40 Disney Cake Fails That Definitely Don’t Bring The Magic

Almost every kid around the world dreams of throwing an amazing birthday party for all their friends, preferably with little to no adult supervision. And what’s the staple of a successful kids’ party? The cake, of course! Ideally, the cake should have a popular cartoon character that the kids are obsessed with at the moment. These characters come and go, but one production and entertainment company is exceptionally skilled at creating timeless children’s favorites – Disney! However, sometimes, these cartoon character cakes fail in hilarious ways. While getting a cake you did not hope for on the day of the party might cause tears, it will turn into a funny story with time. So, for your entertainment, and to some poor kid’s dismay, we compiled a collection of 40 Disney cake fails. 

Olaf

Disney’s Frozen marked a departure from Disney’s cartoon plot formula of a boy meets girl plot, where they go on to live happily ever after. It was the first story that focused on two sisters and their sibling bond. This baker also took a different path.

For the heartless ones who stopped watching kid’s movies when they grew up, Olaf is one of the sister’s friends. The real Olaf is on the left in the picture above, and the Olaf cake attempt is on the right.

Buzz Lightyear

The first Toy Story movie came out in 1995, and it was an instant classic. The masterpiece is not just a Disney creation but made in partnership with another animation giant, Pixar. The cake version of one of the characters, however…

… is far from an instant classic and masterpiece! It looks like the poor toy astronaut Buzz Lightyear flew a little too close to the sun. The smile gives us the creeps! We hope the kid wasn’t traumatized by the cake.

Lightning McQueen

Bright red is a rare color in sweets. Red velvet cupcakes are not really a bright shade of red but are closer to the shade of wine. We understand how hard it is for bakers to achieve this rare color.

But, what exactly is this? This is supposed to be Montgomery “Lightning” McQueen from Cars. However, it looks like this cupcake version of Lighting is melting, and the character is contemplating his imminent demise! Also, is this a sweet or a savory dessert?

Belle

There’s a big debate about beauty standards in our society. Disney’s characters are a part of it as they also set some profound aspirational beauty goals that are mostly unattainable. But they are cartoon characters, so it makes sense the look is hard to replicate.

This baker is fighting the unrealistic cartoon beauty standard and the patriarchy! Either that or they are really bad at their job, and they made a poor kid cry for no reason. Oh, cake version of Belle. You are a beauty of a beast?

Ariel

Another modern debate is maximalism vs. minimalism. Most abandoned minimalist trends from the last decade opted to fulfill their childhood fantasies of owning a colorful home. This baker either did not get that memo or was following an old trend.

The only thing that can justify this cake decoration would be if the kid wanted to decorate their own cake! Minimalist Ariel is not a vibe. This Little Mermaid on the right can stay under the sea. Ursula, stay away.

Crossover episode

Sometimes, kids can’t choose their favorite character. Who can blame them when there are so many iconic ones? Especially the Disney princesses. They often “collab” on Disney merchandise which usually comes in a bundle. And what’s a princess without a castle?

Maybe the princesses can ditch these castles. What are these? Are they overgrown magic mushrooms or something more… adult that should not be on a cake for kids? Disney cakes and NSFW content rarely mix, but there is something for everyone on the Internet!

Rapunzel

Moving on with the theme of failed castles, here’s another one. The last one had plastic princesses on it, which made it safer to eat, but this one contains not only a failed castle but a princess with a full head of hair!

Rapunzel’s hair is iconic. It’s what gets her out of the castle, away from her captors, and enables her to pursue the life she ultimately desires. But should a synthetic replication of her hair be a part of the party menu?

Chewbacca

Star Wars was a popular franchise even before Disney purchased it from Lucasfilm in 2012. Chewbacca is one of the main characters and probably the safest choice for merchandise and baking. The character is fully covered in brown fur.

His hair can easily be made edible, in theory, but this baker did not see the creative vision and potential. Brown fur can be made into edible fondant or from chocolate! This baker had different ideas. Is this an owl or Chewbacca?

Elsa

Ok, we have already seen a cartoon cast member from Frozen here before. Actually, one of our first failed cakes. This one, figuratively speaking, takes the cake! It’s the main character that got botched. Poor Elsa went from a princess to whatever this is!

