I used to love being out on stage and performing in front of everyone. When I was little, I sang many of my favorite songs, but my most favorite out of all of them were Disney songs. I was also a great actor in my old kindergarten school plays and I would always practice at home to get all my lines down.
During my summer vacation, when I didn’t have any school plays to perform in, I would act out many scenes from my favorite children’s TV shows and networks, but I mostly acted out scenes from my favorite Disney shows and networks. I was about 4 or 5 years old and it was so fun acting and singing out all my favorite Disney shows and networks.
I was so excited and always full of energy. My parents wanted me to use my energy in sports, but I didn’t want to be in any little league sports. In fact, all I ever wanted to do was use my energy in acting and singing. I pleaded to my parents to let me perform my acting and singing on stage. After, pleading and getting on my hands and knees, literally begging, I finally got my parents to listen to me and give me what I always wanted. The next day, on Friday I was at home on my TV watching my favorite Disney show “Disney Playhouse” and there was an announcement.
A man was on TV and began to speak. During the show he said, “Attention parents everywhere Disney Playhouse is looking for new child actors to perform on the show and express themselves in a fun and healthy manner! Your children will be acting and singing on our show and they will also be performing on other Disney shows! Your children will also be able to meet many Disney characters. Call this number now if you want your children on Disney Playhouse! (800)-565-9258 or (800)-565-Walt!”
My parents picked up the phone and immediately dialed the number. On the other line the announcer told my parents that I won. I was so happy and I was finally going to be able to perform in front of people. The next day on Saturday my parents and I took a long flight to Disney Hollywood Studios and after we arrived I was ecstatic. A limousine was waiting for us and we all entered inside.
Disney Hollywood Studios was so beautiful and colorful. After my parents and I arrived at the Disney Playhouse, we were greeted by other children there and even some of the other parents greeted us too. After a few hours the show had begun to air and my parents left. The other parents left too and just me and the other children were left. We all took our places and the show began.
Everything was just so fun. The other children and I performed together, we played games, we talked to each other, and we even learned together. After the show was over the other children and I took a break in the Disney Playhouse. We had a lot of fun laughing and playing together. At one point me and the other children did some sneaking around the Disney Playhouse and we snuck into different rooms.
Just as we were all heading back to the playhouse, I saw something shimmering through maintenance room door. I told the others to go ahead of me and that I’d be back. The other children all went back to the playhouse, but I stayed behind to check out what was shimmering through the door of the maintenance room. As I approached the door, curiosity got the best of me and I opened it. There was nothing there, but just as I was about to leave I tripped over a mop stick and it fell onto the wall. The wall cracked and fell apart. A secret room was hidden behind the shattered wall. How strange I thought, this was never here before. I entered the room and walked down a narrow pathway. The pathway lead to a door labeled, “Break Room”. I opened the door and walked through. On the other side of the door was a large cafeteria with a kitchen area.
There were also several chairs and tables set up neatly with plates, cups, and kitchen utensils all in order. I looked at the plates and cups on the table, and saw that they were full. As I approached the kitchen area, I began to smell something sweet cooking in the kitchen, but when I opened the kitchen door and entered inside there was no one there. How is this even possible? Food doesn’t cook itself, I thought. I explored some more in the kitchen and I found another door hidden in the back room. The door read, “Staff ONLY” Me being a curious and adventurous little kid at the time, decided to open the door and enter wherever it lead me to. I opened the door and entered inside. On the other side of the door was a long stairway.
I walked down the stairway and followed it all the way down until it led me to a very long hallway. When I reached the end of the hallway, I noticed there was another hidden door right in front of me. The door read, “Mascots ONLY”, but it was locked. I tried everything I could to bust the lock, but nothing worked. Just as I was about to leave and give up busting the lock, the lock clicked and the door just opened on its own. I realized now was my chance to get inside the “Mascots ONLY” room and check out whatever was inside. I entered the door of the “Mascots ONLY” room and what I saw surprised me. The room was full of empty and rotted Disney character costumes hanging up on hooks. Some of the costumes had plastic eyes missing and some of them had their fur missing or in bear patches. The costumes were all neatly in one piece and hadn’t been touched or worn by anyone.
