Life as a “Disney adult” isn’t always as joyful as a day at Disneyland.
Disney superfans who dress up in princess costumes or get Mickey Mouse tattoos can be ridiculed or criticized as “kidults” who refuse to grow up.
But that characterization doesn’t fit all Disney fans like a glass slipper, said AJ Wolfe, the author of a new book on Disney adults that just made The New York Times’ best-sellers list. Wolfe is a lifelong Disney fan who also runs the Disney Food Blog.
“It’s something that everybody has an opinion on, but nobody really understands,” Wolfe, a self-described Disney adult, said of Disney fandom in a recent interview with Business Insider.
Perhaps the biggest misconception about being a Disney adult: Disney enthusiasts are often most bothered by their peers rather than their haters.
“The really difficult thing about being a Disney adult is other Disney adults,” Wolfe said, citing the conversations she had with her fellow Disney superfans when doing research for her book.
Disney adults have high standards for fandom
While Disney devotees don’t love getting dragged on TikTok or Reddit, Wolfe said she was told that what’s even tougher is being judged by other Disney fanatics for not being passionate enough.
Wolfe said those who don’t have an annual parks pass, see every Disney movie, or stay at every hotel in Disney World or Disneyland can be shamed by other Disney adults.
“There’s this judgment, this hierarchy, and this status thing that goes on with Disney adults,” Wolfe said.
Many communities centered on fandom or hobbies can have similar pressures, Wolfe said, naming NFL fans and Swifties as examples. The author said social media is likely fueling the “one-upmanship” she’s seen, though she doesn’t blame influencers for making this an issue.
Other Disney adults told Business Insider they see Wolfe’s point about the pressure of being a legit fan.
Disney megafan Shae Noble said she’s “definitely seen some judgment” within the Disney adult community, noting that some draw distinctions between Disney World and Disneyland attendees, or between guests at its waterside clubs.
“The Yacht Club and the Beach Club are right next to each other and are basically the same resort — except if you go to the Yacht Club, it’s very uppity,” Noble said.
Noble’s husband, John Telyea, who’s also a Disney adult, said Disney adults judge based on superfans’ choice of hotels and parks, though they can be more forgiving about how frequently they go.
Disney enthusiast Max Traughber-Crismon said he also agreed with Wolfe’s premise. He added that Disney parks attendees “seem to have a lot more passion” for the company than Disney movie fans who’ve been to the parks once or twice.
“I rarely find that they ‘bleed’ Disney,” Traughber-Crismon said of sporadic Disney park visitors.
And while many Disney adults double as Mouse House evangelists, Wolfe said others keep their love for Mickey and Minnie low-key.
“Something I say in the book is, ‘The surgeon doing your colonoscopy might have a Mickey tattoo’ — you don’t know that,” Wolfe said.
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