A user generated the fake picture with an artificial-intelligence tool. Further, the story accompanying the image originated with a Facebook page describing its content as satire.
A rumor circulating online in September 2024 claimed Mickey Mouse dropkicked a toddler at Disneyland park in Anaheim, California, after the child called the famed character "annoying." For example, the Facebook page named Justice League of Hope and Busterfriends of The Ghostbusters posted (archived) the claim, including an image of the alleged incident and text from a supposed article.
The story began:
Mickey Mouse Drop-Kicks Toddler at Disneyland After Being Called 'Annoying'
Disneyland, Anaheim - September 9, 2024_ — What started as a typical magical day at Disneyland quickly turned into a bizarre spectacle when the iconic Mickey Mouse allegedly drop-kicked a toddler for repeatedly calling him "annoying."
According to witnesses, the toddler, identified as 3-year-old Timmy Thompson from Bakersfield, was eagerly awaiting his chance to meet Mickey. However, after what one bystander described as "too much sugar and way too much excitement," Timmy allegedly started taunting Mickey, saying, "You're annoying, Mickey! You're not even real!"
At first, Mickey seemed unfazed, maintaining his usual animated demeanor. But as the verbal assault escalated, witnesses say the world-famous mouse, standing in the middle of Main Street U.S.A., had had enough.
"I saw Mickey turn around, pause for a moment, and then—BAM! He drop-kicked that kid," said Karen Fischer, a shocked onlooker who was waiting in line at a churro stand. "He was in full costume, too. It was wild. I didn't know if I was watching a live show or if Mickey had finally snapped."
The rest of the tale claimed users virally shared footage of the incident on social media, purportedly showing the dropkick sent Timmy, the toddler, soaring into a nearby popcorn stand.
The story claimed Disneyland issued a statement reading, "The safety and well-being of our guests is our top priority. We are investigating this incident involving Mickey Mouse. This is not the behavior we promote at the Happiest Place on Earth."
Other users on YouTube and X also shared the picture. Some readers seemed to interpret the image and rumor as an incident that truly occurred.
However, there was no evidence of Mickey Mouse dropkicking a toddler at any Disney park, nor did Disneyland issue any such statement in response. Rather, the purported photo was a fake generated with an artificial-intelligence tool and originally shared by a Facebook page that calls its content satire.
The Origins of the Mickey Mouse-Toddler Rumor
The fake picture and rumor about Mickey Mouse and the toddler originated with Casper Planet — a Facebook page that described its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. The bio of Casper Planet stated, "Delivering the Snews that doesn't matter directly to your Snews feed. Did we say this is satire? Satire, satire, humor, satire and opinion, names/locations are made up." The page also displayed its location as "Satire Street."
The page's owner or owners originally posted (archived) the image and rumor on Sept. 9.
We emailed Casper Planet to ask for the name of the AI tool they used to create the fake picture or if they could specify where else they found it, if they did not create it. After we published this article, we received a response from the page's manager, Justin Hathaway. He told us, "The photo was posted in an AI group, so I'm not sure which program was used. Sometimes, these pictures and memes give me inspiration."
Snopes addressed other claims about Mickey Mouse in the past, including the assertion that Disney planned to retire the character forever and a rumor that a cartoon showed Mickey inappropriately making Swiss cheese.
For background, we previously wrote about why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.