‘Single Rider’ Disney Adults Now Have Their Own Dating App
The world of Disney Adults just got a whole lot more romantic… or weird, depending on your view.
meunierd | Alliance Images | Shutterstock Few pop culture phenomena have been quite as divisive in recent years as "Disney Adults," the grown men and women who are absolutely obsessed with all things Disney. To them, it's a whimsical hobby that recalls the best parts of childhood. To others, the idea of adults being THIS into kids' stuff is, well, a little odd to say the least.
Basically, when it comes to being a Disney Adult, you either get it or you don't, and one Disney fan has taken on a project to help these nostalgic Mouse-loving types not only find each other but maybe find love with an app made just for them.
Disney Adults now have their own dating app, 'Single Rider.'
In Disney Adult parlance, "single rider" refers to those who love Disney so much they even venture into the brand's iconic theme parks flying solo. I have a "single rider" Disney Adult friend, for example, whose favorite after-work activity is to pull out her yearly pass and pop into Disneyland for a corn dog and a spin on Space Mountain the way the rest of us hit a bar for Happy Hour. It's her thing, and it makes her happy, and I do not (audibly) judge!
TikToker and app developer @joethebeardednerd seems to be of a similar ilk. And when he recently found his own love life hitting the rocks, he got a brilliant idea tailor-made for people like him: A dating app for Disney Adults looking to change their "single rider" status into a Belle and the Beast, Aladdin and Jasmine style Disney life.
He got the idea after being stood up on a date and heading to Disney instead.
In a video, Joe described how the inspiration struck him for the "Single Rider" app. "Two years ago I got stood up on a date and did what any other Orlando local does and I went to Disney [World]," he said. "And I realized that we needed a Disney adult dating app."
Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons | Canva Pro
So he linked up with a similarly tech-savvy friend, and they went on the hunt for collaborators to make the idea a reality. Two years later, they're on the brink of launching the endeavor. "We're doing it," he said. "We're definitely coming along."
Joe went on to say that he and his collaborators are hoping to open the app up for beta testing by year's end, so you "single riders" may get a chance to try your luck at finding the Ariel to your Prince Eric within the next couple of months.
'Single Rider' is also going to be for Disney Adults and other theme park enthusiasts looking for friends.
Now, if you're a "single rider" Disney Adult who's already betrothed to a non-Disney Adult, don't despair: Single Rider is for you, too. Joe said that the app he's building will have "a dating side and a friendship side… for people that wanna go to Disney but don't have anybody to go with or just wanna make friends that also like going to Disney," similarly to apps like Bumble.
And if Disney isn't your thing, but theme parks in general are? Joe said the app will also be for theme park lovers in general, so roller coaster enthusiasts or "thoosies" as I've just learned they call themselves, looking to link up for a romantic ride on their favorite "head chopper" are in luck, too.
So if this sort of thing is your cup of tea, or Dole Whip, as it were, Joe is actively soliciting ideas for features on the app. Disney Adults have had all kinds of input, from being able to filter each other by political affiliation to a location-based function that will help single riders find each other in real time while visiting the parks.
For those of us who admittedly… don't get the whole Disney Adult thing (I am just being honest!) it's easy to see this as a little weird, but the truth is: Community has never been harder to find these days, and an app like Single Rider just may help people find each other, which is pretty fantastic. And to that end, Joe, in case you're reading, my aforementioned "single rider" friend IS available if you're still on the hunt for a riding partner.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
