A Disney-loving couple is going viral this week on Twitter, but not for any of the reasons you might think. According to reports, the anonymous pair was recently visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, when a fellow parkgoer snapped a photo of them walking hand in hand. But it's not because the couple looked super lovey-dovey or even because they sported some cool, Disney-themed costumes. Instead, both were wearing some very X-rated Disney shirts that they'd apparently made themselves — and it's causing some major controversy.
The image was shared over the weekend by a former Disney employee.
Sam Carter, who worked as a creative designer for the company, posted the image on Twitter October 22, though it remains unclear as to whether he is the one who snapped the original photo.
"D is for Don’t," Carter wrote in a tweet that's been viewed by thousands. And so far, a lot of people are in agreement with him.
D is for Don’t pic.twitter.com/XnWGDAxTql
— Sam Carter (@Cartarsauce) October 22, 2021
In it, a man and woman are seen strolling through the theme park.
Their identities are still unknown, and because Carter was careful to censor their faces, it's hard to tell their ages, let alone whether they're dating, engaged, or married.
Their shirts, however, are clearly visible – and boy, do they say a thousand words.
"I gave her the D," the man's shirt read.
"I wanted the D," read the woman's.
Both are designed to look like custom Disney tees.
In addition to using Disney's iconic font, both shirts feature a silhouette of Cinderella's castle, which is inside the Magic Kingdom. But needless to say, they aren't part of the brand's standard merch collection. In fact, they pretty much violate that whole G-rated, family-friendly vibe Disney is all about.
On Twitter, people were quick to voice their astonishment.
"YALL REALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS OKAY TO WEAR TO DISNEY WORLD??" tweeted one person.
"Kind of tacky to bring to a theme park," added another commenter.
"D is for Dumba—–," someone else wrote.
Still, not everyone was up in arms.
"While I know people are pissed, if my 3-year-old read this, she wouldn’t get it," one mom reasoned. "And that’s all I care about."
"I think they're funny," another person argued. "If they ban this shirt I hope they ban all the shorts and skirts that show your a– too … That is way worse than a suggestive T shirt!"
"It’s only inappropriate if YOU think of it in the inappropriate way," tweeted someone else. "Get your minds out of the gutter … a kid sees the unmistakable Disney D not the D you do. If they are teens and get it, then they are already making everything they see into a sexual joke so no shirt is safe."
Others couldn't get on board with that logic, though.
"Dude it’s a place for kids," one commenter wrote. "They knew exactly what the shirt’s mean. Why at freakin Disney? BC obviously we don’t know how to act."
"The shirt literally suggests they smashed and they are at a kid's theme park," added another person. "Wouldn't want to have to explain what the shirt means to a kid."
A lot of people claimed that they'd seen "far worse" at the theme park.
In fact, personalized merch that "borrows" from Disney's imagery is pretty common, even if it is blatant copyright infringement. (Just hop on Etsy, and you'll find everything from gold necklaces to matching family tees made by sellers who have no affiliation with Disney.)
And, of course, Disney is well aware that this happens. On the Disney World website, the company stated that it has "the right to deny admission to or remove any person wearing attire that we consider inappropriate or attire that could detract from the experience of other Guests."
But according to some, this is one park rule that could use some reinforcement.
"If they banned these shirts from ever being allowed in a Disney park again, I wouldn’t be mad," tweeted one person over the weekend after seeing the viral T-shirts.
It sure seems like a lot of others would agree.
