[Glenn.]

Reportedly, the actors who will portray Santa Claus during this year’s holiday season at Walt Disney World will be culturally diverse for the first time.

So far, Santa Claus has only been played by white or white-passing men at Walt Disney World. Including a Santa of a different race would be the latest move by Disney to promote diversity and inclusivity.

Santa has already appeared at Magic Kingdom, played by a white man during the first two Disney Very Merriest After Hours events. He has his own Liberty Square “sighting” location and appears in Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. Santa will be appearing in more Walt Disney World locations starting this weekend, as well as at Disneyland Resort.

https://www.wdwmagic.com/events/holi...on-program.htm

[Toy Soldier]

Tbh it would make sense in Santa-lore even. He isn’t human, he’s an immortal spirit appearing in the form of human, so it would make sense that he looks different at different times, or perhaps that he transcends time and space, so it’s not that he gets around the whole world in one night, but rather he visits every house all at once in millions of physical forms.

[Alf]

I'm surprised he isn't trans by now.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Alf

I'm surprised he isn't trans by now.

Yes

[Oliver_W]

Stuff like that draws attention to the fact it isn't the "real Santa" sitting there.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

Stuff like that draws attention to the fact it isn't the "real Santa" sitting there.

Not if you teach them proper lore as I’ve suggested.

[Liam-]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Tbh it would make sense in Santa-lore even. He isn’t human, he’s an immortal spirit appearing in the form of human, so it would make sense that he looks different at different times, or perhaps that he transcends time and space, so it’s not that he gets around the whole world in one night, but rather he visits every house all at once in millions of physical forms.

I’m totally up for Santa actually being Dr. Who

[Livia]

Looking forward to Disney introducing some black folk lore heroes and having white actors play them.

We've had a black actress play Anne Boleyn. Really looking forward to Dame Judy Dench portraying Rosa Parks with great success.

[bitontheslide]

the next thing will be rather than saying ho ho ho, it will be some diversity positive motto

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Not if you teach them proper lore as I’ve suggested.

The proper lore? Y'mean Viking children stuffing hay into boots, so Odin could feed it to his many-legged horse in exchange for presents?

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Not if you teach them proper lore as I’ve suggested.

So long as we don't mention Zwarte Piet. That's insulting apparently. but giving a Scandinavian a black face is okay. The most annoying this about this kind of crap is, I doubt it was a black person who came up with the idea. Disney, founded by a MASSIVE anti-Semite, but never even been considered for cancellation.

[LeatherTrumpet]

damn it I was hoping he would be a woman

[Livia]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

damn it I was hoping he would be a woman

While I LOLed at this, I'm sure they're not ruling it out for Christmas 2022.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

The proper lore? Y'mean Viking children stuffing hay into boots, so Odin could feed it to his many-legged horse in exchange for presents?

The proper lore is of course my lore.

[Niamh.]

My kids never thought the Santa's you go to see at Christmas were the "real" Santa anyway, just his helpers so I can't see any issue with this, I'm sure there have been other black Santa's at shopping Centres before?

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

My kids never thought the Santa's you go to see at Christmas were the "real" Santa anyway, just his helpers so I can't see any issue with this, I'm sure they're have been other black Santa's at shopping Centres before?

We did once go to a Santa where you go on a trailer ride out into the woods to a little cabin that's full of presents, and the guy has a real big bushy white beard and "authentic looking" costume etc... also it was about a 2 hour drive so we said we had driven to the North Pole . Also it was serendipitously snowing. That's the only time they were quite successfully fooled. The next year my eldest was like "Remember last year when we went to the real one?" . She was only maybe 5 at the time. Little one would only have been 2 or 3 so really just enjoyed the trailer ride.

TBH she always realised that "Shopping Centre Santas" were completely unaffiliated with actual Santa and were just there to get toys from

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

We did once go to a Santa where you go on a trailer ride out into the woods to a little cabin that's full of presents, and the guy has a real big bushy white beard and "authentic looking" costume etc... also it was about a 2 hour drive so we said we had driven to the North Pole . Also it was serendipitously snowing. That's the only time they were quite successfully fooled. The next year my eldest was like "Remember last year when we went to the real one?" . She was only maybe 5 at the time. Little one would only have been 2 or 3 so really just enjoyed the trailer ride.

TBH she always realised that "Shopping Centre Santas" were completely unaffiliated with actual Santa and were just there to get toys from

Oh that sounds amazing, would like to go there myself

[bitontheslide]

kids will make up their own reasons for santas being abstract, there is too much excitement around getting presents for inconsistencies to get in the way

I think the age where reasoning kicks in has lowered considerably since i was a kid. I think peer awareness that santa was faked kicked in about 7 years old for me, now i would imagine its first christmas at school

[Livia]

Why can't a black kid get a gift from an established character who is white? Why do we have to change a character that goes back centuries, and who comes from the Arctic, into a black character?

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

My kids never thought the Santa's you go to see at Christmas were the "real" Santa anyway, just his helpers so I can't see any issue with this, I'm sure there have been other black Santa's at shopping Centres before?

and in movies, so its not a major step forward or anything

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

kids will make up their own reasons for santas being abstract, there is too much excitement around getting presents for inconsistencies to get in the way

I think the age where reasoning kicks in has lowered considerably since i was a kid. I think peer awareness that santa was faked kicked in about 7 years old for me, now i would imagine its first christmas at school

We actually had to tell Luke before he went into Secondary school, I asked him did he ever wonder about it and he said he never really thought about it and didn't seem bothered at all as long as he was getting his presents

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Oh that sounds amazing, would like to go there myself

It was a great experience but I made the classic error of making sure the kids were all bundled up warm but just wearing my own normal jacket and not-very-thick gloves and it was so... so cold... .

[bitontheslide]

Originally Posted by Livia

Why can't a black kid get a gift from an established character who is white? Why do we have to change a character that goes back centuries, and who comes from the Arctic, into a black character?

because kids are indoctrinated from an early age, so they are aware of differences rather than just accepting something for what it is. First year at school i think is the marker these days for the ending of a childs innocence which i personally think is very sad

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

kids will make up their own reasons for santas being abstract, there is too much excitement around getting presents for inconsistencies to get in the way

I think the age where reasoning kicks in has lowered considerably since i was a kid. I think peer awareness that santa was faked kicked in about 7 years old for me, now i would imagine its first christmas at school

In my experience it's not changed all that much, about 6 or 7 some start to realise and then they "play along" until around age 8 then all of the kids start pointing out it's not real. I'd say Christmas of 2nd year of primary was when the rumours started to circulate, it seemed that most still very much believed in the first year. My daughter was an "early sceptic" but we managed to make her more of a Santa Agnostic - she wanted to believe but she had her doubts and usually made this exact face on the topic - . She was quite adamant about being considerate and never "leaking" this forbidden knowledge to friends or classmates though.

[LeatherTrumpet]

Why not remake King Kong and use a LLama instead

or Jurassic Park 6 but instead of Dinosaurs use Tortoises


Obviously, it would be a 12-hour movie if you were to include the chase scenes