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Claims of Mickey Mouse drop-kicking a toddler at Disneyland, Anaheim, California, after the latter called Mickey “annoying” have spread like wildfire across Facebook. On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, a Facebook page called Casper Planet reported on the incident and claimed that three-year-old Timmy Thompson did not suffer any serious injuries. Many were convinced that the incident was real. However, it never occurred in reality.
The Facebook page claimed that the three-year-old Bakersfield native was excited to meet Mickey Mouse. However, at one point, the toddler began taunting the man in the costume by saying,
“You’re annoying, Mickey! You’re not even real!”
Casper Planet further claimed that the costumed man resorted to physical violence. The page claimed that a witness to the incident said:
“I saw Mickey turn around, pause for a moment, and then—BAM! He drop-kicked that kid... He was in full costume, too. It was wild. I didn’t know if I was watching a live show or if Mickey had finally snapped.”
As per the Facebook page, paramedics were called to the scene, where it was confirmed that Thompson only suffered from “minor bruises and a crushed ego.”
According to Casper Planet's post, Disneyland released a statement saying that they were investigating the incident. Casper Planet also claimed that the man who wore the Mickey Mouse costume was on “character leave.” The social media page attached an image of Mickey Mouse kicking a toddler who was in the air at the time the picture was captured.
The social media post quickly went viral, amassing over 3000 reactions and over 2000 shares. Despite garnering several comments online as well, it is worth noting that the story is not real. The image attached online appears to have been created using artificial intelligence. Nonetheless, many took to the internet to share their hilarious responses to the Facebook post.
Several netizens were quick to realize that the story was not real. The comment section of the social media post was flooded with several sarcastic responses, some of which read:
Disneyland had not publicly addressed the fake news at the time of writing this article. Meanwhile, other reactions to the same read:
Mickey Mouse did not drop-kick a toddler at California’s Disneyland
As mentioned, the picture attached to the Facebook post was created using artificial intelligence. If one observes it, the toddler does have a shadow in the image. Furthermore, park visitors appear to be walking nonchalantly as the incident is being captured. It is highly unlikely that people would not react if such an incident were to happen.
Furthermore, no other news outlets have reported about the same. If one goes to Casper Planet’s official Facebook page, they have also confirmed that they are a satire page.
“Delivering the Snews that doesn’t matter directly to your Snews feed. Did we say this is satire? Satire, satire, humor, satire and opinion, names/locations are made up,” the page's 'Intro' section says.
Hence, it is safe to say that Disneyland’s Mickey Mouse character did not drop-kick a toddler.
This is not the first time fake news regarding the Disney character has made it online. Last month, false claims of the character being replaced as the official mascot for the Walt Disney Company also went viral.
