Loud applause and cheers filled the air as Shrek banished the foul-mouthed Elmo, shooing the cursing creature away during a confrontation in the streets of Times Square.

Only in New York.

A man dressed in an Elmo costume stirred up trouble in the Central Park Zoo and Times Square after harassing tourists and shouting obscenities and anti-Semitic slurs.

This is not the first time this Elmo-gone bad has caused a commotion. The “emotionally-disturbed” man has been in trouble before for similar incidents. In 2009, he caused a scene when he demanded payment from tourists after he posed for a picture.

Most of his commentary is littered with expletives and not worth repeating but I would still recommend the video to an age-appropriate audience. There is something hilarious (albeit, also mildly traumatizing) about seeing a beloved childhood character behave like a belligerent, racist and very drunk sailor.

But the highlight of the footage wasn’t Elmo shouting rude remarks. It wasn’t even the shots of the terrified children and appalled bystanders.

It was the people that stood up to the vulgar character. One man carrying a drum roughly pushed Elmo away and condemned him for using such language around children. As I referenced before, another person dressed in a Shrek costume evicted him from Times Square.

Funnily enough, those moments felt like scenes from a Disney or, dare I say it, Sesame Street production. The movies and television shows from said franchises teach us that in the face of adversity, one must do the right thing. Disney shows us heroes and heroines protect innocent folk from harm. Sesame Street tells us to stand up against bullies or wrong-doers.

The Elmo impostor was defeated by the select, brave New Yorkers that remembered those lessons and refused to stand by and watch meanies use bad words. Although the man dressed as Elmo put a dent in my childhood memories, these people managed to redeem my faith in humanity.

Coincidentally, this blog is brought to you by the letter F.

-Rose Vardell, 98.5 WNCX Morning Show News Blogger