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Disney Character Accused of Hitting Child at Theme Park
7-Jan-2007
Written by: Jeannine Coppola
Tigger punches boy at Disney World.
The Independent reports that a character actor playing Winnie the Pooh's "Tigger" is being accused of hitting a child at Disney World in Florida.
The lovable Tigger character, who is supposedly "flouncy, bouncy, and full of vim and vigor," was apparently over excited when Jerry Monaco, Jr. of New Hampshire posed for a picture with him. The boy's father, Jerry Monaco, Sr. claims that while he was filming a video of his son with Tigger, the character grabbed the boy by his arm and then punched him in the face. The child then hit Tigger back.
Mr. Monaco states, "At first I was mad at my son. I thought he did something to Tigger, but then you review it and it is pretty clear he clocked him in the face." Disney World officials have suspended Michael Fedelem, the Orlando park's employee who plays Tigger, while they investigate the accusations. In the meantime, Monaco's video has surfaced on the Internet.
Although a Disney World spokeswoman says, "Naturally, physical altercations between cast members and guests are not tolerated," this is not the first time a Tigger actor has been investigated for misconduct allegations at the theme park. In February 2004, a 13-year-old girl and her mother reported that they wre groped and molested by a British actor playing Tigger in the Magic Kingdom's Toontown zone. A judge then ruled that the employee, Michael Chartland, was not guilty and was allowed to return to work. However, six months later, Chartland was suspended again over allegations of attacking two fellow employees while dressed as "Goofy." His lawyer tried to justify the situation, stating, "Of course he was goofing around because he was Goofy! That's the joke about this. You're supposed to goof around, be animated." For Jerry Monaco, Jr., though, his visit to Disney World was anything but having fun. He said, "Disney is supposed to be a safe place, a place where you are supposed to spend time with your family...At first, I thought he was kidding and all, just playing around, and then he actually grabbed my arm. He hit me pretty hard. I could still feel it through the padded gloves."
His family went on to say that their holiday was ruined by the Tigger incident. Mr Monaco claimed, "Tigger won't be a man about it. Get out of the costume and apologize to my son."
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