Times Square Elmo moving to warmer climate. (Getty)

We're not going to lie: those costumed characters in Times Square give us the creeps. We would rather work from home than have another eerie run-in with Hello Kitty or Buzz Lightyear. (And that guy dressed as the Joker? We are literally terrified of that guy.)

To make matters worse, there has been a string of high-profile "incidents" this year relating to the furries and comic book characters roaming the streets. And now Elmo, or the man who impersonates him on the streets, has had enough.

Adam Sandler (not the comedian) has decided to quit his gig as the Sesame Street character and move to Hawaii to try to revive his career there. He told the Post this morning that he was sick of being confused for Damon Torres, a man dressed as Mario who is charged with grabbing a woman in Times Square.

But why would anyone confuse Elmo for Mario? Well, on the Internet, no one can tell which made-up creature you are:

“I saw my name came up in relation to [the alleged Mario grope], but my situation was different,” said Sandler, who is no relation to the movie star. “They’re rehashing me because there are some big problems with the cartoon characters.”

Of course, Mr. Sandler himself doesn't have clean paws: he was arrested for disorderly conduct when he went on an anti-Semitic rant in September. Mr. Sandler, who is Jewish, was screaming "I hate Jews!" when the cops dragged him away.

But that's not why he's moving. Besides the Mario connection, Mr. Sandler claims that passersby have been verbally harassing him for the actions of Kevin Clash, the voice of Elmo on Sesame Street who quit earlier this year under allegations of statutory rape by four men.

"I had people yelling slurs at me, calling me a pedophile, saying I couldn’t be trusted around children,” he said. He plans to play Elmo in Hawaii, which is certainly going to make him sweat. (Also, Elmo in Hawaii?) Mr. Sandler is also considering a change of costume to Woody from Toy Story.

“I could wear high-end fashion jeans with the Woody mask,” he said. “If I get any other costume, I’ll do that. Right now I’m sticking with Elmo.”

Who knew there was such a caste system within the rank and file?

The truly bizarre part of this story, however, is that all these men and women dressing up as characters in exchange for cash are not affiliated with any one business or venture. They are, essentially, free agents. The Times Square Alliance is consulting with both the NYPD and the rights holders to see what regulatory actions can be taken against these "aggressive solicitations."

As far as we know, these various Disney, comic book and video game icons are not licensed, and are not official reps for the movies or labels they impersonate figures from. Which of course makes us wonder: A) Where did they get the costumes? B) Who is in charge of making sure that there aren't duplicates (e.g., two Minnie Mice) in the area? and C) IS there really a sex tape of Minnie and and Goofy doing the un-Disney deed in a bathroom of Bubba Gump Shrimp? Talk about childhood trauma for any unfortunate tourist kid who happened to walk in and see that.

Meaning that when you pay Mickey for that picture, just remember ... there's absolutely no difference between him and the guy on the opposite end of the street panhandling.

BIG♥NYC. (Ka-Man Tse/Times Square Alliance)

This week a beating red heart stands 10 feet tall over Times Square, carefully nestled inside midtown’s own throbbing center of activity. This new edition to the bustling strip of theaters, restaurants and street performers is a sculpture called “BIG♥NYC.” At first glance, it might look unusual. But that may very well be because it is unusual.

For the past four years, Times Square has been the host of an annual heart sculpture to commemorate Valentine’s Day. The Times Square Alliance selects an architect to design a “romantic public art installation.” This year the sculpture was created by the Danish architecture firm the Bjarke Ingels Group and cost $15,000, paid for by donations and grants. The sculpture will be up from February 6^th to February 29^th.

This is BIG’s first project in New York. “We like to use emerging architects and new and innovative technology,” Tim Tompkins, the president of the Times Square Alliance, told The Observer. The structure is made up of 400 transparent, LED-lit, acrylic tubes that form a cube around a suspended red heart. The clear tubes reflect the perpetually-flashing signs in Times Square for what comes across as a symbiotic relationship between art and environment.

The non-profit Alliance placed the sculpture inside Times Square to attract the attention of the lovers of NYC as a part of the month long promotion “Free Love in Times Square.” The campaign includes “steamy offers and romantic deals” for the couples of NYC and the chance to have a vow renewal upon the iconic red steps on Valentine’s Day, which viewers without a Valentine can watch online from the obscure comfort of their own home. Also, if people take their photo in front of the sculpture and then post it to Think Energy’s Facebook page during February, Think Energy will donate $1 to the Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund.

