In defence of Disney adults

I'm not saying I am one, I'm just saying I'm on the cusp

Yesterday I saw an Instagram post from one of my favourite accounts, @TimesNewRoadMan, listing ‘Adults who are obsessed with Disney’ as one of the things he irrationally loathes.

Ironically, on the opposite end of the spectrum, I have recently become obsessed with a Disney adult on TikTok.

It started before my recent holiday to LA when I was looking up Disneyland ‘hacks’ for our trip to the park. That’s how I discovered Blake Silva a twenty-something man whose bedroom is so full with Winnie the Pooh merch, he has an entire separate storage unit for his paraphernalia overflow.

He is a legit Disney adult, who has built an entire career from his hobby as a full-time content creator.

I don’t know what it is, well maybe I do, but I just can’t stop watching him build his dream wall of Funko Pop figures and discuss how he organises his extensive pin collection.

@blakespopnookrope dropping at disneyland to try to sign the first rider book! 🍯🤞🏼🤍 its a pooh bear morning, for sure. #crittercountry #disneydays #disneyparkstiktok #winniethepoohfan #themanyadventuresofwinniethepooh #blakespopnook #ropedrop

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I should add here that I wouldn’t class myself as a Disney adult. Don’t get me wrong, I do love going to Disneyland as an adult and I do know all the lyrics to the songs and I do own some merch, but I don’t have a lanyard pin collection or a Loungefly bag… yet.

Instead, I would class myself as a Disney enthusiast who definitely gets swept up in the moment inside the park, but slightly comes back to their senses upon leaving.

I think what I’m drawn to about people like Blake, is the fact they have zero fear in unashamedly loving and sharing their passions.

Here is a man in his late twenties who just really loves Winnie the Pooh. Why aren’t we celebrating that confidence in his own identity? Winnie isn’t even a main character. Making Eeyore, Piglet and co your brand is a really bold and frankly powerful move. One that should be applauded.

@blakespopnookthe “pintainer” tutorial is here!! and its SO EASYYYY 🥲 too easy… i think my pin collection has grown mostly just so i can have fun organizing them 😂 full version on my YT! #blakespopnook #pincollectors #diyprojectideas

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Why do we have to lose these passions as adults when escapsim is more needed than ever? I want to open McDonalds Squishmallow Happy Meals, not EDF energy bills.

I recently wrote a piece for Glamour about my love of play as an adult (not that kind) and it was something I rediscovered during Covid.

I know this will sound bad to some, but I actually sometimes miss lockdown because I was lucky enough to be able to use that time to rediscover myself and the hobbies and interests that used to bring me joy that I had long since cast aside.

I really love the phrase ‘healing your inner child’ and I truly think playing Sylvanian Families with my niece Lyra has done that for me.

I love setting up the burger cafe for her and the country clinic and putting all the tiny little bottles in the fridge. It reminds me of when I was a little. I had this Sindy kitchen and I can vividly remember these tiny little coca cola bottles.

I think Disney adults have rediscovered that childhood happiness, and if you’ve never been to somewhere like Disneyland I don’t know if you’ll ever get it.

There is just something about that place that is so freeing and I don’t think I’ve ever watched one of their firework or World of Colour displays without getting teary. It’s like walking back into your childhood before you knew what anxiety and depression were.

Covid was the start of me healing my inner child, but it’s something I’m continuing now. I went into a toy shop this week to buy ‘Lyra’ the new Sylvanian Family penguin babies. I then had this realisation that I was an adult, with my own money and could buy something for myself.

It felt odd and weirdly shameful, but I picked one of those Mini Brand toys that has miniature food items inside (I got a Pizza Hut pizza).

I was genuinely quite excited to open it and I thought, maybe this is how Blake feels when he sees the latest Winnie collab.

While I won’t be getting a pin lanyard anytime soon, I have noticed that indulging my inner child this way has unlocked part of me that I had forgotten about. The part that was just for me, that wasn’t to impress someone I fancied or to fit in with my much more sophisticated peers.

Sometimes you just want to feel something and I think Disney adults have cracked exactly how to do that.