A photo shows Mickey Mouse kicking a toddler on the main street of Disneyland, USA?

Claim:

A photo authentically shows Mickey Mouse kicking a toddler at Disneyland.

Rating:

Context

A user generated this fake image using an artificial intelligence tool. Additionally, the story accompanying the image came from a Facebook page describing its content as satire.

A Disney-themed rumor made the rounds on the internet in September 2024, claiming that a photo showed a Disneyland cast member playing Mickey Mouse kicking a toddler after the child called the famous character “annoying.”

For example, one Facebook user shared (archived) the image and story, which appeared to show the dropkick occurring at the Anaheim, California theme park on its famous entrance known as Main Street, USA:

The Facebook page named Justice League of Hope and Busterfriends of The Ghostbusters also posted (archived) the photo and story:

The story began:

Mickey Mouse Kicks Child at Disneyland After Being Called ‘Boring’

Disneyland, Anaheim – September 9, 2024 — What started as a typical magical day at Disneyland quickly turned into a bizarre spectacle when the iconic Mickey Mouse allegedly kicked a toddler for repeatedly calling him “boring.”

According to witnesses, the little boy, identified as Timmy Thompson, 3, of Bakersfield, was eagerly awaiting the chance to meet Mickey. However, after what a passerby described as “too much sugar and way too much excitement,” Timmy allegedly began taunting Mickey, saying, “You’re annoying, Mickey! You’re not even real!”

At first, Mickey seemed unfazed, maintaining his usual animated demeanor. But as the verbal assault escalated, witnesses say the world-famous mouse standing in the middle of Main Street USA had had enough.

“I saw Mickey turn around, stop for a moment, and then … BAM! He kicked this kid,” said Karen Fischer, a shocked spectator waiting in line at a churros stand. “He was in full costume, too. It was crazy. I didn’t know if I was watching a live show or if Mickey had finally snapped.”

The rest of the story claims that users virally shared footage of the incident on social media, allegedly showing the dropkick that sent Timmy the toddler crashing into a nearby popcorn stand.

According to the article, Disneyland released a statement saying: “The safety and well-being of our guests is our top priority. We are investigating this incident involving Mickey Mouse. This is not behavior we encourage at the Happiest Place on Earth.”

Other YouTube and X users also shared the photo. Some readers seem to have interpreted the image and rumor as an incident that actually happened.

However, there is no evidence that Mickey Mouse kicked a toddler in a Disney park, and Disneyland has not issued a statement to that effect. The alleged photo was instead a fake, generated by an artificial intelligence tool and initially shared by a Facebook page that calls its content satire.

Origins of the rumor that Mickey Mouse is a toddler

The fake image and rumor about Mickey Mouse and the toddler came from Casper Planet, a Facebook page that describes its posts as humorous or satirical in nature. Casper Planet’s bio stated: “We deliver the news you don’t care about straight to your Snews feed. Did we mention it’s satire? Satire, satire, humor, satire and opinion, the names/places are made up.” The page also listed its location as “Satire Street.”

The page owner(s) originally posted (archived) the image and rumor on September 9th.

We emailed Casper Planet to ask for the name of the AI ​​tool used to create the fake photo or if the group could specify where it found the image, if someone else created it. After this article was published, we received a response from the page’s manager, Justin Hathaway. He told us, “The photo was posted in an AI group, so I don’t know what program was used. Sometimes these images and memes inspire me.”

Snopes has previously responded to other allegations regarding Mickey Mouse, including the claim that Disney was planning to retire the character permanently and a rumor that a cartoon showed Mickey inappropriately making Swiss cheese.

For context, we have already written about Why We alert readers to rumors created by sources that characterize their productions as humorous or satirical.