We can’t decide if she looks like she had a few rough nights or if she just slid down the evolutionary ladder. In any case, she doesn’t look like herself at all. Again, we really want to see the reference picture!

Hannah Montana

These hilarious failed cakes mainly included cartoon characters so far. But that’s not all in the Disney repertoire. Disney also made some iconic sitcoms featuring kids themselves, too! These child actors became synonymous with the brand and, therefore, iconic.

By now, you know that these cakes are ultimately fails. If you can’t tell who this is, this is Hannah Montana! The wig and the eyes are there—a little scary, but there. But let’s talk about those teeth. What happened?

Elsa

Frozen characters are really popular on this list. It’s not surprising as it was the biggest hit in the last decade. It continued its box office domination well into this decade, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time. 

All-time we said! So, it’s no surprise many kids are ordering characters from this film on their cakes. What is surprising is what the bakeries or amateur bakers are delivering. Final verdict – buttercream is not the best way to paint a face. 

Cinderella

This Cinderella lost more than her shoe! It seems like she also lost a bet and either got some seriously disastrous plastic surgery or agreed to some wonky makeup look as a dare. Either way, Cinderella got lost somewhere.

We hope Prince Charming will find his beloved princess. Well, mainly that he will be able to recognize her when he sees her! Jokes aside, what pattern or picture was this baker using for reference? Let’s hope it’s their artistic expression.

Elsa, again

Here we go again with another Elsa cake. Well, if you have been following so far, it’s actually not a real Elsa cake but an attempt at it. Buttercream is involved, but it does not excuse the expected outcome because the face seems to be fondant.

To make matters worse, the cake is not even shaped normally. It almost looks like it consists of multiple cupcakes mushed together. But, where would the fondant come from? We also can’t tell where Elsa’s face ends, and hair begins.

Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse is the one that started the Disney empire. The character is iconic, and its simplest, most recognizable version is easy to replicate. After all, the simplest version is just three circles, one big and two small ones. 

For a professional baker, three circles should be easy peasy lemon squeezy. Not for this baker, though! It looks like they tried to bake Mickey from a heart-shaped cake mold. First, his mouth turned out creepy, and second, his eyelashes are detached.

Minions

Oh Lord, this cake might be the worst so far. Other cakes looked like botched plastic surgery jobs, but this one goes one step further. It honestly looks like a crime scene! Minions might be a movie about an attempt at world domination…

…but we don’t remember a cartoon version of it being so violent. One of the Minion’s eyes is melting, and the other one looks way too pleased about the whole crime scene. We don’t even want to ask about their arms and legs!

Rapunzel

Here’s another beloved recurring character on this list. The last time we had Rapunzel on the list, her hair was in the way of the cake. This time, the baker did not use the doll with synthetic hair, thankfully!

They use a more cake-friendly version with plastic hair. However, this did not save the cake. While it’s definitely not the biggest disaster on this list, it seems like a last-minute job, like someone remembered they need to make a cake 15 minutes before guests arrive.

Tinker Bell

We are trying to describe this cake and find possible reasons for this outcome. What paths lead one to make this cake? How does one end up in the cake business with such an astounding lack of skill? Look below if you don’t believe us.

So many questions, and not even one answer! This was supposed to be Tinker Bell from the classic Peter Pan. Our minds are blank, and we are just in pure shock. This must be a joke between friends! Right? It can’t be real.

Ariel and co 

Ok, speaking of things that look nothing, and we mean nothing, like the original. Here’s another failed cake. Not only is Ariel looking like she’s melting into the rocks and the sea, but her buddy Flounder looks like he is merging with her!

See for yourself above. Is this another crime scene on our hands? Maybe it’s some commentary on how we mistreat the world’s oceans and how it will affect whole ecosystems. We don’t know! But what we do know is that this cake is traumatizing enough to be memorable.

Ariel, again

This time on the left, we can see the first example of a buttercream drawing that actually works. However, cakes that turned out spectacularly are not what this compilation is about. So, turn your attention to the picture on the right. 

