Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Cops Tell Times Square Tourists That Tipping Elmo Is Optional
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 10, 2014
Modified Aug 11, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
NYPD
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 10, 2014
Modified Aug 11, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The NYPD is currently passing out flyers in Times Square advising tourists of their rights: "Photos with costumed characters are free. Tipping is optional." The flyer comes in five different languages but omits the fact that refusing to tip a worker in a costume all but guarantees a confrontation.
According to an NYPD release, police are handing out the literature with the help of the Times Square Alliance, the group that wants to make the characters obtain a license before working the streets.
If I'm a tourist, this flyer is confusing. The language is simple but the meaning is vague. The photos are free? Who is paying for them? Why should I have to tip for a free photo? And what's with the menacing black and white Elmo & Minnie?
Like police warnings on ATM skimming and Chinatown con artists [PDF], these flyers should explain reality, not the contextless letter of the law: Costumed characters cannot legally charge you to take a photo, but they make a living off tips. They will expect a tip.
Some tourists might wonder why people living in the Greatest City In The World would choose to don a sweltering suit to essentially beg for dollar bills. That will require a larger pamphlet.
Tagged
costume characters
elmo
Times Square
times square alliance
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC tow companies busted for ripping off drivers must give $67K in refunds, city says
Mayor Mamdani has expanded enforcement on towing scams, but the unlicensed towing industry remains largely unregulated.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 2, 2026 at 4:47 p.m. ET
Off-duty NYPD officer stabbed in the Bronx, police say
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Jessica Tisch visited the officer in the hospital.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Off-duty NYPD officer stabbed in the Bronx, police say
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Jessica Tisch visited the officer in the hospital.
By
Ryan Kost
DOC negligence factored in death at Rikers' Bellevue hospital outpost, jail officials say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Conductor on NYC subway that dragged man to death may have skipped safety check, source says
By
Stephen Nessen
NYPD still searching for man who threw burning substance on victim in East Harlem
By
Ryan Kost
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .