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A Disneyland social club is an organized group of Disneyland fans who express their participation in their chosen club by wearing matching jackets or vests bearing back patch designs that are reminiscent of motorcycle clubs. [1] Disneyland social clubs are not considered actual gangs [2] [3] even though they borrow certain aesthetic traits of a motorcycle club. The Los Angeles Times described social clubs as "harmless alliances of friends and family who meet up at the park to share a nerdy obsession for all things Disney." [4] The OC Weekly called the clubs a "new generation of hardcore Disney fans."
Every club has its membership requirements and guidelines, and they are required to follow Disney Parks' rules, including the requirement to cooperate with the Disney cast members, and to be courteous, friendly, and respectful to all park visitors. Some clubs are named after popular Disneyland rides, such as the "Hitchhikers" (named after the hitchhiking ghosts of the Haunted Mansion), and "The Jungle Cruisers" (named after the Jungle Cruise attraction). Other Disneyland social clubs have more generic names, such as "The Hidden Mickeys," "Walt's Misfits," and "Main Street Elite" (the largest and most visible club).
Each Disneyland social club bears a unique name, usually derived from a Disney franchise (e.g. theme park attractions, movies, TV shows, etc.) and each club has its own leather jacket, jean jacket, varsity letterman jacket, or vest which bears custom-made patches of its mascot, logo, and club name on the back of the jacket. [5] The jacket/vest fronts often feature the member's name and favorite character or attraction, with Disney trading pins. [1]
Group members wearing patches created a style, and other groups quickly copied. [2] [3] [4] Subsequently, the number of patched Disneyland social clubs grew. By March 2014 there were over 20 social clubs in existence. [6] [7] [8] Coincidentally, in July 2013, the Disney Channel premiered a Disney Channel Original Movie entitled Teen Beach Movie which featured a group of motorcycle bikers calling themselves "The Rodents Social Club" who wore matching motorcycle jackets emblazoned with their club's name and a picture of a mouse.
The Neverlanders were founded in October 2012, [9] and are believed to be the first patched social club to wear jackets/vests bearing back patches. [3] [6] The Neverlanders is a group of over 30 members ranging from ages 2 to 63. [6] There was an earlier Disneyland social club formed in 2012, named "The Black Death Crew," which began on March 29, 2012 as a group of friends wearing all-black clothing to Disneyland in Anaheim, California. [2] [10] However, they did not have matching back patches. They were followed by The Hitchhikers, which was founded in February 2013, [3] [11] and The Main Street Elite, which was founded in early 2013. [3] [12]
By April 2013, the first known reference to Disneyland social club appeared in an Internet forum post called MiceChat.com (an online website centered around discussions about Disneyland trips and visits). [2] [13] By the end of 2017, there were more than 100 Disney social clubs founded by Disney Park fans. [14] [15]
On Sept. 11, 2017, a member of a Disney Social club filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court. The plaintiff John Sarno, who founded the "Main Street Fire Station 55 Social Club," claimed he was bullied and terrorized by members of the "White Rabbits Social Club." [15] Sarno accused its members of cyberbullying, defamation, invasion of medical privacy, infliction of emotional distress, and alleged that their conduct caused his wife Leslee Sarno to lose her job. [15]
The lawsuit claimed that John and Leslee Sarno organized a September 11 attacks benefit memorial walk in 2016 [4] and that one week before the event, Jakob Fite and four members of the "White Rabbits Social Club" approached the plaintiff and demanded "$500 in protection money." [4] [15] Sarno refused to pay the money, and claimed that Fite and others subsequently cyberbullied him by creating malicious rumors on podcasts and social media frequented by other Disneyland social clubs. [4]
Sarno's lawsuit also alleged that Fite attempted to make him and his wife appear to be drug addicts by hacking into confidential medical files and publishing the medications that were prescribed to them, [15] which violated their medical confidentiality rights pursuant to HIPAA. [4] Sarno named Kaiser Foundation Health Plan as a defendant in the lawsuit, claiming that Kaiser failed to protect his medical information. [4] Sarno also named Disneyland as a defendant in the lawsuit, because it took “no steps to stop the 'White Rabbits’ malicious conduct.” [15] As a result of this dispute, John Sarno disbanded his social club, and shut down its website. Following the lawsuit, Disneyland declined to permit further memorial walks. [15]
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is an outlaw motorcycle club with a worldwide membership. Formed in San Leon, Texas, in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members and 303 chapters located in 22 countries, making it the second-largest motorcycle club in the world behind the Hells Angels.
The Outlaws Motorcycle Club, incorporated as the American Outlaws Association or its acronym, A.O.A., is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Founded in McCook, Illinois in 1935, the Outlaws MC is the oldest outlaw biker club in the world. With 441 chapters located in 43 countries, and a membership of over 3,000, the club is also the third-largest in the world, behind the Hells Angels and the Bandidos.
