The Mystery Behind Disney World’s Missing Animatronic Is A Wild Story With Many Ups And Downs. What Stolen Kingdom’s Director Thinks Actually Happened

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Topics such as “Walt Disney World” and “scandal” are seldom linked together. Discussions about long queues and churros at Disney World? Definitely. However, the term “scandal” isn’t usually associated with the park. But five years ago, an unprecedented event in the theme park world took place, which TopMob extensively reported on at the time. It involved a series of thefts happening at the most enchanting location known to many – Disney World, and a robotic figure that remains unaccounted for until this day. Interestingly, CB recently interviewed the director of a new documentary about this extraordinary story.

The film titled “Stolen Kingdom” delves into the world of urban exploration at abandoned sections of Walt Disney World, and its link to the underground market for Disney items. This encompasses the story of Patrick Spikes, a YouTube personality who illegally obtained and sold merchandise from an audio-animatronic character named Buzzy, originally from the decommissioned Cranium Command attraction.

The tale becomes more bizarre because following the theft of Buzzy’s clothing, there’s been no sign of Buzzy himself. The film, “Stolen Kingdom,” doesn’t provide any definitive clues about his whereabouts. So, during a recent conversation with the director, Joshua Bailey, I inquired about his thoughts on Buzzy’s disappearance given that he’s interacted with many individuals who might have information. Bailey’s response was straightforward…

I’m fairly certain I don’t have the answer. There are two strong possibilities: one is that it was a misunderstanding and Disney actually has him, but they would need to acknowledge this publicly, which I’m not sure will ever happen. The other possibility is that he was stolen, but I’m unsure about his current whereabouts if that’s the case. He could be anywhere at this point.

Patrick Spikes, in his confession about taking Buzzy’s clothes and subsequently selling them to NBA star Robin Lopez, a known Disney enthusiast, has persisted in stating that he did not actually steal from Buzzy. The “Stolen Kingdom” suggests that there might have been an instance where someone offered Spikes money for Buzzy. However, this only implies that there was someone who desired Buzzy enough to pay for them, possibly another individual who could have been just as easily persuaded to acquire what they wanted.

Actually, as I ponder Bailey’s words, there’s a chance Buzzy hasn’t disappeared at all. It could be that after the theft of his clothes, Disney might have taken precautions to prevent their animatronic from being stolen too. So they possibly relocated it from the closed Disney World attraction.

Regardless, it remains uncertain about Buzzy’s condition since Disney World decided to remove him. It is possible that he was dismantled and stored in a corner of Walt Disney Imagineering’s warehouse, where items can go missing for extended periods. Alternatively, as Joshua Bailey hypothesizes, the character may have been demolished during the removal process. Bailey shared this information with me…

A theory, albeit regrettable, is that perhaps he was dismantled due to the events transpired, or optimistically, he was merely confined somewhere, like a storage unit, for safekeeping. However, it seems more plausible to me that he was indeed secreted away, or in simpler terms, stolen.

It’s possible that if Buzzy was taken away by a private collector on purpose, we might never discover what happened to it. However, there’s always a chance that Buzzy could reappear many years from now. Yet, the truth behind this animatronic’s disappearance might ultimately remain an intriguing, unsolved enigma in the world of theme parks.

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2025-03-02 00:37