ADisney adult is anadult who is an avidfan of the works ofthe Walt Disney Company.[1][2] Common hobbies of Disney adults include visitingDisney theme parks, collectingDisney merchandise,cosplaying Disney characters, and watching videos on theDisney+ streaming service.[2]
Some people, including influencers and celebrities, proudly identify as Disney adults.[3]BuzzFeed News describes the phenomenon as a "polarizing fandom" that has received scrutiny and ridicule from others.[1]
Practices associated with the phenomenon, such as Disney weddings, date back decades to the 1990s.[4] Disney World's marketing in the 90s included an advert aimed at adults, promising "A World of Magic Without the Kids!".[5][6]
Amanda Brennan, former head of editorial atTumblr, identifies that website as the origin of the Disney adult fandom, specifically the practice of "DisneyBounding", a type of informalcosplay where adult visitors dress in the color palette of their favorite Disney character. She sees themillennial generation as having more "freedom to follow their own obsessions" and it being more socially acceptable for them to have juvenile interests.[4]
In 2019, aFacebook post went viral in which a parent complained about childlessmillennial couples obstructing her family's experience at Disney World. This post then turned into a meme that was widely shared on social media making fun of Disney adults, specifically millennials in their 30s who didn't have any children still going to the parks often.[4]
Disney adults are sometimes seen by others as embarrassing or naive for enjoying material ostensibly aimed at children, with sociologist Idil Galip saying that the financial and emotional investment in maintaining the commercialized hobby "almost signals a break from regular society or real life"[4] while Canadian scholarHenry Giroux argues that theescapism actively sought by these adults through consumption of media they know to be directly connected to the Walt Disney conglomerate is a product of the company's intentional and careful design bycommercializing any previous emotional attachments to its properties, which in turn leads to aninfantilization of the audience's self that reduces theirsense of agency.[5]
A January 2024 survey of self-identified Disney adults found that 71% were aged between 25 and 44, 80% were female, 84% lived in North America, and 88% were white. 91% expected to remain a "Disney adult" for the rest of their lives.[5]
Various celebrities have acknowledged being Disney fans, including:
