A New York bagel shop has reportedly taken down a cartoon sign after a viral TikTok video accused the artwork of having a “blackface owner.” Up until recently, Bo’s Bagel in Harlem had displayed a large cardboard cut-out of a cartoon bagel outside the store. The sign, which also served as a chalkboard, depicted the bagel wearing sunglasses, gold grills with “Harlem World” inscribed on them, and a gold ring reading “NYC.”
However, the mascot became controversial after several content creators claimed it was racist. Threats and harassment from the viral video forced the sign off the sidewalk and into hiding, according to business owner Andrew Martinez. “It got completely out of hand by a bunch of people who know nothing about us. And the rage was coming in from people who just wanted to call us racist,” said Martinez to the New York Post.