The costumes were all very old and their colors looked kind of faded. There was also an empty costume of Mickey Mouse. Unlike the other costumes I saw that were all hanging on hooks, the Mickey Mouse costume was lying on its back on the center of the floor like a murder victim. Patches of Mickey’s fur was missing. It also looked rotted and discolored. As I approached the Mickey Mouse costume I smelled something foul coming from it. Just then I saw something dripping down from its plastic eyes. It was blood, thick chunky red and yellow blood. I began to scream and cry very loudly to the point where my voice felt like it was almost gone. That’s when Mickey, that discolored Mickey began to move on his own.
First sitting up and climbing to his feet. Discolored Mickey then stood up. I froze in fear and just stared at him as he all stood up looking at me.
“Hey Kid,” it said in a hush perverted, but perfectly executed Mickey Mouse voice, “we used to perform for people too.”
Things only got more terrifying for me, when all of the other empty discolored Disney character costumes, or at least I thought they were empty, but they weren’t empty. They all sat up and climbed to their feet. The discolored Disney character costumes or whoever was inside all stood up and were standing behind Discolored Mickey. Discolored Mickey and the other Discolored characters all looked at me.
I began to stutter and mumble over and over again, ” No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. St… stay away from me you ugly monsters.” Just then Discolored Mickey and all of the other costumes began to walk towards me. I started running away from them.
I began to sing the Disney Song, “Zip A Dee Doo Dah,” to stay calm as I was running away from the costumes coming after me. I ran up the stairs as fast as a 4 or 5-year-old could. I only cared about getting away from those evil costumes. I finally made it to the top of stairway and back to the “Staff Only” door.
The door was still open and I was able to get outside back into the kitchen. Before I decided to get out of the kitchen and back outside to the cafeteria, I looked towards the door and looked behind me to see if I was still being followed. I could see the heads of the Disney characters popping up from the bottom of the stairway and they were getting close. I got away from the “Staff ONLY” door not caring that it was still open. I ran out of the kitchen and made it back outside to the cafeteria. Even though I was outside of the kitchen and in the cafeteria, I could see the evil costumes were still after me.
I could see them still looking at me, as they all walked out of the “Staff ONLY” door and started running out of the kitchen. I was so scared that I didn’t care about how tired my legs and feet were. I made it to the “Break Room” door on time. Then I quickly opened the door and ran out of that place. I was so scared that I didn’t care about how tired my legs and feet were. I ran and kept on running down the narrow pathway that led outside back to maintenance room. I ran with whatever leg and foot strength my body had left and I finally made it back outside.
Just as I was about to leave that horrible place I saw a horrifying message written in red and yellow blood, the message read, “We were the original Mickey Mouse and gang performers, but Disney Abandoned, Replaced, and Left Us All To Die.” After I got out of that horrible I was found by a security guard and I escorted back safely to the Disney Playhouse. When I arrived back at the Disney Playhouse, my friends were all looking at me with a strange glare. I asked them what was wrong and they all told me, they thought I disappeared. I told my friends I was OK and that I was just exploring the building.
After my friends and I talked to each other for a while, the camera light came on and the producer of Disney Playhouse asked my friends and I to sing a goodbye song that she wrote. We all sang the “Goodbye Song” and after we finished the camera turned off.
Later that day, my parents came and picked me up, but I didn’t say a word to them about what I went through. For the whole trip back home, I never sang, or acted, or performed to any children’s songs or movies they put on for me. I didn’t even perform my favorite songs or movies. I never performed in front of anyone ever again and I never performed and used my talents in any kind of television or radio show ever again.
My parents always asked me why I hate performing in front of people and I always respond with this answer, “I hate performing in front of people, I only like to perform by myself,” but that is a lie. My parents must never know the truth or the real reason why I hate performing songs and acting. I’ll never forget what happened to me at Disney Playhouse and the dark secret I discovered.
I didn’t tell my parents about what happened, because they’d think I was crazy. I know what I saw wasn’t my imagination and it wasn’t a dream at all, it was all real, and I will never forget it… for as long as I live. The horrible screams and sounds that I heard will never leave my head. All I can do is trying to guess what happened to try to find the answers I need, but I guess only Disney will know the truth of what happened. All I know is that after what I experienced, I will never trust Disney ever again. Some of you may disagree with me about my story, but for those of you who do agree with me, then please take this story as a warning as stay far away from Disney as possible! I don’t trust Disney anymore and I’d recommend you do the same. Thanks for listening to my story and goodnight.