As a Disney content creator, Toni Kulusich regularly shares videos of her playful interactions with Disneyland characters. However, her favorite character to visit is Peter Pan.
Peter Pan is one of the most popular characters at Disney Parks, with a devoted online following. Fans love the character’s spontaneous guest interactions, playful energy, and sarcastic personality. Kulusich, a 27-year-old Los Angeles resident, uses her annual pass to visit Disneyland about once a week. Many of her videos show her and Peter Pan playing tag, skipping through the park, and joking together.
Kulusich, who uses her middle name online for privacy, said she never believed her Disneyland Peter Pan videos were controversial. That changed after a video showing her giving Peter a crocheted duck keychain on August 2 went viral. The clip grew from about 10,000 views to more than 1 million, while negative comments began appearing. One commenter wrote, “Cut the duck open and make sure there’s no AirTag inside.” Another wrote, “Imagine being known as the creepy entity that follows Peter Pan.” As the debate spread across social media, Kulusich’s TikTok audience nearly tripled, growing from approximately 50,000 to 125,000 followers.
Kulusich said she was surprised by the backlash. She is familiar with the internet’s criticism of so-called “Disney adults”—adults who are deeply passionate about Disney movies, characters, and theme parks. Critics often portray Disney fans as immature or overly invested, but Kulusich said Disney fandom has not negatively affected her everyday life. She has been married for four years and works full time as a manager at a major retail store. She is not affiliated with Disney and creates Disneyland content as a hobby.
“I don’t go to the store or go to work and think about Peter Pan,” she said. “When you’re inside Disney, you can release the child inside you—the child who doesn’t want to be an adult. That’s what it is.”
Some social media users who searched through her Instagram and TikTok accounts interpreted her longtime Disneyland visits differently. They highlighted a video from a decade ago showing her meeting Peter Pan at Disneyland. The clip was cited as evidence of an alleged obsession and circulated alongside a Change.org petition calling for her to be banned from the park.
Others analyzed Peter Pan’s body language in the footage and claimed it showed that the performer was uncomfortable. Users also commented on Kulusich’s wedding video, expressing sympathy for her husband and alleging that she was secretly in love with Peter Pan. Kulusich said her husband, a Marine and more casual Disney fan, is “really supportive” of her content. Her videos have featured other characters as well, including Lightning McQueen.
The situation escalated when someone reportedly identified Kulusich’s workplace and posted its address online. She said her manager changed her schedule because of safety concerns.
“It definitely had a negative impact on my mental health,” she said. “Imagine waking up in the morning and getting thousands of comments every day telling you that you’re a crazy stalker woman.”
By the following weekend, Kulusich had become widely known online as the so-called “Peter Pan Girl.” Some users compared the viral story to Baby Reindeer, Netflix’s 2024 dark comedy series about stalking and public obsession. Kulusich said the label was based on short clips taken out of context.
“People would really take a five-second video of me and Peter Pan out of context and run with it,” she said.
The online fixation with “Peter Pan Girl” reflects several larger social media trends: the rapid spread of misinformation, the rise of amateur behavioral analysis on TikTok, and the ongoing backlash against adults who openly embrace Disney fandom. What began as a series of playful Disneyland character videos quickly became a viral debate about privacy, parasocial relationships, and the risks of internet fame.
Source: www.wired.com