REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.- The Rehoboth Beach boardwalk has always been a place for fun, food and family. But earlier this week, some beach goers stumbled upon a shocking sight by the entrance of Zelky's Beach Arcade.
In a claw machine outside the arcade, hangs a Dr. Anthony Fauci plush toy. The stuffed doll appeared to be hanging by a COVID-19 face mask that is wrapped around its neck.
The manager of Zelky's, Matt Weiner, said he does not see the issue .
"I don't see what's wrong," said Weiner. "I don't know what's wrong. It's a stuffed animal in a machine... We wanted to make sure we were inclusive to everybody else, so we added another character like Fauci. We would have added Joe Biden, but they don't make him."
Despite whether Zelky's display was politically driven or not, many boardwalk visitors had strong feelings toward the toy in the claw machine.
An annual vacationer said the display was disturbing. She avoided walking closely to the arcade because she did not want her grandchildren to see the inappropriate presentation of Fauci.
"To see something like that on the boardwalk, I'm really kind of disappointed in whoever would put it on there because I don't think any kind of violence is appropriate," said Penny Hombach.
Inside the claw machine, one can also win a Donald Trump doll or a Ronald Reagan doll.
The manager of Zelky's said he does not plan on removing the Fauci toy nor the mask around its neck.