Peek at PassPorter's Disney Character Yearbook

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

PassPorter’s® Disney Character Yearbook Finding, Meeting, Photographing, and Autographing Our Disney Friends at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise Line

by Jennifer Marx, Dave Marx, Chad Larner, and Nicole Larner 2007 by PassPorter Travel Press, an imprint of MediaMarx, Inc.

©

P.O. Box 3880, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 • 877-929-3273 Visit us on the World Wide Web at http://www.passporter.com PassPorter® is a registered trademark of MediaMarx, Inc. Photographs MediaMarx, Inc., unless otherwise noted.

©

PassPorter’s® Disney Character Yearbook is not affiliated with, authorized or endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with The Walt Disney Company, Disney Enterprises, Inc., or any of their affiliates.

While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in this book, the passage of time will always bring changes, and consequently, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors that may occur. The authors and publisher of this book shall not be held liable for any information (valid or invalid) presented here and do not represent The Walt Disney Company.

Walt Disney World®, Disneyland®, and Disney Cruise Line® are a registered trademarks of The Walt Disney Company. This book makes reference to various Disney copyrighted characters, trademarks, marks, and registered marks owned by The Walt Disney Company, Disney Enterprises, Inc., and other trademark owners. The use in this guide of trademarked names and images is strictly for editorial purposes, and no commercial claim to their use, or suggestion of sponsorship or endorsement, is made by the authors or publisher. Those words or terms that the authors and publisher have reason to believe are trademarks are designated as such by the use of initial capitalization, where appropriate. However, no attempt has been made to identify or designate all words or terms to which trademark or other proprietary rights may exist. Nothing contained herein is intended to express a judgment on, or affect the validity of legal status of, any word or term as a trademark, service mark, or other proprietary mark.

PassPorter’s® Disney Character Yearbook is authored by Jennifer Marx, Dave Marx, Chad Larner, and Nicole Larner. The information presented is for entertainment purposes. Any stated opinions are ours alone, unless otherwise noted, and do not represent The Walt Disney Company or anyone else. Materials submitted and credited by persons other than ourselves are used here with their permission, and any associated rights belong to them.

Any and all written messages, suggestions, ideas, or other information shared with the author in response to this guide shall be deemed and shall remain the property of PassPorter Travel Press.

Special Sales: PassPorter Travel Press publications are available at special discounts for bulk purchases for sales premiums or promotions. Special editions, including personalized covers and excerpts of existing guides, can be created in large quantities. For information, write to Special Sales, P.O. Box 3880, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48106.

Resale of this guide is strictly prohibited without the copyright holder’s permission. If you purchased this publication from someone other than PassPorter Travel Press, please call 877-929-3273.

ISBN-13: 978-1-58771-059-9 ISBN-10: 1-58771-059-5 Version 1.1 (7/7/2007)

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All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act.

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

PassPorter’s® Disney Character Yearbook Authored by Jennifer Marx, Dave Marx, Chad Larner, and Nicole Larner

PassPorter Travel Press An imprint of MediaMarx, Inc. P.O. Box 3880, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 877-WAYFARER http://www.passporter.com

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

Using the Yearbook Unlike other e-books you may have seen in the past, this e-book was created to look the same as a regular print guidebook ... but with added features and interactivity! Here are some tips on making the most of this e-book: Bookmarks We’ve bookmarked each section and character so you can go right to the place that interests you. Look for the Bookmark section in Adobe Acrobat, which will act as a sort of electronic table of contents.

Printing We’ve carefully formatted this document so it can be printed easily. There are a variety of ways to do it, depending on your needs. Here are the details: Simple Print—Just press the Print button or select Print from your File menu while you’re in Adobe Acrobat. What you see is what you get.

Print for PassPorter—To print this e-book so it can be placed into your deluxe PassPorter, you’ll want to be sure that the pages print at the correct size (5.5” wide by 8.5” tall) and back-to-back. This can be tricky. To print pages at the right size, bring up your Print settings in Adobe Acrobat and look for a “Page Scaling” option—make sure it is either turned off or set at “None.” To print pages back-to-back (on both sides of the sheet of paper), print only the odd pages of the book, take those pages and place them back in the printer, and then print the even pages of the book.

