ROCK HILL, S.C. (WBTV) – A mall reportedly turned away one Santa Claus for fear of confusing children.

Robert Allen goes everywhere decked out in his signature Santa costume that’s red and white.

“Those are my two favorite colors,” said Allen.

It’s a look he’s been working on for the last decade.

“All of sudden everybody is like, ‘You look just like Santa Claus,’” said Allen.

With a little round belly and long grey beard, it’s a look he’s been working on for the last decade.

Robert Allen, or Robby Claus, as he calls himself, travels the area trying to get people to laugh and spread a little love this Christmas season.

“Gastonia, Concord, I’ve been down to Columbia a couple of times, York, Lancaster, over to Indian Land and just to walk around and have fun,” he confirmed.

Getting into character makes him happy.

“If I can make somebody smile or get a good giggle out of ‘em [with] a Merry Christmas, I love you [or] you’ve been on the naughty list [and] how’d you get on there? [Just] joking with them,” said Allen.

Dressing up as Kris Kringle is also the reason he’s been kicked out of the Galleria. He said as soon as mall security saw him inside, they told him, “You can’t come in here. I said, ‘Why?’ You look too much like Santa Claus. I said, ‘What, all I want to do is get some lunch,” and he told me, ‘No’” said Allen.

This Santa Claus says he wasn’t bothering anybody and was eating lunch with his family at the time. Reps for the mall tell me they have a strict contract with another Santa they’ve hired to take pictures with kids now until Christmas, and they’re not allowed to have any other Santa look-a-likes lingering around.

“I have now found out they’ve been told to report me to the mall so they could have the security guard escort me out or have me locked up,” said Allen.

Even though this Santa won’t be getting into the mall anytime soon, that doesn’t mean he’s getting out of character. He jokingly says the Galleria Mall is on his naughty list.

“They are going to get a bag of coal without the coal in it,” said Allen.

Reps for the mall say as long as Allen doesn’t show up looking like Santa, he’s free to shop there with no problem.

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