Dirt Dog, a popular restaurant chain in Las Vegas and Las Angeles, hosted the event that promised a meet-and-greet with the beloved TV character Bluey,
The restaurant posted a Facebook event, “Celebrate Bluey with us!” “Marathon of all the Bluey episodes! Meeting with Bluey & Friends. Face painting. Games & special Bluey treats,” the page read.
The event garnered roughly 3,000 responses, according to FOX5. However, thousands more showed up, and parents were less than pleased after arriving.
The activities were not as promised, and parents made multiple complaints about the costumes, face painting and treats.
A male employee was dressed as the beloved Aussie puppy character, and children were upset at seeing this version of Bluey. The employee appeared to be dressed in a Bluey onesie.
Talking to FOX 5, one of the children at the event, Sophia, said that she could see his beard.
One parent took to Facebook to share her disdain following the event, sharing a side-by-side comparison of the Bluey at the Dirt Dog event and another one at a “Trunk r Treat” event.
“DO NOT GO! FALSE ADVERTISEMENT!!! Pic on the left (someone else’s photo) is what kids are waiting for at Dirt Dog. That’s what we were expecting. There are far better costumes out there.
“Pic on right was taken at Trunk r Treat event we took our kids to in the Silverton parking lot, they had going on last October.”
“That’s what we were expecting. There are far better costumes out there. What a shame they got all those kids hopes up,” she continued.
Mum Stephanie Hernandez told FOX5 that some of the children at the event were “distraught.”
“Some kids were crying. Some kids were upset, crying in their parents’ shoulders.” “How could you do that to little kids: advertise something so fun and eventful for kids ranging from toddlers to six, seven years old, and not actually follow through with it? It was a very upsetting moment to see so many kids, especially my daughter, just really upset,” she said. The restaurant later took to social media to post an apology about the event.
“We are truly sorry this event wasn’t to standard. We will work on improving all of [our] events going forward so we can bring you the highest quality as you all deserve,” the caption read.
“We appreciate everyone taking the time to send us your feedback.”
Marketing spokesperson for Dirt Dog, Taj Wilder, told FOX5 that the restaurant was only expecting “50 to 60 people” despite nearly 3,000 people responding.
“We expected like maybe 50 to 60 people - not in the sense of like the whole city coming out. Just now knowing who Bluey is, we would have planned ahead and would have had security.”
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