This may take some time to get just right. Once the pages are printed, trim them to 5.5” x 8.5” and then use a hole punch to punch out the six marked holes (for insertion in a deluxe binder) or trim the pages on the dotted line (to insert them in the PassPocket of a spiral edition).

Print and Bind—If you want this book printed and bound for you, there are several options. Print(fu) will take a PDF and turn it into a printed book for you—this book will cost roughly $6 plus shipping. For details, visit http://www.printfu.org. Another option is Kinko’s, which will print a PDF file sent to them electronically—you then pick it up in your local store. For details, visit http://www.kinkos.com.

If you have problems printing in Adobe Acrobat Reader, visit this web page for tips: http://www.adobe.com/support/products/acrreader.html.

Sharing We know it is tempting to simply e-mail this file to a friend or family member, but we encourage you to instead send them to a link to purchase the book. Without support, we won’t be able to keep this e-book updated or produce future e-books. Here’s the link you can give others: http://www.passporter.com/disney-character-yearbook.asp.

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Hyperlinks We’ve created clickable hyperlinks for every web address in this book. Just click and you’ll instantly be connected to the particular web site (assuming you’re online).

PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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Table of Contents About the Disney Character Yearbook ...........................................................6 Finding the Characters ........................................................................................8

Finding Characters at Walt Disney World and Disneyland ........................................................ 9 Finding Characters on the Disney Cruise Line .........................................................................12

Meeting the Characters .................................................................................... 13 Character Meeting Etiquette..................................................................................................... 14 Character Meal Etiquette ...........................................................................................................15

Photographing the Characters........................................................................ 16

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Character Photo Tips ...............................................................................................................17

Autographing by Characters .......................................................................... 19 Collecting the Characters ................................................................................ 22 PassPorter Readers’ Character Tips ..............................................................23 Introducing the Characters ..............................................................................29 Disney Character Profiles (organized alphabetically by name) ................... 30 Personalizable Autograph Book Pages....................................................... 239 Coupons, editions, registration, updates, etc. ............................................ 262

Thanks and Credits

A special thanks to these folks “behind the scenes” at PassPorter Travel Press: Publishers: Jennifer and Dave Marx Office Managers: Nicole Larner and Chad Larner Online Coordinator and Newsletter Editor: Sara Varney Proofreader: Sandy Livingston A special thank you to our PassPorter readers for uploading their wonderful character photos and sharing their tips! We particularly wish to thank these PassPorter message board members: Anna M, ashbee, bradk, carters_mom, Colexis Mom, DawnDenise, Disney Franatic, doctorhead, duck addict, DyanKJ130, eleventhletter, GinaButtrfly, Grumpytiggernomore, jenblondie, jpod523, maggieworkman, marisag, mattnkatsmum, mattjs, mestitch, Minniemouse27, Mrs Grumpy, QueenMum, Shell_of_the_South, statelady01, SWOOPERDO, tigger22, and vacation1.

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About the Disney Character Yearbook

This e-book follows the same tradition as a great yearbook. We’ve managed to document nearly every “graduating senior” (character) you’re likely and unlikely to come across at Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort (California), and on the ships of the Disney Cruise Line. You’ll learn inside dish on the most popular characters and (finally) know just who some of those unrecognized personalities are.

Think of the pages in this yearbook as the characters’ “Senior Profiles.”

We tell you who the character is, what he/she wears, list his/her friends, foes, likes, dislikes, favorite sayings (or things you might say to them), favorite hangouts, and estimate how often he/she will “attend school” (be available to find). We all know how folks like to inscribe their autograph near their yearbook photo, but that’s not always easy to do when you’re a character. The empty pages of an autograph book are better-suited to big, furry paws, so we’ve put an entire autographing section at the back of this yearbook (and since this is an e-book, you can print as many of those pages as you think you’ll need).

