According to the Times Square Alliance, more than 50 costumed characters work in Times Square. The crossroads of the world has become "family-friendly" with the presence of buskers dressed as cartoon/movie characters soliciting tips from tourists who pose for photos with them. However, there were some isolated incidents involving bad behavior by some of these costumed characters that regulation is being proposed.
"Super Mario groped the woman," says Times Square Alliance president Tim Tompkins. "Elmo was ranting anti-Semitic things. Spider-Man punched a woman in the face. Now a kid was attacked by Cookie Monster. And those are just ones where there's been an arrest! We've anecdotally heard there's a lot more that's been happening. One of my staff members said an Elmo patted her backside when she was walking through Times Square on a crowded day."
