Disney diehard fans fear not, Mickey Mouse is not being replaced as Disney’s mascot and you shouldn’t believe everything you see on TikTok.
Mouse Trap News on TikTok jokingly reported on Feb. 9 that Disney’s famous mascot would be replaced by Figment the Dragon (The name of the obscure dragon apparently wasn’t enough to raise eyebrows.) The TikTok video shows a theme park Mickey Mouse mascot performer joyfully waving and blowing a kiss as the narrator delivers the tragic news that Mickey Mouse is about to be out of the job and Figment will be his replacement.
It’s falsely stated that this is happening because the Mickey Mouse trademark is set to expire in 2024. There’s even a mockup of the statue of Walt Disney standing next to Figment and you have to appreciate the commitment to the prank. At the end of the video, the narrator says to click the link for the full story, but the only link is for a Walt Disney World Resort at Lake Buena Vista, another indication that this shouldn’t be taken seriously.
The TikTok account is admittedly fraudulent. The main page states “Real Disney news that is 100% fake, so there should be no cause for concern…but the internet will undoubtedly internet. The video has over 2 million views and the comments range from utter sorrow to full-blown outrage. Some cooler heads have prevailed and are well aware that Disney has the means to purchase the trademark back if it were to expire.
It would be a gigantic error if Disney were to go through with such a massive change. Mickey Mouse is one of the most well-known characters in entertainment. He’s starred in movies, TV shows, and video games, and has just about every kind of merchandise one can think of. To throw that away and make a much lesser-known character the mascot of one of the biggest companies in the world would be a mistake of epic proportions.
Figment is a purple dragon who’s the mascot of the Imagination! Pavilion at the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Figment was created by Disney Imagineers Tony Baxter and Steve Kirk in 1983 and there’s an upcoming feature film in development from Seth Rogen through his Point Grey productions banner and written by Detective Pikachu writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit.
Hopefully, the movie will be a success and will help get Figment’s name out there. Still, there’s no reason to believe this character would somehow replace the iconic Mickey Mouse.
Published: Feb 10, 2023 11:58 am