As it was with the big kids on campus, you don’t always get a chance to meet these characters one-on-one. Sometimes a glimpse of the rich and famous is all you can manage, so we’ve not only listed meet-and-greet locations, but also attractions, parades, and shows in which a character appears. These can still be great photo opportunities—and a great way to fill in the photo box that’s part of each character’s profile (didn’t you always want to be a yearbook photographer?). Naturally, the photo box and the autograph pages help make this book a great keepsake as well as a reference.

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We probably all have at least one school yearbook tucked away on a bookshelf. While those yearbooks certainly preserve many memories, they also do a fabulous job of cataloging all the people and events that populated our school years. As graduation day neared, we all prowled the halls with our yearbooks’ help, making sure we collected the autograph of nearly every student, teacher, and school staff member immortalized in the book (or at least, of those who mattered the most to us).

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About the Disney Character Yearbook (continued)

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What we can’t do, under any circumstances, is provide pictures of Disney’s characters. Disney is understandably very protective of its celebrities. It’s very difficult (and potentially expensive) to obtain Disney’s permission to publish books that depict their characters, so we have to leave the picture taking to you (Disney seems to be OK with the photos you take for personal use). However, we did provide some links to photos you can find on the web—mostly uploaded by our own PassPorter readers over the years—so you’ll be sure to recognize even the most obscure characters when you see them in person.

Now, before you start writing to us to tell us we left someone out ... we are intentionally limiting ourselves to “live” characters. Characters that appear only as Audio-Animatronics, illustrations, or on film/video don’t count (well, they definitely count, but not for the purposes of this book). We did make a couple of exceptions, but only for special cases or unique experiences. For that matter, new characters seem to arrive in the parks (sometimes for a very brief visit) whenever a new Disney or Pixar film opens or new programs debut on the Disney Channel.

Please, don’t expect us to have the psychic powers of Madame Leota.

Fortunately, this is an e-book, so we will be updating regularly and you’ll be able to download the latest additions. To send us your reports of new and unusual characters, please e-mail ebooks@passporter.com.

We’ve designed this yearbook to be a comprehensive reference to the characters you’ll see and meet at Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, and on the Disney Cruise Line. This book will even come in handy at Disneyland Paris Resort, Tokyo Disneyland Resort, and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort—we just didn’t research the specific characters you might encounter there, and where you might find them. But then, if you’re like us, the hunt is part of the fun!

So, without further adieu, let’s show you how to find, meet, photograph, and get autographs from the characters!

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

Finding the Characters

Generally speaking, you can find characters in several settings. You can see them in person during live shows and parades. You can meet them face-to-face at “meet and greets” and character meals. Sometimes you’re limited to a photo opportunity with the character, and at other times you can also ask for the character’s autograph (but you’d better be prepared with your own autograph book and pen—more on that later).

This book, of course, is a great place to start your character search, since we include a listing of each character’s Favorite Hangouts in the profiles section later on. However, while we regularly update this book, Disney has a way of moving even faster. There are several web sites with listings of character meeting and character dining information—those may be more or less up-to-date than this e-book. One resource we can heartily recommend for Walt Disney World character information is Steve Soares Walt Disney World Entertainment site located online at http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares. Steve manages to catalog virtually every form of live entertainment occurring at the parks, and updates it on a frequent basis (although web sites are potentially easier to update than books, it doesn’t mean that the folks running a web site actually do update as frequently as they might). However, for the latest information, you have to turn directly to Disney—once you’re at the resorts or on board the ships.

Tip: We document several other Disney character sites on page 22!

Disney does a lot to help folks with this quest; more, in fact, with every passing year. All it takes is some research and planning (and you do believe in research and planning, since you have this book).

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It’s far easier to find characters when visiting Disney’s parks, resorts, and ships than it is to avoid seeing them. Even Hidden Mickeys have a way of “jumping out” at you when you least expect it. What is a bit tougher, though, is finding the characters you wish to see, when you wish to see them. We hope the tips in this e-book will help you cut right to the chase (so to speak).

