A Leeds woman has been left "devastated" after a group of adults "smashed up" the 'Barbie box' she uses for kids' parties.
Karina Sheard, 34, owner of "Yorkshire's original and best" Disney princess company Where Dreams Come True - where performers dress up as popular characters - hosted a hen do recently which left one of her most important props "trashed". The 34-year-old business owner, who dresses up in all-pink like Barbie, believed the box would be used as a selfie-booth and prop at a 60 person party.
But, she later discovered the event, held in Barnsley, had over 400 people "crash" the party which soon turned into "chaos". The hen do left her worried for the future of her business and ability to make money to support her family.
Read more: Heartbreak as man hit in devastating electric bike crash dies two weeks later
Karina said: "It's just terrible and it was really shocked when I heard about it. There was supposed to be 60 people for a hen do but 400 people turned up. The venue told me that it was carnage and other companies had their props broken as well.
"Unfortunately our Barbie box is no longer usable and has to be taken out of the party packages we offer until further notice. This box is a bespoke hand made Barbie box, painted with specially mixed paint to get the perfect Barbie pink.
"This box was in one piece when we rented it out to what we thought was going to be our first adult rental. We were so excited to receive pictures to post to show adults can enjoy this beautiful piece just as much as the children do."
Karina added: "I've asked joiners to see if they can fix it. I have had to cancel all the upcoming Barbie parties - they are one of our most popular as Barbie is coming back. After the box was trashed I had to cancel a five-year-old's party."
Karina claims that when she asked the person who hired the box to pay, she was blocked, and never got her money. She added that she is also a mum-of-two and now "can't make money because of this".
Karina said this incident has made her reconsider how she will do business in the future. She added: "I'm now going to have to ask adults to put down a deposit of £100 to hire our bespoke box in the future. I'm definitely going to be more vigilant about who I hire the box out to."
The Yorkshire business owner has been to police about the incident, but she said "nothing can be done as the hirers keep changing their names". Leeds Live has contacted West Yorkshire Police for an update on the report made.
Read next:
