now, 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 a team of volunteers who maintain the game and Toontown the community is alive and growing.
A spokesman for Disney declined to comment.
The Toontown Rewritten The team knew they were operating in murky waters. Without a licensing agreement from Disney, 11 years of hard work could be shut down at any minute by a Disney lawyer. That's why they took extensive measures to try to avoid any Mouse House concerns, including establishing a nonprofit organization to oversee the game; makes the game free to play; removal of advertising revenue; removal of NPCs of Disney characters such as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald Duck; and implementing a robust content moderation system to protect young players.
“We try not to mess with their brand,” said Elizabeth Reedy, head of creative media TTR. “We try not to poke the bear.”
These volunteers aren't just giving their time, either. Toons of the World, the nonprofit behind it Toontown Rewrittenis funded entirely through voluntary donations. The server costs alone for TTR reach nearly $17,000 in 2023, according to tax filings. The remaining costs for Toons of the World—which total $22,000—go toward hosting an in-person fan convention and operating an online museum dedicated to preserving the history of the original MMO.
“Games and communities die all the time whenever they're closed,” said Maya Cohen, an art director for TTR which was part of the early revival efforts. “Even if I don't know, I'd like to think that when the people at Disney look at us, maybe it warms their hearts to see the impact their project has had on its players and how they've kept it alive for so long.”
“Don't Let the Corporation Grind You”
Toontown Online is largely considered the first massively multiplayer online game designed for families. The brainchild of game designer Jesse Schell, it first launched in 2003 and was inspired by the Toontown of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Duckburg, the fictional town of Donald, Daisy, and Uncle Scrooge created by artist Carl Barks.
In the game, players (customizable, cartoon animals called “Toons”) face the world of Toontown taken over by business robots, who hide in the streets and take over stores with their ugly , sad corporate offices. To fight back, Toons work together to complete tasks and use silly gags like cream pies and seltzer bottles to defeat the baddies and take back their town.