Yikes. Here’s another Little Mermaid merger. This time, it’s not Ariel and Flounder melting into each other and the rocks, but Ariel’s arm melting into her face. Maybe this cake is the closeup of the previous one. Sounds legit.

Mickey Mouse

As we mentioned previously, a simple Mickey Mouse should not be hard to make, especially for a professional! However, whoever made this cake took the phrase, “fake it until you make it,” a little too far. There’s even a bill on it.

Yikes. Someone somewhere was charged for this! And it appears to be a bakery. Even the phrasing is out of whack. Is that supposed to be happy birthday? Or happy whoever’s cake this is? So many questions. But the first question is, WHY?

Disney Princesses

In the previous Disney princesses cake, the castles were off. This time, it’s the poor princesses! At least the sign is clear – it’s a birthday cake for not one girl, but two! So, two girls were traumatized by this. 

Ok, let’s try to analyze them all. Let’s start with Belle – too much contouring, not enough blending. Ariel – botox gone wrong? Snow white – why so sad? And then… wait, who is that even? Lastly, Cinderella, duck face went out of style over a decade ago.

Snow White

Snow White hasn’t made it to this list so far, and we are already halfway through it. Apparently, it’s hard to mess up the first Disney princess! She’s been around for the longest time, after all. Well, so has Mickey.

The sign is clear again. Luckily, this cake did not harm any kids but an adult. Well, Amanda has a story and a half for her 22nd birthday. It’s not the worst cake here, but the face looks like it was inspired by E.T. 

Tinker Bell

The previous Tinker Bell on the list seems to be closely related to this one. And they are both not related at all to the original Tinker Bell! The last Tinker Bell looked like a Simpsons caricature gone wrong. This one…

… looks like a Pixar mom gone wrong, plus she has lasers coming out of her eyes or something. Pixar moms are famous for their broad hips, but these Tinker Bell hips don’t lie. Except to the customer, we suppose.

Winnie the Pooh

This cake is really not the worst one. In fact, out of these, it might be the best. In this case, the bar for a decent-looking cake is set very low. However, the eyes are not quite there, and the placement of the candle is questionable. 

For the first time, we can’t blame the baker but the immature adult who had ideas of their own when it came to putting the candle on the cake. Really? You had one job! We could have let the weird nose and the eyes slide.

Cinderella, again

It seems like some bakers can’t quite replicate the timeless beauty of Cinderella. As we’ve seen before, it can get messy, to say the least. They did not make this failed cake from buttercream, which somehow makes the outcome even worse.

There are some classic Cinderella features, but the face and the hair are not quite there. Moreover, what’s happening with that neck? Is this cake some example of a first human-giraffe hybrid? Well, anything is possible in cartoons (and baking).

Frozen?

Disney’s biggest box office hit, Frozen, is quite popular, as we’ve seen and said before. But this cake is a first. It’s simply inspired by the movie. Whoever made it also made the bold decision not to put any characters on it.

While this is definitely not the worst cake we’ve seen on the list, it is the weirdest. A cartoon-themed cake without any characters? It just seems off. The shards of sugar look like they could be used as weapons. Yikes. 

Belle

The last Belle looked like a crazy distant cousin of a character from Bob’s Burgers. This one can’t be compared to a different cartoon. The only thing we can think of is that this is Belle if she was flattened with…

… an iron! This must have been traumatizing and would explain the panda eyes. Well, wouldn’t you be tired if you were recovering from being flattened completely? Jokes aside, we hope Emma had a backup cake or a good sense of humor. 

Minion

The previous Minions cake looked like a legit crime scene where one Minion melted the other Minion’s eyes. Also, someone chopped their limbs off. Well, for the sake of comedy, we are merging the two stories into one. What happened…

… was that the melted eyes Minion got his revenge and melted the other Minion’s face. In the process, the melted face Minion was so stunned that he lost all ability to speak, so his mouth is gone now, along with the hair.

Elmo

This Elmo cake is an honorary mention because Disney does not own Sesame Street. Moving on with the previous theme of Minion’s crime scenes, it seems like after the two Minions ended their feud, they moved on to poor Elmo.

