9A mother recently sparked controversy online after letting her son chase and assault a Disney character, interrupting a much younger child’s magical moment. The Disney Park guest shared a video of her child with Goofy on TikTok, telling Disneyland Resort to “do better.”
Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort have two main types of Disney character performers: “face” and “fur.” Face character performers must look like their on-screen counterparts and speak to guests–think Peter Pan or your favorite Disney Princess.
Fur performers portray characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. They only need the right height to fit in their costumes, sign autographs, and be overtly expressive without saying a word.
Each character type has pros and cons. While it can be exhausting for face performers to talk to guests all day, fur costumes are heavier and more taxing on the body. One wrong move can cause a lasting injury.
At Walt Disney World Resort, most characters have set meet-and-greet locations to ensure efficient and safe encounters for both the performers and guests. Disneyland Resort has some meet-and-greet spots but allows more characters to roam freely at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. Still, roaming characters have attendants following closely behind to ensure their safety.
TikTok user @itsjazz10j recently shared this video of her son chasing Goofy around Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland Park. Goofy’s character attendant was just a second short of intervening when the boy grabbed Goofy’s nose, causing the character to pull away and shake his finger at the child.
@itsjazz10j Goofy are you having a bad day?? wtf!!!! @disney @Disneyland California @DisneyLand @DisneyLandAnaheim DO BETTER!!!! #messedup #notcool #howrude #disneycharacters #disneylandcalifornia #firsttimedisneytrip
Goofy was clearly holding hands with another toddler, leading him around Mickey’s Toontown. Even though Goofy and the character attendant gently shooed the TikToker’s child away, he again chased the character, who ignored him. The TikToker was not happy, tagging Disneyland Resort’s official account and writing that they should “do better.”
“Watch how rude Goofy is to my son all because he touched his nose,” she wrote. “…Goofy are you having a bad day?? wtf!!!!”
The video amassed backlash, but the TikToker quickly turned off the comments.
Although the boy might have had good intentions, grabbing a Disney character‘s head can cause serious injury. Goofy was visibly focused on another guest, and the force on his nose could have injured the performer’s neck. Additionally, Goofy could’ve moved suddenly and accidentally hit the child without knowing he was there.
When interacting with Disney characters, guests should always make sure that characters acknowledge them first. Approaching unannounced is dangerous for both Disney character performers and guests.
Was this mom in the wrong? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.