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Finding Characters at Walt Disney World and Disneyland 1. Check the Times Guide Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort produce printed Times Guides for the theme parks that list many character meeting opportunities, as well as parades, live shows, and other entertainment.

Times Guides are distributed at the resort hotels, at the entrances to the theme parks, and at many shops around the parks. The Times Guides do not list every character to be found, or every location that you may find them. Rather, they’ll tell you that, for example, Toy Story characters will be found on Mickey Avenue (at Disney-MGM Studios) at certain times of the day, or when Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams tours Disneyland Park (“When is the three o’clock parade?”).

2. Check the Park Guidemaps The theme park guide maps are another primary source of information.

Refer to the maps to locate the principal character meeting locations, show locations, and parade routes. Character meeting places are marked on the map with a distinctive logo—Mickey’s white-gloved, pointing hand on a red background. Unfortunately, the maps do not identify every character meeting location, but the permanent indoor sites like the Toontown Hall of Fame at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and major outdoor sites like Sunshine Plaza at Disney’s California Adventure are noted.

3. Ask a Cast Member More detailed information can be found when you arrive at the theme park, by asking the right Disney cast members. Ask the whereabouts of particular characters, and they just may have the answer. Guest Relations, near the park entrance, is always a good place to start, as is the Tip Board found near the center of every park. Cast members there have access to the inside scoop—if they don’t have a printed listing to refer to, they can A Guest Relations phone/intercom someone who has the info. cast member There is also a large team of cast members dedicated to the character meeting experience—the character handlers.

PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

A character handler is a personal assistant who helps with the meeting and greeting, and escorts the celebrity safely through the adoring throng. Extra handlers may also be present to help manage the queue of guests.

At Walt Disney World, these handlers often wear a distinctive costume of yellow, black, and white. Their shirts and/or vests are decorated with the gloved hand logo Disney uses to identify character meeting locations on the park guide maps. Handlers are the perfect people to ask for information about character meeting opportunities—they often have very detailed information about when and where to find a specific character. Provided, of course, they aren’t already busy looking after the needs of the characters themselves.

A Disney character handler

4. Check the Favorite Hangouts All parks have at least one major character meeting area, where guests queue-up all day long to see a variety of characters. The waiting times can be deceptively long at some of these meet-and-greets (beware of those where the queue disappears inside a building), but others keep the queue and characters out in plain sight, so you can judge the wait for yourself. Beware of Toontown Hall of Fame and Mickey’s Judge’s Tent at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Epcot’s recently-opened Epcot Character Spot in Future World, and Mickey’s House at Disneyland’s Toontown—their queues can make the most patient parent wilt. DisneyMGM Studios’ Mickey Avenue, Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Camp Minnie Mickey Character Greeting Trails, Disneyland park’s Princess Fantasy Faire, and Disney’s California Adventure’s Hollywood Boulevard on the Hollywood Pictures Backlot offer much shorter, multiple queues, with lots of characters out in plain sight.

Tip: It has become more and more common for Disney to hold special character meet-and-greets when a park opens. These events are sometimes listed in the Times Guide, so you may want to check it the night before, so you know to be at the park bright and early. Some parks (particularly Disney’s Animal Kingdom) hold character meeting opportunities just outside the entrance to the park during the morning hours. What a way to get in the mood for your day’s activities!

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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5. Check Unusual Places It’s not uncommon for characters to hang out in out-of-the-way places that most people don’t visit or even know about. Here are some of these “secret” character spots: • Town Square Exposition Hall at Magic Kingdom • Back of Mickey’s Toontown Fair, near the train station (this location is also referred to as the “Toontown Teardrop” due to its shape) • International Gateway at Epcot • Streets of America at Disney-MGM Studios Tip: Characters are more likely to appear in these locations in the afternoons.

6. Do a Character Meal Disney offers many dining experiences where you can interact with characters while enjoying a meal—these are called “character meals.” These character meals are ideal for meeting characters in a more organized and Alexander takes a cool drink relaxed environment. The characters after his kiss from Princess attending the meal visit each table and Aurora at Restaurant Akershus greet guests, sign autographs, and pose for pictures. Most character meals have at least four characters mingling among the diners. Some also have a more popular character who remains in one spot of the restaurant for diners to visit on their own.

