Another oldie chiming in.....I grew up in FL at the time of the AB debacle....it didn't sit well with me to say the least. You see, OB was basically the mascot for the Florida Citrus Commission...in exchange for sponsoring the Enchanted Tiki Room and Sunshine Terrace. My family was heavily involved in citrus in the state. So, it was a mixed bag of feeling for me.
That said, I've also separated the mascot from that stain on humanity. Yes, I still harbor ill feelings for her. I choose to look at OB as what he was meant to be....a mascot. Nothing more. He wasn't a political figure, or anything of that nature. So why punish him. I have relayed OBs history to my hubby, who as of our first Disney trip together in 2005, has become a Disney Dork, like me.
Currently, my husband and I have made several OB shirts (embroidered and vinyl)....and I have a limited collection of park merch. I love the memories he brings to mind. And I choose to leave him that way.