August 15, 2014 Issue

New York—Jorge, middle, an immigrant from Mexico, stands with other people dressed as the Sesame Street character Elmo in Times Square, hoping for tips from tourists for photographs, July 30. The costumed characters have become ubiquitous at the “Crossroads of the World” and have drawn ire from law enforcement and government officials for aggressive panhandling and disturbance of the peace. The bad press has caused one copyright holder for the characters to take notice; producers for Sesame Workshop, which owns the rights to Elmo, said on July 29 it was drafting plans to ban performers who dress up as its characters from appearing in Times Square.