FANTASTICAL REAL LIFE
Ronni Carter, 19, from Greenwich, is giving Disneyland a run for its money with her collection!
Slipping into my white costume and donning a carrot for a nose, I knew I looked the part.
‘That’s perfect,’ said my sister Kerri, 22.
But I wasn’t dressed as a snowman for Christmas.
Instead, me, Kerri, Mum and Dad were heading out to the cinema to watch the new Frozen film back in 2019.
And I’d chosen to go dressed as one of my favourite characters, Olaf.
Like every new Disney film that came out, we made an experience of it.
As the music played and the iconic Cinderella Castle appeared, I was enraptured.
Disney always had that magical effect on me.
And it’s that feeling that kept me coming back to Disney years later.
As a child, I was obsessed with Disney.
It was hard to pick a favourite film. Beauty and the Beast, Lilo & Stitch, Mary Poppins, The Princess and the Frog…
My entire room had been Disney-ified, too.
From the curtains down to the bedsheets, I had it all.
If you delved into my wardrobe, all you’d find was my extensive collection of Disney Princess costumes.
‘You’re just like Rapunzel,’ Kerri said. ‘Or Stitch!’
Sharing the same bubbly and adventurous energy as my favourite characters is beyond a compliment!
As we grew older, my love for Disney never faded.
For every birthday, my family bought me a new Disney plushie.
And when Kerri started buying Disney merch, from plushies to Funko Pops – when I was 12, I followed suit.
‘Right, who are we getting next?’ I’d ask Kerri as we scrolled through eBay.
We were always on the lookout for the next official Disney plushie we didn’t yet have – although we had our own, separate collections.
Soon, I took on extra chores to earn pocket money to expand my collection.
At school, I kept my love for Disney a secret.
I didn’t get any nasty comments, but I knew that having a Disney backpack would cast a spotlight on me.
I was a teenager, and most kids my age had grown out of Disney.
They’ll just think I’m childish.
So, I hid my love for Disney, avoiding inviting my friends over.
But after every bad day at school, coming home to a