Daniel Kidd, the project leader from BIG, couldn’t be more excited about the sculpture. “Anything that captures the imagination is great,” Mr. Kidd said.

Touch me. (Ka-Man Tse/Times Square Alliance)

Mr. Tompkins said the Alliance chose to place the sculpture in Times Square because “it is the best platform in the world to highlight creativity and make sure everyone sees it.” And rest assured they have seen it. “After the Super Bowl, Times Square was flooded with people and many came together to touch the heart,” Mr. Kidd said.

There’s an intimacy to the interactive nature of the sculpture, encouraging expression through love languages like physical affection. Simple acts such as touching the heart make it glow brighter as the “energy” from passer-byers’ hands is transformed into more light. The more people who feel the sensor at one time, the faster the heart will beat, as if it were actually feeling the warmth of its suitor’s attention. Mr. Tompkins said people have responded to it in kind.

“[They] love it. [Many] people have taken their picture in front of it. It gets people’s attention. It increases digital interactive technology to enhance the romantic experience.”

Brian Brady and his wife, Tiffany, see the heart as a nice change of pace, an opportunity to appreciate more than the blur of a hurried step. "This city is so fast it is nice to see something in the center that can slow everyone down. When people see it they want to stop and touch it," Ms. Brady said.

Mr. Kidd agrees. He doesn’t limit its heart-like attributes to romantic love between one person and another, but expands it to include that between a city and its constituents. “It is metaphorically the pulsing heart of the city,” Mr. Kidd said. “The heart has been a symbol for love for centuries. This is about people willfully joining to act together. Families, couples, people who have just met, all interacting with each other”

“This is a love letter to the city.”

jmaas@observer.com

For the past four years, the Times Square Alliance has tapped celebrated architects to create giant Valentines for Father Duffy Square (site of the giant TKTS amphitheater). Entries have included glowing hearts and icy ones. This year, the alliance tapped one of the BIGgest firms in town, Bjarke Ingels Group, to create its installation.

The Dainish firm is using 400 special LED-filled tubes to create a heart cube that will react to the environment around it: "The transparent tubes refract the lights of Times Square, creating a cluster of lights around the heart. The hovering heart will appear to pulsate as its tubes sway in the wind.   When people touch a heart-shaped sensor, the heart will glow brighter as the energy from their hands is converted into more light."

The installation opens today and will be on display through the end of the month.

Update: We've added some photos of the installation from our intrepid intern Michael Ewing.

mchaban [at] observer.com | @MC_NYC

Google, the store, not the search engine.

Soon Times Square may be known for its iconic signage, its assortment of apparel shops like Forever 21 and American Eagle Outfitters, and, erm, Google?!

The vaunted tourist trap may be the perfect location for the web giant to test out a “brick and mortar” entity, said David LaPierre, executive vice president of CB Richard Ellis,.

“Theoretically at some point I envision brands like Google or like Amazon... finding a way to manage and spread, I think, their customer base beyond just the internet,” said Mr. LaPierre during CBRE’s third-quarter Manhattan retail media breakfast Monday.

“Time Square is a classic, great place to make that be your flagship."

Whereas Amazon has its own book publishing unit and online movie studio, it would be hard to envision what Google could conceivably sell in its storefront.

Google merchandise? Android phones? A Google translation device able to decipher what all those foreign tourists are really saying?

Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, thinks the area is the perfect place for a web giant to try out corporeality.

“I think it’s a natural place to try it to the extent that Google and Amazon (will have) a new way of connecting with their customers through experience,” said Mr. Tompkins, adding that he was unaware of any actual brick-and-mortar shops in the works for either. “It’s become a place where people do incredibly well in terms of retail.”

Asking rent in Times Square’s “Bowtie”—the stretch from 42nd to 47th streets, from Broadway to Seventh Avenue—have jumped up 27.27 percent in the past quarter, going up to $1,400-per-square-foot for ground space from $1,100, according to a CBRE report.

“There are still a lot of brands that are fighting to be in Times Square,” said Mr. LaPierre. “We’re probably one of the few markets that never saw a decrease whatsoever.”

Soho fared worst in terms of price drop of any Manhattan neighborhood in the third quarter. The tony neighborhood—on Broadway, from Houston to Broome streets—saw a 5 percent drop in asking rents in the last quarter, decreasing to $494-per-square-foot from $520, according to CBRE.--Daniel Edward Rosen