Brief
Harlem bagel shop removes mascot after TikTok influencer calls it blackface
Owner Andrew Martinez said the shop faced threats and harassment after the mascot was denounced as a racist caricature.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Bo’s Bagels on West 116th Street in Harlem removed a life‑sized cardboard cutout of its cartoon bagel mascot after a TikTok video labeled the sign "blackface," the shop’s owner Andrew Martinez told The New York Post.
The mascot, a sunglasses‑wearing bagel with golden grills that read "Harlem World," also served as a chalkboard menu. It was designed by Harlem‑based artist Tom Sanford, whose work includes large‑scale Knicks caricatures displayed in City Hall earlier this year.
Harlem photographer Carl Broady first criticized the cutout on Instagram, calling it a "disrespectful caricature of black people" because of its exaggerated lips, teeth and darkened skin tone. The criticism intensified when TikTok creator "Anastazia X," who has about 4,000 followers, posted a Saturday video calling the sign a "blackface bagel" and describing the shop as "white owned." She said she had emailed Martinez, received no reply, and confronted the store manager during her visit.
Martinez said the shop was "completely out of hand" after a wave of threats and harassment, adding that many people "just wanted to call us racist." He told The Post that the cutout was taken down on Sunday afternoon when reporters arrived, after the backlash escalated.
Local residents expressed mixed reactions, with some supporting the removal and others defending the mascot as harmless advertising. The incident highlights how social‑media criticism can quickly turn into public pressure on small businesses.
Key facts
- Bo’s Bagels displayed a life‑sized cartoon bagel mascot on West 116th Street in Harlem. (nypost.com)
- Photographer Carl Broady called the mascot a "disrespectful caricature of black people" on Instagram. (nypost.com)
- TikTok influencer Anastazia X posted a video labeling the mascot "blackface" and said the shop was "white owned". (nypost.com)
- Owner Andrew Martinez said the shop faced threats and harassment before the cutout was removed. (nypost.com)
- The mascot, designed by artist Tom Sanford, was taken down on Sunday afternoon after The Post visited. (nypost.com)
Sources
- [1] nypost.com — originally reported as “NYC bagel shop forced to remove cartoon mascot after influencer calls it ‘blackface’”