Do you have any other explanations? Because that Elmo cake looks like a crime scene. It’s criminal to charge someone any amount of money for that. The only person that needs to be paid is the therapist after the recipient receives this cake. 

The Hulk

Hulk mad! Well, in this case, the Hulk is surprised, and so are we. Instead of looking fierce or, as his nickname goes, incredible, this take on the Hulk resembles the surprised Pikachu meme more than anything. Was that the reference?

It seems like the picture on the left was sent in for reference, which makes the outcome even more puzzling. It’s not even a round cake! Whatever this shape is, it’s more challenging to make than round! Unless the head is all buttercream.

Spider-Man

Where do we even start with this one? At first glance, we thought the thing on the right was a picture painted on sugar paper and wondered why they didn’t just place it over the cake instead of whatever that is.

However, that’s just the first glance. The thing on the right is a pillow that was probably used for reference. So, there are absolutely no excuses for this cake! Unless it’s the homemade attempt of a two-year-old. Then, it looks brilliant.

SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants is another honorary mention because it’s not a Disney character, but this cake was so disastrous that it could not be skipped on the list. Oh boy, where do we start? Maybe it’s for the best if you see it yourself first.

Ok, let’s unpack this nightmare. A part of his head looks like sponge horns? His eyes are completely melted, and it appears there is even a third eye on the platter. What? And the clothes, oh my goodness, the clothes!

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ok, now back to the characters owned by Disney. This cake must be a joke! What gives it away is what’s written on it. Some of these cakes are disasters and fails on the side of the baker, but we think this one is intentional.

“Gotta go fast” is a catchphrase associated with the meme based on bad drawings of Sonic the Hedgehog. This person made a one-of-a-kind meme cake! So, good job on being a funny and caring friend or parent. We commend the effort.

Tinker Bell

Oh boy, here’s another Tinker Bell. From what we’ve seen, it seems to be the character most bakers on this list struggle with. Why do they even take on these jobs? Well, if they didn’t, we wouldn’t be laughing our butts off right now!

This Tinker Bell is just beyond words. Her head is so oversized, and her main feature is being tiny! How did this monstrosity happen? Not only are her proportions ridiculously wrong, but what is that hunch on her back? Yikes.

Hannah Montana

The last time we had Hannah Montana here, the child star with two lives, her face was botched beyond recognition. Whoever made the cake this time played it safe. They printed her face and did not bother trying to draw it.

However, they took many liberties with how they represented her body in cake form. Maybe it’s the angle in this picture, but her printed head looks so tiny on this giant body. Disney fashion would never approve of this.

Nemo

Nemo might be the star of his self-titled movie, but the star of this cake is Bruce, the shark from Finding Nemo. The idea of this cake was probably to make him look scary, like he is chasing Nemo and Dory.

Instead, they all look very confused. In fairness, it seems like Bruce suffered an injury that probably dampens his ability to frighten and increases his ability to confuse. Also, they must not like being far from water, just our opinion.

Tinker Bell

Oh boy, every time we see a Tinker Bell cake, we know we are in for a treat. This Tinker Bell looks like the reference picture was a snapshot of a fully grown woman cosplaying and looks nothing like a cartoon character!

The cake Tinker Bell already has curves, wrinkles, and bags under their eyes. Maybe this was not a kids’ cake but a cake for an adult fan. We can only hope because those wings look like a disaster waiting to happen.

Yoda

This cake sort of looks like Yoda. Well, it looks like Yoda if you took something that didn’t make you see straight, and then you try to make a Yoda cake based on a poster you saw under the influence. See for yourself below.

It looks like that’s the story, doesn’t it? We can’t think of any other explanations. The colors are stunning, but they do not seem very appropriate for a kids’ party. We can’t imagine a kid appreciating pop art or neon.

Cinderella cookie?

Here we are. Last but not least. We’ve seen some crime scenes, some loose interpretations of the character’s facial features, and now we have… drumroll… a gingerbread princess candy hybrid. From the looks of it, it appears the bakery had…

… a lot of spare materials, and they just decided to make whatever this is. The logic was that they had these Disney princess candies gingerbread cookies from the day before and boom! Merger. Anyway, tell us. What’s your favorite cake disaster?