Disneyland superfan group not fun for all
They stroll through Disneyland in packs of 20 or more, motley crews that resemble a cross between the Hells Angels motorcycle gang and a grown-up Mickey Mouse Club with their Disney-themed tattoos and their matching denim vests strewn with trading pins and logos.
Disneyland social clubs, by most accounts, are harmless alliances of friends and family who meet up at the park to share a nerdy obsession for all things Disney. With club names such as Tigger Army and Neverland Mermaids, how threatening can they be?
“It’s all about the shared love for Disney,” said Mark Drop Jr., 39, who founded a club called Flynn’s Riders, after a character in the Walt Disney animated film “Tangled.”
But a civil lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court has revealed a dark undercurrent to the pastime. The head of one club has accused another of using gangster-like tactics to try to collect “protection” money for a charity fundraiser at the park.
The lawsuit reads like a mob movie set in a theme park. The plot revolves around the Main Street Fire Station 55 Social Club, whose leaders claim they have been bullied and terrorized by the head of the White Rabbits Social Club.
The lawsuit names 19 members of the White Rabbits, accusing them of defamation, invasion of privacy, conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It asks the court to reward the victims compensatory and punitive damages, to be determined during the trial.
The suit also names Disneyland, saying the park has failed to take action against the offending club. A park spokeswoman said Disney has not been served with the lawsuit and declined to comment further.
Some Disneyland fans not involved with the clubs say the idea of adults forming clubs to show their love for the park is a bit strange but not dangerous.
“I’m not sure what Walt would think of big groups in matching biker vests walking down Main Street, but it’s not the most outrageous thing I’ve seen,” said Matthew Gottula, a 28year-old marketing worker from Altadena, Calif., who visits the park frequently.
Social clubs began forming at the Anaheim parks in 2013, according to longtime club members, who say they can’t remember who or what triggered the trend.
The park hosts about 100 clubs, ranging from five or six members to more than 100. Most members are adults, who own annual passes and meet at the park at least once a month.
The clubs’ common traits are denim vests, adorned on the back with the Disney character that the club is named for and Disney trading pins on the front.
The vests are made to resemble those worn by motorcycle gangs. The Hells Angels and Mongols add the initials “MC” on their vests, for motorcycle club. The Disneyland clubs add “SC” on the vests, for social club.
“We just go to the park and socialize and ride the rides, but we wear vests,” said Bill Oliver, 49, a service technician from Downey, Calif., who started the Nightmare Crew social club three years ago. The club members are fans of Tim Burton’s movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
Outside the parks, the clubs hold barbecues or parties at their private homes. Some members get together to organize fundraisers for homeless shelters or children’s hospitals.
That is where the problems arose between the Main Street Fire Station 55 Social Club, named for the fire station at Disneyland, and White Rabbits, one of the largest clubs in the park.
John and Leslee Sarno, the founders of the Main Street Fire Station 55 club, claim in the lawsuit that they planned a memorial walk and fundraiser for Sept. 11, 2016, at Disneyland to benefit the families of the firefighters killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
A week before the event, the lawsuit claims that John Sarno was approached by Jakob Fite, the head of the White Rabbits Social Club. Fite was backed by four of his fellow club members and the men demanded $500 to “protect” the event participants, the suit claimed.
If Sarno did not pay, Fite and his White Rabbits would make sure Sarno would never get into the park again, the lawsuit said.
Sarno refused to pay and claimed in the lawsuit that Fite and his allies have since spread malicious rumors about him on social media sites visited by Disneyland social clubs and on a podcast hosted by Fite.
Fite, 42, a sound engineer from Apple Valley, rejected the allegations in the lawsuit, saying Sarno filed the suit to fire back at Fite for raising questions about Sarno’s character among other Disneyland social clubs.
Fite cohosts a podcast that discusses Disney’s subculture and said he used that forum to raise questions about Sarno’s character and suggest that Sarno has been misleading club members about his background to raise money for charitable causes.
Other social club members say the dispute between Sarno and Fite does not reflect the behavior and attitude of most clubs at the park. Individual members may not get along, they say, but the clubs don’t go to war in the park like the brawl scene in the musical “West Side Story.”