Hiroshima protest at Disneyland proves it is a "Small World" afterall

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A sooty doll was sneaked into Disneyland's Small World exhibit as a protest against the massive
 military budget of the United States. and to mark first use of the atomic bomb.

A small, ash-covered doll holding a "Remember Hiroshima" sign was recently placed inside Disneyland's "It's a Small World" ride as a form of protest.

The purpose of the jarring protest, according to Cohen and the Up In Arms campaign, which he spearheads, was to draw attention to the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing that occurred on Aug. 6, 1945 and to protest unchecked Pentagon spending, Ad Age reports.

This brief protest action, which occurred on Sunday, August 3 was led by Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, and organized by the agency DCX Growth Accelerator. The jarring sight of the sooted doll contrasted with the upbeat song with its positive message that plays through the exhibit in a number of languages.

“The whole idea of the small world exhibit is that it’s a small world after all,” Cohen said. “You got all the children from the different countries around the world being together, loving each other. And we put a doll in there that says, ‘Remember Hiroshima.’ I mean, that’s what was supposed to happen after the bomb in Hiroshima. We were supposed to remember what we did there and say, ‘Never again.’ And we’ve, we’ve ignored that.”

August 6 marked the anniversary of the United States’ atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. It was followed by the Nagasaki bombing on August 9. The attacks killed between 150,000 and 246,000 people.

With the familiar "Its A Small World, Afterall" song in the background, the 3-foot doll was positioned near the Japan exhibit within the ride and was intended to spark a conversation about the impact of war on children.

As images and videos of the doll began flooding throughout social media that went viral, TikTok user mamahuahua revealed herself as the Disneyland visitor who had brought it into the park and placed it in the exhibit. Her Tik Tok account shows her toting putting the makeup on the doll and carting it through Disneyland to the Small World exhibit.

"The CURRENT, already-built U.S. nuclear arsenal can kill everybody in the world several times over," she stated on her acount.

"And yet our government is planning on spending ~$2 trillion~ on a whole new arsenal. Ummm $2 trillion!? And we don’t have money for healthcare and homelessness and education!?!?!

"We can build a world that actually looks more like the utopia in It’s a Small World — a world made for children, not for war," she posted.

DCX founder Doug Cameron, accompanied by his young daughter, was responsible for placing the doll and was subsequently detained by Disney security and banned for life from Disneyland. The incident garnered significant attention, with reports appearing in outlets like Politico, Fox News, and Ad Age.

While Ben & Jerry's has a history of political and social justice activism, this specific act was a personal initiative by Cohen and the Up In Arms campaign, and definitely not a collaboration with Disney.

The sooty doll, set against the colorful backdrop of “It’s a Small World,” was intended to spark debate on what war does to children.

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The Hiroshima doll was quickly removed from the Small World ride.

A Disneyland spokesperson told Fox that a Cast Member quickly removed the doll from “it’s a small world” and reminded the guest who placed it — mamahuahua — of park rules. The spokesperson said the guest then left without incident.

The protest did spark a lot of pro and con commentary on social media, many critical of the protest in Disneyland, where it might offend some of the children there for amusement. Others saw the demonstration as an anti-US act by defending the use of the atomic bomb.

Still, some visitors and online commenters resonated with the "Remember Hiroshima" message, seeing it as a poignant reminder of the horrors of war and the importance of peace.

“Americans are compassionate,” Cohen said. “We don’t want to kill families just like ours in other countries, we just want a good life for ourselves and our kids. People want a decent place to live that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, good schools, affordable childcare, but they say there’s not enough money, and what they don’t say is that they’re spending it all on preparing to kill literally millions of people around the world.”

Cohen said he is just beginning a four-year campaign protesting the US military budget in an effort to get the funds “toward the things that people really want.” For Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), the US Department of Defense (DoD) budget request is $961.6 billion, including discretionary and mandatory funding.

The activist Ben & Jerry founder launched the Up in Arms campaign in June with a sculpture in Washington, D.C., representing the $100 billion the US has spent on nuclear weapons.

“If we take half the money budgeted for the Pentagon and invested in the things people need and want, the American Dream can become a reality again,” Cohen said told Common Dreams. He also was temporarily detained earlier this year for interrupting a Senate hearing on the military budget.

"There will be no peace, there will be no security, until we start using our resources to provide for the needs of our people at home and around the world," Cohen said at the kick-off event inJune. "And we have the money to do it, at no additional taxpayer expense. If we take half the money budgeted for the Pentagon and invested in the things people need and want, the American Dream can become a reality again."

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