Characters Banned from Walk of Fame!
This is not cool, bbs!!!
It’s a customary scene to find people donning costumes of super heroes and cartoon characters in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd.
Recently, the LAPD has been overwhelmed with a number of complaints from concerned tourists and visitors having been pestered and nagged for tips, after taking pictures with the costumed characters.
According to sources, the L.A. City Council has stepped in and “voted to ban the cartoon character business after receiving scores of complaints.”
The ban has led to 8 arrests over the past weekend and the LAPD says it will continue to enforce this when they "have the resources available."
Hmmm…won't this be putting a lot of characters out of work???
Sadness!
[Image via AP Images.]
Tags: arrest, ban, cartoon, complaints, theater
New Paramore!
If enough people were bothered enough to take time out of their vacation to file complaints, it sounds like it's a real problem. Begging for tips (if that's true) is so tacky!
I've been to America and the tippping culture is ridiculous, so I'm not surprised foreigners complained about this. We're not used to the hardcore tipping that happens in the States, in Britain we only tip in restaurants after a meal.
what about all those fairies that pose like you? they will be out of the job. sad world we live in.
for once I agree with the lapd, I live near hollywood and these pathetic characters are annoying and their costumes are cheap. go away leave more room for the foot traffic. get a fucking real job.
Characters out of work? These are not people that work from an agency that get placed there. . they are just random losers that dress up and hassle people. I for one would LOVE to see them gone.
maybe the tourists should just tip these people since that's how they're earning their living (you take a picture with one of the characters and you owe them a tip)… It's not rocket science.
I live in LA, and SOME of them are trick or treat-ers that beg and harass, but the people with the good costumes and that really take the time to pose and take great pictures do it for a living and don't harass people. It is one of the tourist attractions there! So sad for these people that found work giving people great vacation pictures during this recession.
Maybe they should get real jobs like the rest of us!
NO, BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE A JOB! THEY WERE BEGGING AND BEING AGGRESSIVE. again, you do not read Mario. Tourists probably thought they were part of the theater, like in Disney, great adventure, etc and then were surprised when some demanded tips. obviously, if there were complaints, some were really aggressive, because it is a pain in the butt to find out where to complain and follow through. Let them find REAL JOBS. Its not like they could do this forever and they did not have permission to don these costumes and represent these characters. I am sure if one dressed like Mickey Mouse and molested someone, disney would get sued and YOU would have MICKEY MOUSE is a pedophile, even though it was just a unemployed idiot doing it.
Saw the documentary about those panhandlers,they're annoying and nuts.
'putting them out of work'??? you call putting a cheap costume on and hassling people for money 'work'??? they're called beggars.
I agree with it somewhat. Was just there a couple weeks ago. The costumes are getting really bad. Dirty, cheap, half falling off. If a person WANTS to tip than fine, but they should DEMAND it.
Why not have an IRS employee approach each "character" and imply that an audit is forthcoming?! These YAHOOS will scatter into the cracks of the sidewalk like roaches.
.
Truth is…the HOLLYWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE should employee these low-lifes - makes for a good tourist attraction.
I've never been to LA but that's really fucked up! Arresting people that are trying to make it and probably entertain you better then half the people that are actually filming these stupid movies on the big screen! LA should be ashamed of themselves.
you're completely ignoring the reason why the LAPD is banning them. the article said that the "characters" are getting aggressive with the tourists nagging them for money. that's what's not cool.
Ive been there many times and the majority of them do not stand to the side and wait for you to come to them. They get in front of you and harrass you and not let you pass until you take a pic or something. And they will blatantly hold out there hand for tips. And again, yes the mafority dont even have well put together costumes!
They should ban Chucky for sure. I am a grown woman and I ran from him. Superman they can keep….and Darth Vader they are hot.
