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Today, Toontown rewritten has more than 2 million registered users, with an average of 50,000 monthly users and 10,000 daily users. Ziolkowski, now 26 and a professional game designer, is still part of the team of volunteers who maintain the game and Toontown living and growing community.
A Disney spokesman declined to comment.
U Toontown rewritten the team knows they are operating in murky waters. Without a license agreement from Disney, 11 years of hard work could be shut down in any minute by a Disney lawyer. That is why they have taken many steps to try to circumvent any concerns that the Mouse House would have, including the foundation of a non-profit organization to oversee the game; make the game free to play; relinquishment of advertising revenue; remove NPCs of Disney characters such as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck; and implement a robust content moderation system to protect young players.
“We try not to mess with their brand,” says Elizabeth Reedy, head of creative media TTR. “Let’s not hit the bear.”
These volunteers don’t just donate their time. Toons of the World, the non-profit behind it Toontown rewrittenis funded entirely by volunteer donations. The server costs only for TTR it amounted to nearly $17,000 in 2023, according to tax filings. The remaining expenses for Toons of the World — which total about $22,000 — go toward hosting in-person fan conventions and running an online museum dedicated to preserving the history of the original MMO.
“Games and communities always die whenever they’re closed,” says Maya Cohen, art director for TTR which was part of the early revival efforts. “Although I’m not sure, I like to imagine that when the people at Disney look at us, maybe it warms their hearts to see the impact that their project had on their actors and how they keep it alive. for so long.”
“Don’t Let Company Grind You”
Toontown Online is widely considered the first massively multiplayer online game designed for families. The brainchild of game designer Jesse Schell, it was launched in 2003 and was inspired by the Toontown of Who Caught Roger Rabbit and Duckburg, the fictional hometown of Donald, Daisy and Uncle Scrooge created by artist Carl Barks.
In the game, the players (customizable animals, cartoons called “Toons”) are confronted with the world of Toontown which is taken over by business robots, who live in the streets and take over the shops with their dirty corporate offices and sad To fight back, the Toons work together to complete tasks and use silly gags like cream pies and seltzer bottles to defeat the bad guys and take back their town.
