Disney World renames the “Liver Lips McGrowl” character over offensive origins linked to alcohol and racial stereotypes.
Disney World has recently made a significant change that has drawn both surprise and debate among fans.
After 50 years, the theme park has decided to alter the name of a beloved character due to concerns about its potentially offensive origins.
This decision marks a major shift in how Disney approaches sensitive cultural issues.
Disney World will rename the character Liver Lips McGee.
The Country Bear Jamboree, featuring 18 Audio-Animatronic “hillbilly bears,” has been a beloved part of the Magic Kingdom since 1971.
However, due to growing concerns over the potentially offensive nature of the character’s name, Disney World has decided to take action.
The reason for the name change
Disney World’s decision to change Liver Lips McGee’s name stems from concerns that the original name might be seen as insensitive.
The term “liver-lipped” has associated itself with excessive alcohol consumption and its impact on the liver. Moreover, people have used the term in offensive racial stereotypes related to prominent lips.
The Oxford English Dictionary highlights that the term is offensive, especially in African American English. Furthermore, people have used this term offensively since as early as the 1840s.
What’s next for the character after its name change?
To remove any potentially offensive language from the attraction, Disney World has now renamed the character’s name.
They changed the name from ‘Liver Lips McGrowl’ to ‘Romeo McGrowl.”
The bear’s appearance remains largely unchanged.
He now appears with his new name and updated look in the poster for the revamped version of The Country Bear Jamboree.
The official Disney Parks Blog reveals that the bears will now perform a “new show that pays homage to the Opry-style shows of Nashville.”
The show will feature bears singing Disney tunes in various country music genres, including bluegrass, pop-country, Americana, and rockabilly.
Social media reactions
The decision to change the character’s name has been met with mixed reactions from fans on social media.
Some have expressed sadness over the loss of the original character, sharing their fond memories of the show.
I’m a recovering alcoholic and I’m not offended in the slightest. It’s people being offended on other peoples behalves, that’s the problem, one user said.
Sometimes we grow up and realize things from the past are offensive. Good on them, the second user commented.
Pretty sure only thing offensive to alcoholics is the lack of alcohol, the third user said.
Why are we like this these days? There are some serious overthinkers at Disney, another wrote.
It has nothing to do with offending people; instead, it’s about PR and image. Since some have been offended by it, someone claimed., someone claimed.