Toni Kulusich, a 27-year-old Los Angeles native, posts regular meet-and-greet videos with Disneyland characters as part of her content creation work. She visits the theme park about once a week and has focused much of her video output on interactions with the Peter Pan character, known for his spontaneity and playful interactions with guests.
In August, a video showing Kulusich gifting Peter Pan a crocheted duck keychain gained significant traction online, drawing millions of views. As the video's audience grew from 10,000 to one million views, negative comments accumulated. Some commenters accused her of stalking the character and speculated about her motivations. Her TikTok following more than doubled during the controversy, from about 50,000 followers to 125,000.
Kulusich said she was surprised by the backlash, noting that her Disney fandom does not extend to the rest of her life. She is married and works full-time as a manager at a retail store. "It's just that when I'm inside Disney, I'm able to release my inner child," she said. Others online analyzed the character's body language in her videos, claiming to detect discomfort, and some expressed sympathy for her husband based on the content she posted.
The situation escalated when someone identified her workplace and posted its address online. Her manager responded by changing her work hours for security reasons. Kulusich said the experience has affected her mental health. "Imagine waking up to thousands of comments saying you're a crazy stalker lady every single day," she said. An online petition was circulated calling for her ban from the parks.