7. Attend a Special Ticket Event Special ticket events, such as the Pirate & Princess Party, Mickey’s NotSo-Scary Halloween Party, and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (at Walt Disney World) or Mickey’s Halloween Treat (at Disneyland) provide unrivalled character meeting opportunities. Characters are usually out in force for these events, including very rare characters that aren’t often seen. If you’re into characters, these are events will be well worth the money!

8. View the Parades Disney parades are overflowing with Disney characters! While you can’t pose with them for photos or get autographs, you may get great photo opportunities as they often interact with one another. We’ve noted the parades that each character appears in throughout this e-book.

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

Disney Cruise Line has its own approach to publicizing character appearances. Character appearances are listed in the daily printed Navigator distributed to all staterooms. An electronic signboard in the ships’ Atrium Lobby also lists appearances, and sessions may also be listed on one of the stateroom TV channels. If that’s not enough, you can dial 7-PALS on your stateroom phone for all the details.

Characters also pay regular visits to the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab, the children’s programming areas, and to the kids program areas on Castaway Cay. Children in those programs also appear onstage with the characters in “Celebrate the Journey,” a graduation ceremony of sorts.

For guests of all ages, characters attend deck parties, can be found wandering the ship on at-sea days, and spend time ashore on Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. Characters are part of most, if not all, stage shows (if nothing else, Captain Mickey appears to wave to the crowd).

All guests on seven-night and longer cruises are invited to a complimentary character breakfast, and most cruises end their character activities with “’Til We Meet Again,” a farewell appearance by characters and other entertainers in the Atrium Lobby at around 10:00 pm on the last night of the cruise.

Autograph hounds will do well to carry their autograph books wherever they go on the ship. While there are many autographing opportunities available on board and at Castaway Cay, it’s common to encounter “photoonly” opportunities in the Atrium Lobby (decks 3 and 4, midship) during the evenings around meal times, when crowds are particularly heavy.

The cruise line seems to have two goals in restricting those sessions to photos only—to give the maximum number of passengers an opportunity to be photographed, and to maximize the number of photos the ships’ photographers will later be able to sell.

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Finding Characters on the Disney Cruise Line The Disney Cruise Line has raised the Disney character meet-and-greet experience to new heights. In a sense, a Disney cruise is a round-theclock character meal, where any guest determined to meet characters will be in seventh heaven. Characters will be on hand to help you pass the time in the cruise terminal as you wait to board the ship, and they’ll be a readily-available presence for the rest of your voyage.

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Meeting the Characters

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You’ve found a character! Now what? First thing to do is look for the queue, or line. The queue might not be obvious, and in the excitement of spotting a character (especially with a child), it can be all too easy to accidentally cut in line. If there are no people around (other than a cast member or two), then you can rest assured there’s no line. If you see a crowd of people and no organization, chances are good that there is an informal line—stop and observe for a few minutes before meeting the character. If there’s a character handler about, ask them for help.

Before you actually meet the character, it helps to know a bit about them.

The pages of this book give you background on all the characters we know to frequent Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise Line. You may want to keep a copy of this book tucked away in a bag so you can pull it out and review it while waiting. It’ll also help to know the types of characters you’re likely to meet, as this effects your interaction with them. Here are the character types: Face characters—These characters have a real human face. Examples include all princesses (Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, etc.), most princes (Prince Eric, Prince Charming, etc.), and other characters like Kim Possible, Wendy Darling, Luke Skywalker, Cruella de Vil, etc. These characters can move their faces and speak with you.

Head characters—These characters wear formed “heads” in the shape of their character. Examples include most animals, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Chip ‘n’ Dale, the Seven Dwarfs, Buzz Lightyear, Figment, Genie, King Louie, and so on. Head characters cannot change their expression (with one exception, noted below) nor can they speak to you. They can use rudimentary sign language and body language to communicate, however. Also note that head characters have a more difficult time signing autograph books, and some simply use rubber stamps (like Buzz Lightyear) or do not sign at all (like Beast). Head characters may also be called “fur” characters, though not all have fur, of course.

