The Disneyland “Peter Pan Girl” and how the internet got it wrong
The Internet is Obsessed with "Peter Pan Girl" but were videos taken out of context ruining her life?
Toni Kulusich, a Disneyland content creator, became the internet’s villain of the week over a five-second video with Peter Pan. Kulusich says the accusations are false, and the fallout has caused her real-life harm, as people created a petition to ban her from the parks and someone posted her workplace address.
On August 2, a video of a woman handing Peter Pan a crocheted duck keychain at Disneyland set off an internet feeding frenzy.
The views jumped up to over a million, and then the comments started making even worse assumptions.
“Slice that duck open and make sure there’s no AirTag inside,” one read. “Imagine being known for being the creep that follows Peter Pan around,” said another.
By the end of that week, Toni Kulusich was being called “Peter Pan Girl,” and it started causing her real-world issues.
What actually happened
Kulusich is a 27-year-old Los Angeles native who visits Disneyland roughly once a week on an annual pass, where she makes meet-and-greet videos with various characters, and yes, Peter Pan, who is her favorite.
She does not work for Disney. It’s a hobby making the content and not her job.
Her real job is as a manager at a big-box retail store. She has also been married for four years to a Marine who she says is supportive of the content.
That doesn’t seem to indicate an obsession that is taking over her life.
She uses her middle name online for privacy, not that it stopped people from finding out where she worked and posting the information.
Commenters dug up decade-old videos of her meeting Peter at Disneyland as proof of obsession.
They started a Change.org petition to have her banned from the parks.
They even tried to analyze a Peter Pan performer’s body language to say he was uncomfortable, and framed it as her harassing him.
The internet behavior further crossed the line.
They found her wedding video and made comments about feeling sorry for her husband because she loved a cartoon character.
Someone found her workplace and posted the address. Thankfully, she wasn’t fired, but she said her manager changed her hours for security reasons.
People online feel they have the right to doxx and harass someone over something that could be out of context.
“It’s definitely taken a toll on my mental health,” Kulusich told WIRED. “Imagine waking up to thousands of comments saying you’re a crazy stalker lady every single day.”
The “Disney adult” label and the negativity toward it.
There’s a well-established internet dislike of Disney adults. This is the nickname given to adults who love Disney, go to all the films, visit the parks regularly, wear Disney costumes, have collections, etc.
Kulusich walked directly into that. A young woman, Disney-bounding and filming herself with a character actor, became instant proof that she was a “Disney adult”.
She argues that her life isn’t all about Disney or Peter Pan
“It’s not like I’m going to the store or to my job and thinking about Peter Pan,” she said. “It’s just that when I’m inside Disney, I’m able to release my inner child and the kid who doesn’t want to grow up. And that’s what Peter Pan stands for.”
Kulusich provides proof that she doesn’t stalk Peter Pan
The main accusation she is facing is that she chases Peter Pan around Disneyland, but that isn’t the case.
There is proof via Spotify Wrapped
She pointed to her own year-end recap post that she makes for her Disney visits. Across her last 30 trips to the parks, she met Peter Pan seven times.
Seven out of thirty paints a very different image.
“People really just took a five-second video of me with Peter Pan out of context and ran with it. I would never put him in a situation that would harm him or his role or his career or his character integrity,” she said.
She is a regular who Cast Members know
The performers playing Peter know her name, recognize her week to week, and remember the gifts she has given them and their past interactions.
This isn’t as unusual as one would think. Many people visit often enough that Cast Members or characters remember them.
I’ve heard stories of families taking annual trips and the Cast Member remembered them. If someone interacts with you a few times, you will probably remember them or at least remember parts of the interaction.
It doesn’t mean she is stalking them.
Park Performers have gone viral before
In the mid-2010s, “Spieling Peter,” known for his stories and banter ended up being huge on Tumblr.
Sabrina Von Bogenberg was the Evil Queen at Disneyland. She was huge on TikTok. Disney fired her for comments to guests about telling Guest Relations they would like to see more of her, but many believe she was let go over her popularity.
The actor playing Tally the Elf in Walt Disney World’s Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade in 2024. The character became so well known for his banter that the actor was doxxed, and Disney changed the part in 2025.
Park performers playing “face” characters, the ones who appear without a full-body costume, must stay in character at all times. Breaking character will lead to being fired. If they become too viral online, that could cost them their job too.
The Wrap asking for a comment from Disney (who did not respond) could also put the actor’s job in jeopardy.
She thought about whether they had a point
“I’ve been asking myself: Why do I go meet him? Why do I go out of my way to try and find him? Why do I want to go and meet Disney characters and have these interactions with them?”
The answer is simple. Happiness.
“Seeing him makes me happy; dressing up makes me happy; going to Disneyland once a week makes me happy,” she said. “If people are going to hate on me, I’m not going to let it stop me. Because I know I’m not doing anything wrong.”
One upside.
Kulusich’s following more than doubled over the situation. Going from around 50,000 to 125,000.
But not all attention is good attention.
Even after all of it she says Peter still waved her over
For awhile she was too frightened to go back to Disneyland at all. Which is sad.
Kulusich did return with support from her husband and from other creators in the Disney community who defended her.
However, she avoided Fantasyland entirely, because that’s where Peter Pan is seen. She did not want to make things worse for herself or the actor. Especially after a few people recognized her and took photos of her.
Not cool.
Even while trying to avoid Peter Pan, she saw him on the carousel.
He knew who she was and waved at her, and asked her to ride the horse next to his.
“He told me never to stop visiting Neverland,” she said. “Which is honestly exactly what I needed to hear that day.”
Not the words of someone who thinks they are being stalked.
Maybe people should stop now before either Kulusich or the Peter Pan actor gets fired over a very overblown interaction.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
WIRED (August 2026), the interview with Toni Kulusich, her account of the harassment and its consequences, the Disney Unwrapped visit data, the Disney adults context, the Spieling Peter background, and Disney’s non-response