Viral Disneyland Content Creator Defends Her ‘Special Friendship’ With Peter Pan
Disney superfan Toni Kulusich has been accused of stalking her favorite character, sparking discourse about boundaries with park actors. She tells WIRED the backlash is unfair.
A viral Disneyland content creator called Kulusich defended her "special friendship" with the character Peter Pan. The 27-year-old Los Angeles native enjoys making videos of herself with Peter Pan, posting videos of playing tag with him or skipping around the parks. Kulusich uses her middle name online for privacy reasons. However, her content faced backlash in August when a video of her gifting Peter a crocheted duck keychain received negative comments accusing her of being a stalker.
Kulusich's TikTok following doubled as a result, from 50,000 to 125,000 followers. She maintains that her Disney fandom doesn't creep into her daily life, as she has a husband and a full-time job. However, the internet backlash led to threats against her personal life, with a Change.org petition even circulating to have her banned from the parks.
Kulusich's mental health was affected, with her manager changing her hours in response to threats against her workplace. In light of the controversy, Kulusich reflects on her motivations for interacting with Peter Pan, concluding that seeing him simply brings her happiness.
Written by urgent.news from Wired's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
