Health and safety check for Mickey Mouse

They might work at the happiest place on Earth, but Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and Buzz Lightyear face more danger in the workplace than most of us, a new study reveals.

Children who punch and kick, heavy costumes that cause neck and back strain and moving parade floats caused injuries to more than a third of the 1,900 actors who play the characters in Disney parks worldwide, according to the US Health and Safety Administration.



Disney has turned to Nasa engineers to help design "user-friendly" costumes that are lighter, more manageable and offer greater flexibility and vision for those inside. "We've benefited from a lot of work that the government's been doing," Carol Campbell, Disney's vice-president of character programmes and development, told the Orlando Sentinel.

Actors in costume reported a range of injuries and ailments, including aches, bruises and sprains attributed to "excited guests" jumping on them or hitting them, skin rashes from prolonged exposure to the furry costumes and muscular problems.

Employees at Disney parks in Florida, California, France and Hong Kong were interviewed for the study, reporting 783 injuries in a 12-month period. Of those, 282 were blamed on heavy costumes.