I AM SO GLAD! Tipping is one thing but those people have become total picture NAZI'S out there! I recently took my 8 year old Godson and 3 year old daughter there on a nice day out and both wanted to take flix with Spider Man and Venom, who were total ASSHOLES to MY KIDS about the minimum tip they REQUIRED for a stupid picture! I was HORRIFIED at how these pieces of SH** were talking to my 8 year old and my 3 year old!!! LIKE, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!! Talk to ME like an adult not these poor kids who don't know better!
I live in L.A. My daughter's Preschool class went on a field trip to El Capitan, which is across the street, and my daughter wanted a picture with Elmo. I took a picture of my daughter with ELMO, and then I hear ELMO tell my daughter "
Elmo thinks your mommy looks pretty good!" Ban those fuckers.
the characters out there are total douche bag cant stand them!!! they are so hard hit for the tip they deserve whatever!
I fully support this. Whether or not these individuals have the perfect costume and play the part well, the fact of the matter is the majority of them are not associated with any event or store that has any kind of permission to be on the street. Keeping that in mind, when you take away all the glitz, glamour, and fantasy of Hollywood, they're just average people putting on a costume and asking for money. I live about 30 minutes from Hollywood and frequently go to Hollywood Blvd. Yes, some characters are impressive and conduct themselves well, and it is unfortunate to see them go, but when you have a ban, you can't just pick and chose who stays and who goes.
It's about time this filth is banned from Graumann's!
There is an amazing documentary about these people called "CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERHEREO".
Most of them are agressive and inappropriate. The one time I was there, "Princess Fiona" was very agressive and rude to my friend. It was so uncomfortable. The bottom line is that these people are, in fact, pan-handlers and they don't pay taxes. I'm surprised it went on for as long as it did.
One time we were down there, a Yoda character literally grabbed my daughter to pose with her, so I reluctantly took a picture thinking I better not look rude, then he walked up to me with his hand out.
Of course I felt awkward because I never have cash on me and dug around in the bottom of my purse till I found 50 cents.
Every time after that, we never got near them.
BRAVO- its about time ! We experienced harrassment by these rude, begging, low lifes, even my young son was hounded. Good Riddance. They rent a costume and attack tourists,,much like a hooker.
Re: Malfinnien stupidly wrtes: "…in Britain we only tip in restaurants after a meal." –
I have been to the UK five times in the last 10 years and every place we went people expected tips! Tour guides, waitresses, taxi drivers, hotel staff, airport personnel, etc. So take a good look at your own imploding country first!
RE: Blog? I Copy N' Paste says – reply to this
Re: NaughtyAngel the smelly twat writes: "I've never been to LA but that's really fucked up!" –
Good! Keep your skanky ass away from LA! Of course you might fit in well with the low class trash that polluted the ground outside the Grauman's.
aw! ok, dirty sponge bob and Chucky (fucker tries to scare me every time I try to go to Fresh and Easy) can go, but what about the ones who are legit? like jack sparrow, Marilyn Monroe and the guy who looks like Samuel L. Jackson??
Re: like!!!COLON!!! whatever! –
Damn! Nice editing my post ASSHOLE!
RE: Blog? I Copy N' Paste says – reply to this …worked on everybody but you! I found that interesting…
Just wanted to tell you…love your avatar and love the name!
Re: Malfinnien – yeah i don't get it either. crazy.
Re: glamourflage – agreed
Re: U_SUCK_DONKEY_DICKS – agreed
Ummmmm, are those "characters" actually employed by any legit business??? They look like bums and crack heads donning costumes in hopes to get money. I was there not long ago and Princess Leia was missing teeth and looked like a crack ho close up. So long scummy "characters"!!!!!
for real, one thing is actually DO something to deserve a tip, here where i live, one of the most famous streets at downtown, "november 15th street", is full of artists and entertainers that are real talented and walk around the street ALL day long trying to earn their honest money, but they DONOT ask for tips, they provide something, a music number, a statue number, magic number…
these LOOOOSERS in L.A actually mug people and abuse of they goodwill, they desreve what they got!!!
If Superman and Spiderman would fight crime like they are suppose to, then we wouldn' have this problem.