Note: Some of the characters in the “Dream Along With Mickey” castle forecourt stage show at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom are able to change their expressions!

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Try also to be mindful of your fellow guests. Minnie may be a star, but try not to behave like a throng of paparazzi. And since you’ve just spent a long time standing in line, be considerate of the people who are still standing patiently in line—Cinderella may be gracious enough to give your family a dozen autographs and 18 photos in three different poses, but the folks behind you deserve a shorter wait. Remember also to avoid claiming there are actors portraying the characters where others can overhear you—you might endanger the magic for those who are waiting to meet Mickey or Peter Pan! You also can’t ask for a particular inscription—expect only the character’s “John Hancock.” Why not? Disney is likely to be concerned that the inscription may be put to an undesired use. Similarly, be sure that whatever the character autographs, it doesn’t have non-Disney images/illustrations on it—Donald isn’t going to be thrilled if you hand him a Daffy Duck autograph book (anyone who has seen “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” knows what we mean).

Every character has a “handler,” and handlers are responsible for the safety of their characters. We urge you to respect the job they have to do.

Big, furry creatures and petite princesses swathed in countless layers of crinoline tire quickly under the hot sun and intense social environment of a reception line, so when a handler says it’s time for his/her charge to take a break, please respect that. And please, don’t try to stop characters while they’re on their way to or from a meet-and-greet—they may already be late for a very important date (or cool drink of water).

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Character Meeting Etiquette Please remember that characters are people (or animals, or toys...), too.

Some may not be at all talkative (“head” characters like Mickey, Goofy, and Buzz Lightyear), but it doesn’t mean you can’t speak (politely) to them—in fact, given the chance to “speak” in pantomime, they can be quite eloquent and a whole lot of fun. So, say “Hello!” Introduce yourself, ask how they’re doing, stroke their ego, and be sure to say, “Thank you,” for the autograph, photo opportunity, and/or hug. Many characters love to joke around. That’s why we included “Overheard” in each character’s profile. These are things you might say to the character to break the ice or get a potentially entertaining response.

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Character Meal Etiquette One of the great things about a character dining experience is that you can sit down, have a good meal, and like the hosts at a wedding reception all the characters will visit your table for a few minutes. We know, there are times when you or your star-struck offspring fear you’ll be skipped over, but please resist the urge to call (or guide) the characters over to your table, and definitely refrain from pursuing the characters while they’re visiting someone else’s table. Everyone’s entitled to their private time with Disney royalty, and the characters have a very wellprepared table-hopping procedure.

If by some chance the characters do pass you by, don’t panic—it may simply be time for Princess Jasmine to take her jasmine tea break.

She’ll probably be back in a moment. If it seems you really have been neglected (it can happen), flag down your server—he/she will discretely put things right.

Sometimes the procession of characters comes hot and heavy. Be prepared! Have autograph books, pens, and cameras at the ready from the moment you sit down. Double-check your camera batteries while you’re waiting to be seated, and be sure the camera is powered-on when the character(s) come into range. Nothing breaks the spontaneity of a special hug with that special someone than Dad pleading, “Wait, wait!

The flash isn’t ready yet!”

When you see a character heading toward your table, alert your tablemates to their presence so they can swallow their food and be ready to interact. You may also want to clear unsightly items like empty plates and glasses out of the way for better photos.

“Hey, Mommy ... here comes Eeyore!”

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Disney’s photographers are more likely to be around to snap your photo since the advent of Disney’s PhotoPass service. Once you have a free PhotoPass card (available from the photographers), you’ll be able to access your photos at any Disney photo location and, even better, you, your friends, and family can access them all online when you get back home at http://www.disneyphotopass.com. PhotoPass offers all sorts of printing options, and you can even order a CD or photo book from the web site. Each time you have your photo taken, hand your PhotoPass card to the photographer. He/she will slide it through a card reader and those photos will then be stored in the same account online. It doesn’t mess things up if you use more than one PhotoPass card—as long as you hold onto all your cards you can still access your photos and group them into a single online account later on. You can even use a Disneyland PhotoPass card at Walt Disney World, and vice versa! You may not want to buy prints of any of the photos, but at least you can now make that decision at home, without the pressure of dozens of folks standing behind you in line at the theme park photo shop.

