Companies that provide costumed characters such as Dora the Explorer and Bob the Builder for children’s parties have received cease-and-desist letters and lawsuit threats from the corporations that own the rights to the characters, the Wall Street Journal reports. Costume providers have responded with costumes that only slightly resemble popular characters and have names like “Big Red Tickle Monster” rather than “Elmo,” the newspaper says. Trademark holders claim they are trying to protect the integrity of their brands, but one mother says it is unfair that she can’t have a character at her child’s birthday party after the companies have forced the brands “down our throat on graham cracker boxes and macaroni and cheese,” the newspaper notes.
—Vlada Gelman