Time Square’s costumed characters

A series of arrests in recent months has brought unwelcome attention to the growing number of people, mostly poor immigrants, who make a living by dressing up as pop-culture characters, roaming Times Square and charging tourists a few dollars to pose with them in photos. Check out these images of some of New York’s colorful — and sometimes crass — costumed characters.

Pictured: Characters dressed up as the Cookie Monster and Elmo from “Sesame Street’’ in Times Square on April 9 in New York City.

A little girl takes a photo with Elmo and two Hello Kitty characters pose in New York’s Times Square on April 9.

A Super Mario character, left, takes a photo of a woman posing with a pair of Elmo impersonators in New York’s Time Square on April 9.

Liliana Alvarez poses for a photo with Steve Crass, dressed as a Transformer-style character, in New York’s Time Square on April 9.

An Elmo character poses for photos with a child in a stroller in New York’s Times Square on April 9.

People gathered to have their photos taken with Super Mario, Hello Kitty, Elmo, and Minnie Mouse characters in New York’s Time Square on April 9.

A Cookie Monster character puts his arm around a woman as they pose for a photo being taken by an Elmo character in New York’s Time Square on April 9.

A woman gives a cast of costumed characters a tip for posing for a photo with a little girl in New York’s Times Square on April 9.

A character dressed as Cookie Monster from “Sesame Street’’ reaches out to people passing by in New York’s Time Square on April 9.

Characters dressed up as Cookie Monster from “Sesame Street’’ and Hello Kitty ask for tips after posing for pictures in Times Square in New York April 9.

Lauren Larcara, of Oakland, N.J., posed for a picture with Laure Vanegas, dressed as the Statue of Liberty, in New York’s Times Square on April 9.

Steve Crass, dressed in a Transformer-style outfit he made, gets an up close photo of himself taken in New York’s Times Square on April 9.

A man has his photo taken by a Hello Kitty character, right, as he poses with Cookie Monster, another Hello Kitty and Super Mario characters in New York’s Times Square on April 9.