Community Corner
UPDATED: Disney World Tells 'Santa Claus' to Change
Roswell resident Thomas Tolbert was asked to change and act less like Santa Claus during a recent trip to the Orlando amusement park.
UPDATED: Friday, 3:48 p.m. -
Thomas Tolbert, a Roswell resident and Santa Claus impersonator, was recently told by park officials at Disney World to tone down his "jolly" look, report several media outlets.
Tolbert, who once owned a local formal wear store and now works at Summer's Landing senior living community, committed to his look a long time ago, according to an interview with 11 Alive News, telling them although he doesn't always put on the suit, he does stay in character wearing "Santa-casual." It's the style he wore at Disney when he dressed in "khaki pants, red high-top sneakers with green laces and a billowy, specially-made shirt decorated with a collage of Santa Claus heads and sayings from ‘The Night before Christmas,'" according to NBC News.
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Even without the suit, families requested pictures and autographs throughout his vacation with family at the park. After several days, Disney officials pulled Tolbert aside and told him to change; he did, although he refused to tell families "he wasn't who they thought he was."
Editor's Note: The article has been update to clarify the fact that Thomas Tolbert did, in fact, change his clothing, per park officials request. However, he did refuse to tell families he wasn't who they thought he was and turn them away.
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"Disney does not own the image of Santa," Tolbert told CNN. "Santa Claus is not owned by anybody except for the world."
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