Child’s Pablo Escobar Halloween costume ignites social media controversy

A video of a toddler dressed up for Halloween has sparked controversy after thousands of viewers deemed it inappropriate, Australia’s News.com reported.

The young boy, dressed as notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, has ignited an online debate over whether or not the costume is in poor taste after it tallied millions of views since being posted on Break’s Facebook page, News.com reported.

Escobar was known, before his death at the age of 44, as the “King of Cocaine” and was the wealthiest criminal in history with an estimated net worth of US $30 billion in the early 1990s, a related Mirror article reported.

In the footage, the child wears a floral shirt and a fake moustache as he stares at the camera, unaware of his costume’s significance, the Mirror claimed. In his hands, the little boy carries a gun and a small briefcase with a wad of money sticking out of the side, the Mirror article continued, adding that, in the background, an adult male can be heard laughing loudly at the child’s costume.

On Facebook, user Tom McCauley asked “What the f— happened to superheroes and monsters…” while Emma Robertson commented on Break’s page, “Can’t wait to dress my children up in the most offensive, inappropriate costumes ever. I want at least 10 phone calls to Social Services questioning my parenting abilities.” Maicol Manzi wrote, “Pablo Escobar is more than the King of Coke. He is also the creator of narco terrorism, which claimed the life of thousands of innocent people. Including little kids like this one.”

Reactions on Twitter, where the hashtag #pabloescobar was trending with photos of the costume, were more forgiving, with user Sulema Hernandez (@sulemaa_) commenting “So cute” while Brooke Manuel (@Brookey_Baby09) wrote, “Someone plz let me borrow their kid for Halloween! I need someone to do this…” The account Pablo Escobar Jr (@PabloEscobarJr) came with the often-quoted one liner, “Say hello to my little friend.”