3 Disney characters assaulted by tourists

Sheriff’s report lists Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck actors as victims

The employee who plays Mickey Mouse went to the hospital. Two women who portray Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck said they were groped.

The three Disney World employees who bring life to the beloved costumed characters filed law enforcement reports earlier this month claiming visitors touched them inappropriately at the theme parks.

“Everyone should feel safe at work, and we encourage Cast Members to come forward in any uncomfortable situation,” said Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger in a statement. “We provide multiple resources to protect our Cast Members’ well-being, including on-site law enforcement officers who respond and are available to them, if needed.”

In one case, a woman who works as Mickey Mouse at the Magic Kingdom went to the hospital because of a neck injury after a woman patted her on the costume head about five times, according a report she filed with the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office.

The force made the character’s head slide down, straining the 36-year-old employee’s neck, the report said.

The employee didn’t believe the grandmother hurt her on purpose, and the sheriff ’s office ruled the Dec. 4 incident a civil matter, not a criminal one. No lawsuits

appear to have been filed in Orange County Circuit Court.

The family said they weren't aware the employee had been taken to the hospital until they were contacted by the Sentinel Thursday.

The grandmother touched Mickey to prove to her nearly 2-year-old nervous grandson there was nothing to be afraid of by the giant rodent, said the woman's son-in-law, Boone Scheer.

“She barely touched him,” said Scheer, adding his mother-in-law wouldn't intentionally hurt Mickey Mouse. “It was very minimal.”

The family was confused whether Disney has a notouching rule for the costumed characters, since they give high-fives and hugs to visitors, he said.

Nobody at the park said anything to the family about the incident until hours later, when the family tried to check into their Disney hotel, Scheer said.

Disney interviewed his wife, and “they definitely tried to insinuate it was on purpose,” said Scheer, who resides part-time in Fort Myers and Alaska.

Another incident happened that same day at the Magic Kingdom, the world's busiest theme park.

It started innocently when a 36-year-old Disney employee who portrays Minnie Mouse posed for pictures with a man and his wife from Minnesota in the park's circus-themed meetand-greet area.

Afterward, Minnie Mouse gave the man a hug. Then without saying a word, he groped her chest three times, according to the sheriff's incident report.

The employee alerted her supervisors. On Dec. 6, she identified pictures of the 61-year-old man from Brewster, Minnesota.

She decided against pressing charges.

It wasn't the first time the man had done something wrong at Disney World on his trip.

The man also had “an inappropriate interaction with a cast member” on Dec. 5 at the Magic Kingdom, according to the sheriff's office incident report that didn't provide any additional details on what happened. Disney declined to elaborate.

Disney took some action to ban the man from the theme parks.

“It should be noted that (the man) is a Disney Vacation Club member. As a result, he was trespassed from all of Walt Disney World property, to exclude the Saratoga Springs resort,” the sheriff's report said.

The Orange County Sheriff's office also responded to another call from a guest mistreating a Disney World costumed character on Dec. 3 at an Animal Kingdom restaurant. A woman in her 60s asked if she could kiss Donald Duck, the incident report said.

Donald Duck agreed, but the situation escalated quickly as the 18-year-old employee playing the character said the woman began touching and grabbing the character's arms, chest, belly, and face.

The employee moved toward another Disney employee for help, but the woman followed her, holding on, and then “frantically” put her hands inside the character's costume, touching her chest.

The woman's family realized what was happening and shouted at the woman to stop. The character attendant led the employee away to the break room.

The employee later decided not to press charges, telling authorities she believed the woman, who wasn't identified in the report, may have dementia.

All three Disney World employees who filed the sheriff's reports either declined to comment or did not return messages.

In September, the Sentinel published a deeper look at the physical and verbal abuse that theme park employees occasionally suffer from visitors, mistreatment that many face working in the service industry, experts said.

“In an environment like that where often the customer is seen as always right — and let's face it, the customer is not always right — there's sometimes an expectation … that their wish is your command,” said David Ballard, a senior director at the American Psychological Association, told the Sentinel.

“In an environment like that where often the customer is seen as always right — and let’s face it, the customer is not always right — there’s sometimes an expectation … that their wish is your command.” David Ballard, a senior director at the American Psychological Association