The PEZ annual Easter egg hunt in Orange, Conn., was cancelled on Saturday after unruly adults ignored the rules, pushing and shoving right along with their children to retrieve more than their share of the 10,000 eggs laid out.. PEZ officials posted a statement on Facebook saying parents rushed the field before the activity had official started. Some children had bloodied noses and other minor injuries, and more than one Easter basket was smashed. More than 1,000 participants were in attendance.
The event was scheduled to take place between 9 a.m. and noon. Organizers placed the eggs on three fields and intended to have staggered start times 15 minutes apart for various age groups, but parents didn’t wait. PEZ officials said “unfortunately people chose to enter the first field prior to anyone from PEZ staff starting the activity.”
The crowd then moved to the second field, where they waited only a couple of minutes before rushing the field. Immediately moving on to the third field they removed everything “well before the activity was to even start.” A statement from the company called the fiasco “a mess.”
One participant, who said she has a 3-year-old, said the parents were letting their children pick up eggs before the event started and then the parents also rushed in and were picking up the eggs. Another parent said her son got a bloody nose and a broken Easter basket.
Facebook exploded with angry comments toward both the parents and the company. Some people called the event “a joke,” and blamed PEZ for failing to control the event. “I feel this needs to be addressed by management to the employees left in charge,” read one comment.
Others, shocked by the behavior of the adults, defended PEZ. A comment from Sara DeBenedictus said “I just wanted to say a simple thank you for today’s event. I’m sure it will go more smoothly in the future and I know you’re not responsible for the behavior of other children/parents. Although we only got one egg, it was appreciated.”
PEZ tried to make sure each child got an egg or candy, as they tried to make the best of a bad situation, but the damage was done. They apologized for the situation and said they did their best to try and salvage the event. Police were not called.