Good riddance. They practically attack you trying to sell stuff and are horribly rude when you don't. I've had a couple of instances that I've had to push them back away from my kids, which is totally not cool.
They charge you to have your photo taken with them. Some of their tights are a little tooooo snug. Know what I mean? I bet most of the cast from Eight is Enough is down there trying to earn enough money to pay for their mobile home rent.
Errr NO this is not work. This is bugging the hell out of tourists, that just want to visit the Boulevard.
We came from Sydney to see LA and those so called Characters, wouldn't leave us alone. Sure I would give them some money for a photo with them IF I wanted a picture but No is NO and those people just wouldn't let up!
This just made the whole experience a downer.
THANK GOD! Get these assholes off the street! It's one thing to take pictures and have fun, but to throw an attitude cause you won't tip them? I've had this happen to me and it was pretty fucking annoying. This is not a real job. I'd rather tip people with actual talent playing their guitars and singing their hearts out than tip these dumbasses.
When I first moved out to LA I took my girlfriend and her parents out to Hollywood and we saw these people in costumes there and I saw a really well done Bumblebee (from Transformers) costume there so I was like "hey cool, let's get a picture with him". So we did and then he's holding out his hand and said some snarky comment about money and I was surprised like I didn't realize I had to pay for a simple photo. I ended up giving him the few bucks I had in my wallet at the time but to me it's really annoying that they almost demand money from you after the fact.
They should either politely tell you beforehand that it's gonna cost X amount of money, or just maybe have a sign that says "tips welcome" or something. I think it's more or less the fact that they just con you into taking a picture and then force their hand out and guilt you into paying them for it.
I agree that they shouldn't do that but I think it's going to suck to see them all go. It would be nice if some smart companies would hire actual employees to dress up and do the whole thing for "free" and not even accept tips. It's like a walking billboard advertisement anyway… Just have them on regular pay.
Y'ALL THESE GUYS ARE THUGS. IT SEEMS NICE TO PLAY DRESS UP ALL DAY, BUT WHEN YOU START ACTING LIKE PUSHY HOMELESS PEOPLE THEN THERE'S A PROBLEM. THEY ARE REALLY JUST DRESSED UP BEGGARS. KICK THEM OUT SO THEY CAN GET REAL JOBS.
Perez when was the last time you were actually sightseeing on the walk of fame? Im from Australia and we recently visited LA and i have told numerous fellow Australians to avoid LA for this specific reason (and then pointed them towards Santa Monica and Anaheim). The time that i spent on the walk of fame completely turned me off LA and i would most likely not go back. The characters were rude, dirty and demanding. They made it hard for us to say no to having a photo taken with them and then they stipulate how much of a tip they want! At one point i was trying to take a photo of the architecture across the road, Im in a wheelchair and was trying hard to get my photo when "Jack Sparrow" walked in front of my shot. He then proceeded to abuse me for taking his photo without tipping him first. I told him that i was actually taking a photo of the buildings and not his pathetic and ridiculous costume so he demanded i show him the photo i took on my camera - which of course he was not in. So it is probably a good thing these menaces are gone because they have offended tourists and maybe these tourists like me have also spread the word that LA is not a very nice place to visit and directed them elsewhere.
I don't blame them for banning them! They had no rights to be making money, that I sure they didn't pay taxes on, off of copyrighted characters first of all. Also some of them were very forceful when people would walk down the street in that area. We have been bothered by them several times and when we told them we didn't want a photo they would get very nasty with you. I am sure more people will go to that area without the characters there. Perhaps they should try Disneyland or Universal for a real job where they can still dress up if they prefer that line of work.
ahaha lets get scooby doo arrested
Sorry, but standing around dressed up in costume and forcing people to take a picture with you then DEMANDING a tip is not a job. I have to agree with Malfinninen…tipping in America is crazy. Where I'm from tipping is NOT REQUIRED. A tip is given to someone who has gone above and beyond. But now almost everywhere you go has a tip jar. I'm one of those people who tip my waiter (cause most of them are extremely underpaid) but their tip depends on the service (of course, i take into account the time of day, how busy the restaurant is, etc) but other than that I only tip if the service is above average…otherwise…guess what? THAT IS YOUR JOB. You already get paid to cut my hair…You don't need anything extra. I'm a doctors assistant…I don't get tips for having your chart ready, making your appt, performing your pre-exam.