Club 33 comprises a number of private dining clubs located within the various Disney Parks. First opening in 1967 inside Disneyland Park, the club was modeled after numerous executive VIP lounges created by pavilion sponsors in the 1964 New York World's Fair. At the time, Club 33 was the only location within Disneyland Park to offer alcoholic beverages.
A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles. A motorcycle group can range as clubbed groups of different bikes or bikers who own same model of vehicle like the Harley Owners Group.
Pagan's Motorcycle Club, or simply the Pagans, is an outlaw motorcycle club formed by Lou Dobkin in 1957 in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The club rapidly expanded and by 1959, the Pagans, originally clad in blue denim jackets and riding Triumphs, began to evolve along the lines of the stereotypical one percenter motorcycle club.
An outlaw motorcycle club, known colloquially as a bikie gang, biker gang or motorcycle gang, is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the biker group.
A gang sign, also known as a gang signal, is a verbal or visual way gang members identify their affiliation. This can take many forms including slogans, hand signs, colored clothing and graffiti. The wearer usually favors, or is in, that particular gang. Many of these, especially slogans and hand signs, have become part of popular culture, especially in African American hip hop culture.
A cut-off, cut, kutte or battle vest and a battle jacket or patch jacket, is a jacket adorned with patches related to the wearer's subculture or general interests. Patch jackets are generally made using denim jackets or leather jackets, often times with the sleeves cut off. They are a prominent part of various subcultures including bikers, metalheads and punks. In music subcultures, they are generally worn with patches for bands which the wearer is a fan of, whereas in the biker subculture, "colours" signify the wearer's motorcycle club and their rank within it.
The Mongols Motorcycle Club, also known as the Mongol Brotherhood or Mongol Nation, is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969, the club is headquartered in Southern California. Although the Mongols' main presence lies in California, they also have chapters nationwide in 14 states and internationally in 11 countries. Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 "full-patched" members are in the club. The Mongols are the fifth-largest outlaw biker club in the world, after the Hells Angels, the Bandidos, the Outlaws and the Pagans.
There are numerous gangs in New Zealand, of varying criminality, organisation and ethnicity, including outlaw motorcycle gangs, street gangs and ethnically based gangs. A chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club was formed in Auckland in 1961, the first Hells Angels chapter outside the US. Soon after, the Mongrel Mob formed in Hastings and Wellington, developing into a predominantly Māori and Pacific Islander gang, and having the largest membership in the country. Through the 1960s and 1970s, other outlaw motorcycle clubs and ethnically based gangs formed, including another predominantly Māori gang, Black Power, which grew to rival the Mongrel Mob.
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Common nicknames for the club are the "H.A.", "Red & White", "HAMC", and "81". With a membership of over 6,000, and 467 charters in 59 countries, the HAMC is the largest "outlaw" motorcycle club in the world.
The Vagos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Green Nation, is a one percenter motorcycle club formed in 1964 in San Bernardino, California. The club's insignia is Loki, the Norse god of mischief, riding a motorcycle. Members typically wear green.
The Devils Diciples Motorcycle Club (DDMC) is an outlaw motorcycle club that was founded in Fontana, California in 1967. Such clubs are not sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and do not adhere to the AMA's rules. The club originally had six members, there is a misconception that the word "disciples" was intentionally misspelled to distance themselves from any type of religion. However, in the early days of the club, some founding members went to Mexico to have their patches made, and the misspelling was unintentional, but stuck. Their insignia is a motorcycle wheel with two tridents crossing over it. In the United States, the club has chapters in Alabama, Arizona, California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, and Ohio.
Colors are the insignia, or "patches", worn by motorcycle club members on cut-off vests to identify membership of their club and territorial location. Club patches have been worn by many different groups since the 1960s. They are regarded by many to symbolize an elite amongst motorcyclists and the style has been widely copied by other subcultures and commercialized.
Main Street, U.S.A. is the first "themed land" inside the main entrance of the many theme parks operated or licensed by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Main Street, U.S.A. is themed to resemble American small towns during the early 20th Century. In Tokyo Disneyland, it is called World Bazaar and covered by a glass Victorian-style conservatory roof to shield guests from the weather there. At Shanghai Disneyland, it is called Mickey Avenue and is orientated to help introduce visitors to Disney characters.
The Nomads Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle club in Australia with a large number of chapters and members nationwide. It was founded in Newcastle in 1968. A number of countries have motorcycle clubs called "Nomads Motorcycle Club", e.g. Australia, South Africa and Germany, and there is a Nomads gang in New Zealand.
The Bacchus Motorcycle Club (BMC) is an Outlaw motorcycle club in Canada. Founded during 1972 in Albert County, New Brunswick. Bacchus MC has since increased its influence, opening fifteen chapters in five Canadian provinces. It is currently the third largest Canadian established 1% motorcycle club.
The Loners Motorcycle Club (LMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada in 1979. It has seventeen chapters in Canada, eleven chapters in Italy, eleven in the United States. They also possess several chapters in other countries across the world. The club was established by two prominent Italian-Canadian bikers, Frank Lenti and Gennaro Raso.