1
Credit: SeaWorldSeaWorld has been accused of stealing the work of an independent artist for its new pins.
The marine theme park recently released a new pin, exclusively available for purchase by its Annual Passholders. The pin itself depicts a stylized interpretation of a killer whale – an image often associated with the parks – around the word “Believe.”
Related: Is SeaWorld Getting Rid of Its Killer Whales?
However, an eagle-eyed X (formerly known as Twitter) user pointed out that the artwork featured on the pin is identical to that created by a user on the online user-submitted art marketplace RedBubble.
To whoever made the trua believe logo, seaworld used it for their new pin lol. I knew the logo looked off.
To whoever made the trua believe logo, seaworld used it for their new pin lol. I knew the logo looked off pic.twitter.com/Q6da7DOrfM
— orlando 🪐🍀🎢🐬🇵🇸 (@wingcoaster) January 27, 2024
SeaWorld used a similar logo for its Shamu shows at SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego, and SeaWorld San Antonio from 2006 to 2011. However, the specific version used on the parks’ new pin bears small changes designed by RedBubble user TessaNicole.
“‘Trua’ means Believe,” the user wrote in the description of her design listing on RedBubble, “so I adapted the Believe logo with True on it.”
Related: SeaWorld’s Legal Troubles Worsen, Going Back to Court
‘Trua’ is an 18-year-old orca who was born at SeaWorld Orlando in 2005. He is currently the oldest male in the Florida park’s pod, and the largest killer whale in the park, measuring at a length of 19 feet in March 2023.
While Inside the Magic reached out to SeaWorld Orlando for comment, we did not hear back by the time of publication. However, this isn’t the first instance of a park being accused of using someone’s artwork without permission. In December, fans claimed that Shanghai Disneyland had used a piece of fan-art for its new Zootopia (2016) attraction, Zootopia: Hot Pursuit.
Do you think it’s okay for theme parks to use fan art? Let us know in the comments!