They are jerks! I remember them constantly nagging my friends and I for tips even when we were just saying hi and chatting. The costumes are cheap and falling apart, and the people doing the job are jerks
I am actually a tourist who complained to the LAPD. Yeah I was bothered enough because I was verbally abused and threatened by a fucking Darth Vader while I was standing there doing a quick pan of the street, I wanted the chinese theatre not any of these characters. I was not interested in photographing them them or having my picture taken with any of them he started hounding me and swearing at me. He was literally 2 inches from my face??!! I told him I wasn't taking video of any of the characters, and he was just yelling at how I was ripping them off and how much money they put into their costumes. So fucking what??? I do not need a picture with me with a hoodlum in a darth vader costume!! He followed me along the street. I am a small woman and he was huge and it was totally uncalled for. I saw the cops (after I told darth to ram his light saber up his ass) and complained. I was shocked at the guys attitude towards the tourists and the cops had said he had been taken away by the cops the previous week and they are always getting complaints. It needs to be an organized project or not at all. Sorry.
It is not fair to say that they all beg for tips, its not true…. i have been there many times and if you say " no thanks " they will leave you alone, trouble is most foreigners don't know how to deal with them. Tipping was started in England btw, it means to insure prompt service. Most visitors don't get that service workers here live off of their tips, not the wages as they are low. These characters would gladly get jobs if there were any around!
That's not the same guy playing Superman who I saw last time I drove down Hollywood Boulevard. This one is more like Superfatman. I mean, if you're going to play Superman, you must at least bother to work out a little!!! This Superman is about 5'8" tall and over 200 pounds (of fat). And if I'm not mistaken, Spiderman standing beside him is actually Spiderwoman.
Hollywood's such a letdown already. These scroungy charactors just add to it.
it's part of the regional charm. i love my la. it's fun to flirt with the dirty Jack Sparrow impersonator!
it's Hollywood, I love those characters who entertain and stand in the rain and hot sun all day to give the tourist what they want. Why shouldn't they get a tip for a photo? Jeez. What next?
Re: Hate Low Class People –
Err, I'm an actual British person and I've never tipped anywhere except in retaurants. If you're tipping hotel staff and airport personnel you're just stupid. Any other British person will tell you the same thing.
They don't have the right to harass people for money. Too bad a few of them spoiled it for the ones who are doing it to make a living and don't harass tourists.
Yes these complaints are absolutely valid. Fat Elvis and his Elmo Buddy were extremely obnoxious. They were pushy and rude and forced us ( my friend and I) to take their photo just to make them go away but only after they harrassed us for money. Plus they were all touchy feely. Unfortunately these are the guys who ruin it for the other "characters". There was one guy posing as "Edward Cullen" and he was polite and friendly and didn't force people to pay for a photo. This is the guy you WANT to tip.
just typical americans expecting money for nothing. they take a shit and expect a "gratuity" for it. get a real job, get paid for doing the job and expect nothing more. that's how the rest of the world works.
Re: Hate Low Class People – ha! you got taken for a ride there my friend. i've lived in england my entire life and it isn't customary to tip. most people tip 10% after a meal, or round up a taxi fare to the nearest £££, but if you had to tip anywhere else its because they heard your american accent. loser.
The costumes look cheap. Are they crackheads underneath…? scarry
for real. They're really creepy. Kinda pervy. Nast.
Re: Hate Low Class People – I am studying in the UK from the US and shes right though. Nobody expects a tip besides restaurants. Its totally up to you to give a tip or not to the others and you're not considered rude if you dont. Believe me I was worried about this but have learned since living here!
Why can't they apply for a permit or something. Wouldn't that be easier?