‘THEY JUST KEPT MULTIPLYING’: Man attempts to take picture in Times Square and is immediately mobbed by costumed characters

Washington, D.C. may be the capital city of the United States, but you haven’t truly been to the star-spangled nation until you’ve spent 18 to 24 hours in New York City. Indeed, nothing quite captures the spirit of the Land of the Free like the obscenely industrialized, obtusely extra, and obnoxiously commercialized spectacle of Times Square.

And that’s just the architecture. The Big Apple also plays host to dozens of loyal minions to the United States’ anomalous tourism spirit, and to set foot on New York soil is to put yourself at the mercy of these IP-drenched goons. TikTok‘s @whoelsescared found this out the hard way, and also in the most extreme way.

It should have been simple enough; the city is bustling but not crowded, the weather is clear but not too bright, and the colorful landscape of billboards is basically begging for Oliver to indulge in a photo op. Indulge he does, only for him to get mobbed by Sesame Street‘s Elmo, who saw an opening to spruce up Oliver’s experience and took it without hesitation.

Oliver was none too keen on it in the moment, shying away from Elmo’s request; a decline that the red monster was perhaps none too tickled about. But it’s fine; Elmo doesn’t need Oliver’s mug in the shot to have a good time, and as if he was prepared to prove that, a bunch of other costumed characters descended upon where Oliver once stood, claiming the photo op for their own at the flick of Elmo’s wrist.

By the end of the mascots’ march, Elmo’s snap team of Avengers consisted of him, Spider-Man, two different Minnie Mouses (one with a black top and one with a red), the Hulk, and Oliver’s mom, who was likely the one taking the original photo and proved to be much more open to spontaneity than Oliver. The unfettered swagger in the video’s final frame has no equal.

Commenters couldn’t get over how quickly the rest of the characters leapt to the defense of Elmo’s ego, as though there’s some little-known frequency that only New York mascots can tap into, allowing them to communicate and position themselves in areas of interest for the sake of covering the most ground and reaping the most exposure.

One of the top comments pointed out how expensive that photo would have been (“THAT WOULDVE BEEN 500 BUCKS,” in their words). But that isn’t necessarily true, as that photo only would have been expensive if Oliver decided it would be. According to the official website of Times Square, you are under no legal obligation to pay any of these costumed characters, although it is common courtesy to tip them if you do get a photo with them, particularly if you request the photo yourself. Oliver, of course, did no such thing here, and a follow-up video suggests that the mascots were mostly just happy being part of the gleeful chaos of the moment.

Still, these folk are a staple of New York and inject a lot of heart into the spirit of the city, all while relying on tips to make it through the day. So if you’re ever strolling through Times Square and spot a costume that you jive with, consider snapping a photo with them and tossing a fiver their way; you may just guarantee their next meal.