Who Was in the Wrong? Mom Blames Disney Character After Her Son Chased Him Down, Assaulted Him
A mother is facing backlash after accusing a Disney character of being rude to her child, who she claims was simply trying to interact with Goofy. The drama unfolded when the mother posted a TikTok video showing her son chasing Goofy and ultimately grabbing the character’s nose.
Disney character performers are often tasked with maintaining interactions without speaking, especially those in fur costumes like Goofy. These performers have a much more physically demanding job compared to face characters, as they rely heavily on their body language and gestures to communicate with guests. In some cases, sudden movements can lead to injury, as the costumes are heavy and require a lot of physical exertion.
At Disneyland Resort, characters roam freely throughout the parks, while at Walt Disney World Resort, there are more structured meet-and-greet areas where characters are more stationary. All character performers, whether stationary or roaming, have a handler nearby to ensure their safety during interactions.
The mother, who goes by @itsjazz10j on TikTok, shared the video with her followers, calling out the Disney park for what she saw as Goofy’s mistreatment of her son. The clip shows Goofy walking with another child when the TikToker’s son runs after the character, reaching out to touch him. The situation escalates when the boy grabs Goofy’s nose, at which point Goofy pulls away and shakes his finger, clearly trying to avoid the interaction.
@itsjazz10j Goofy are you having a bad day?? wtf!!!! @disney @Disneyland California @DisneyLand @DisneyLandAnaheim DO BETTER!!!! #messedup #notcool #howrude #disneycharacters #disneylandcalifornia #firsttimedisneytrip
“Watch how rude Goofy is to my son all because he touched his nose,” the mom wrote. “…Goofy are you having a bad day?? wtf!!!!”
The TikTok video amassed backlash until the boy’s mother turned off the commenting feature. While the boy may not have intended to hurt anyone, grabbing a Disney character’s costume can be dangerous, potentially injuring the performer or the guest.
In the end, it’s important to remember that Disney characters are people, too, and safety should always be a top priority. There’s a delicate balance between creating magical moments for guests and ensuring the performers are protected from harm, which is why character interactions are guided by attendants to ensure everyone’s safety.
Do you have a favorite Disney character memory? Please share it with Disney Dining in the comments!
Recently, at character dining, a large group of cheerleaders were taking a picture with Mickey and several of them started banging on Mickey’s head. The handler was not in the room and you could clearly see Mickey was in distress, motioning for them to stop, but they seemed to think it was funny and did it again. Mickey was attempting to walk away through the crowd of cheerleader, and thankfully someone finally came to guide Mickey away. I’m not sure why people think it is okay to treat characters this way. They are there to make magic, but have a demanding job in costumes that are heavy and difficult to see. Also, when people send kids to run after them or jump in front of them, it is a danger to both the character and the child because they may not be able to see them.
In defense of Goofy, he signaled to the child (with a shake of his finger) that pulling of the nose was not proper/allowed. Then when the child approached Goofy again, he was given a high five. I don’t see this as a “brushing off” as the mother claims. Goofy is walking with the younger child and this child really needs to wait his turn like all the other children.
Of all Disney characters, the Goofy costume must be the hardest to navigate, with the big feet, height requirements, and ability to move around people without taking out a person or worse a child. My wife and I saw firsthand how difficult it is to execute that magical moment when he fell in front of us during a character dining experience. He appeared unharmed but the fall was extreme. He remained in character but you could tell he was hurting and they got him off stage quickly. As for the kid and Goofy in the video, I see no real fault in either reaction. Goofy was protecting the character while trying to make a magical moment and the kid was just being a kid and I did not see him being overly obnoxious, just excited. As usual, there is an overreaction to the situation thanks to social media intervention. The mom just wanted the same magical moment offered to the other child but that is what makes those moments magical, one or few are selected to participate in the moment. This is an obvious “you can’t please everyone moment”.
Just another privileged person trying to make a name for herself…..get over it lady and teach your kid manners