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Kings Island removes controversial Halloween display

This depiction of Michael Jackson was removed from Kings Island's Halloween Haunt display after TV stations posted images of the skeleton.

Staff photo by Carrie Landers This depiction of Michael Jackson was removed from Kings Island's Halloween Haunt display after TV stations posted images of the skeleton.

ENLARGE PHOTO

A Halloween window display at a Kings Island store includes a skeletal depiction of Death next to a marker board with the word “agenda” shows dead celebrities names’ crossed off and living celebrities waiting to be crossed off.

Staff photo by Carrie Landers A Halloween window display at a Kings Island store includes a skeletal depiction of Death next to a marker board with the word “agenda” shows dead celebrities names’ crossed off and living celebrities waiting to be crossed off.

A Kings Island store window display shows a skeleton dressed as Death sits at a desk with a list of recently deceased celebrities. On the wall is a marker board with the word “agenda” shows dead celebrities names’ crossed off and living celebrities waiting to be crossed off.

Staff photo by Carrie Landers A Kings Island store window display shows a skeleton dressed as Death sits at a desk with a list of recently deceased celebrities. On the wall is a marker board with the word “agenda” shows dead celebrities names’ crossed off and living celebrities waiting to be crossed off.

Staff photo by Carrie Landers The list of recently deceased celebrities' names is positioned next to a skeletal depiction of Death.

Photos: Your Kings Island photos

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By Eric Schwartzberg, Staff Writer Updated 11:53 PM Thursday, September 24, 2009

Kings Island amusement park in Mason has removed a controversial scene from its upcoming Halloween Haunt event, set to open this Friday, Sept. 25, according to park spokesman Don Helbig.

“We were not intending to be distasteful, and we apologize if we offended anyone,” Helbig said in a statement released Thursday, Sept. 24.

An area TV station posted images of skeletons dressed to resemble dead celebrities, including pitchman Billy Mays, singer Michael Jackson, Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas and actress Farrah Fawcett.

Football star Steve McNair is depicted as a skeleton on a couch wearing a Tennessee Titans jersey and a helmet with a hole in the top. Draped across the skeleton’s lap is a depiction of Sahel Kazemi, McNair’s 20-year-old mistress, who police said murdered the football star, shooting him twice in the body and twice in the head in July before committing suicide.

The photos also show a skeletal depiction of entertainer-turned-politician Sonny Bono, who died in a 1998 skiing accident, posed in front of a tree and baseball legend Ted Williams, whose remains were cryogenically frozen after his death in 2002, is posed inside of a glass-door freezer.

It’s unclear whether the park has removed a shop window display already seen by the public. In the display, a skeleton dressed as Death sits at a desk with a list of recently deceased celebrities and public figures at his side, including Ed McMahon, Bea Arthur and Ted Kennedy. All the names are crossed off.

A marker board with the word “agenda” shows dead celebrities names’ crossed off and living celebrities waiting to be crossed off.

Those celebrities include comedian Carrot Top, actors Kevin Bacon and Robert Pattinson, TV personality Kim Kardashian, convicted felon Bernie Madoff, football player Ben Roethlisberger and singers Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and The Jonas Brothers. Also included on the list: “universal health care” and the fictional characters Dora The Explorer and Hello Kitty.

Helbig, when contacted, said he had not seen the display in question.

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