsuit allegations (>$25M sought)
July 2022: Family sued seeking class actionAP reported Quinton Burns of Baltimore sued SeaWorld Parks (Sesame Place owner), alleging costumed characters ignored his 5-year-old Black daughter Kennedi at a June 18 meet-and-greet while engaging white visitors. The suit sought more than $25 million and class status. Sesame Place said it would review the claim. Allegations—not a verdict.Source: Associated Press ↗

Aug 24, 2026 · The Cookout Editorial Desk

Sesame Place characters appeared to skip Black kids—then a family sued

BLUF

In 2022 a viral video showed Sesame Place characters appearing to ignore Black girls; the park apologized, and a Baltimore family sued seeking class status over similar snubs.

What happened: Viral parade video

In July 2022 a video from Sesame Place near Philadelphia appeared to show a costumed character engaging white children while bypassing Black girls. Associated Press reported the park apologized and promised training.

What happened: Burns family lawsuit

AP reported Quinton Burns sued SeaWorld Parks, alleging Sesame Street characters ignored his 5-year-old Black daughter at a June meet-and-greet while engaging white guests. The suit sought more than $25 million and class status. Those are allegations.

The Cookout read

Concern. A children’s park where the camera catches characters skipping Black kids is not a lighting problem. Apology and litigation followed. This file will not invent a settlement dollar AP did not confirm here.

Open the primary source ↗

Now / update

Where the record stands.

Last reviewed Aug 24, 2026. This is present-day status, not a new verdict.

Dated items opened here are the sourced Black-specific receipts in this file.

Last reviewed August 24, 2026.

Source file

Open the full passages.

Links may change after publication. Dates describe the event or publication listed in the record.

01
Associated Press
July 2022: Viral video of character skipping Black children · Jul 19, 2022
Read source ↗
02
Associated Press
July 2022: Family sued seeking class action · Jul 27, 2022
Read source ↗

Community temperature check

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