Years before the opening of Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a disgruntled former Disney cast member used a stolen costume to conduct an unauthorized meet-and-greet with a character from the iconic Pixar franchise.
Disney character performers undergo thorough training and follow strict guidelines for interacting with theme park guests. Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort employ two types of character performers, known colloquially as “face” (think Peter Pan or your favorite Disney Princess) and “fur” (Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck).
Some entertainment cast members are cast as both types of characters, while others stick to one.
To protect the magic, Walt Disney World Resort has firm rules about character costumes. Filming backstage at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park is strictly prohibited, especially in character costumes. All costumes have barcode pieces that must be scanned when returned to ensure that no character pieces are brought home.
Despite Walt Disney World Resort’s policies, some behind-the-scenes character photos and rogue costume pieces have made it out of the Disney parks. As these incidents occur, the Central Florida Disney park tightens its procedures to avoid future incidents.
Former Disney cast member Patrick (@patricklyspeaking on TikTok) recently shared one of the shocking incidents that led to Walt Disney World Resort tracking character costumes more thoroughly. According to the TikToker, a former Disney cast member stole a Toy Story (1995) Green Army Man costume and held an unauthorized meet-and-greet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
@patricklyspeaking #onthisday the legendary unauthorized character performing set at Disney. #disneybehindthemagic #formerdisneycastmember #disneycm #disney #disneyparks #disneycharacters #formerdisneycm
“If you worked in the entertainment department at Disney World sometime in 2016, you heard this story,” Patrick began. “Believe it or not, there was a cast member who stole a Green Army Man costume [after] they no longer worked for the company. They went to the parks one day randomly and did a character meet-and-greet.”
The incident occurred before the opening of Toy Story Land when Toy Story characters like Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and the Green Army Men would sporadically appear in the Pixar Place area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Patrick explained that the Green Army Men were often played by “spare” Buzz and Woody performers on shift in case a backup was needed for the more popular characters.
“It was a Buzz performer,” the former Disney cast member continued. “I’m not sure whether or not their College Program was ending or they got fired, but they stole that Green Army Man costume…A whole bunch of people got fired because they were in on it.”
Patrick said that while the theft seems “impossible” now, it incited Walt Disney World Resort to create the strict policies cast members know today.
“That whole incident really made them change how you check out a Disney character costume because you could almost take them at that time,” he concluded.
Do you have a favorite Disney character meet-and-greet memory? Share it with Disney Fanatic in the comments.