Despite the presence of official photographers at many meet and greets, it’s still very common for Disney cast members (character handlers, restaurant servers, etc.) to offer to use the guests’ cameras so that the entire family can get into the photo. We also think it’s perfectly alright to ask these non-photographers to take a photo using your camera. While we read reports that even Disney’s staff photographers have made such offers to guests, we feel it’s of questionable taste to ask one of Disney’s photography professionals to take a picture using your camera. The photographers’ livelihoods do depend on photo sales, and you may put them in an uncomfortable position by asking that they provide their services at no charge.

Under some circumstances, guests may be told that the Disney photographer must shoot first. We’re not sure why this practice is in place, but we suspect it accomplishes several things—it ensures there won’t be paparazzi-like jostling for position, and it may enhance the possibility that the Disney photographer will get the better shot, as photo opportunities often go downhill the longer people pose. In any case, this probably increases the chance that guests will buy the Disney image, rather than depend on their own.

PassPorter Deluxe: Cut, punch holes, and insert in binder.

PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

Photographing the Characters

PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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PassPorter Deluxe: Cut, punch holes, and insert in binder.

PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

Of course, most of us will be just be taking our own photos of our friends and family during the character meeting. Shutterbugs of all ages love to take photos of their loved ones and friends with the characters, and who can blame them? By all appearances, photos of characters at Disney are enough all by themselves to keep Kodak in business. While this is not a photography how-to text, we do have a few tips for making the most of your photo opportunities: 1. Be prepared! Have that camera out, turned on, and in the right mode.

If it’s an important shot, ensure you’ve got the memory space/film and batteries for the shot. While you’re waiting in line, decide on the shot’s layout and if possible, use the folks ahead of you as a practice subject.

That way, you’ll be ready to step up and start clicking from that precious moment of “first encounter.”

2. If you want a photo of the character(s) by themselves, the time to do this is as you’re approaching the character for your turn. Just let the character and/or handler know that you’d like a photo of the character.

3. Take photos of character interactions before the “pose”—during the hugs, kisses, high-fives, and general excitement. You can catch great expressions this way, and the photos are so much more interesting!

Consider also taking a photo of the character signing the autograph book—it’s fun to include this photo with the autograph itself.

4. Get down to their level. If you’re taking photos of kids with characters, kneel down to take the shot for a better perspective.

5. Get in closer. When the photographer is close to the action the photographer gets more involved with the subjects, and the result is often a better photo. Also, the flash on most cameras is only good for about 10-15 feet, so staying close to the action often means a better-lighted picture. So, resist the temptation to zoom your lens way out, and to step way back until everyone is in the shot. Zoom it to wide angle and move in until everyone fills the frame.

6. Don’t shoot too “tight.” A tightly framed shot looks great, but it can be hard to keep the shot framed as the characters and your family members move about. Leave a little extra space in the frame, and plan to crop the photo tighter later on.

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7. Don’t shoot too “long.” You generally don’t need a head-to-toes image, especially because it means facial expressions may be small and hard to see.

As long as everyone’s faces are at more or less the same height, concentrate on the upper bodies and faces, and leave the rest out of the shot.

9. Take several pictures. Pros always say that film is cheap, and now in the age of digital cameras, electrons are even cheaper. Rather than wait for the perfect shot, plan to take a lot at each encounter—snap, snap, snap.

We suggest you take at least three photos of each character meeting experience—more if you can manage it. Start snapping away as soon as it’s your turn and your photos will tell a delightful story!

10. Be fast. The longer you make folks pose, the harder it is to get a good shot. Be familiar with your camera, and be sure it’s ready to go before it’s your turn to snap.

11. Let the kids get involved. Get kids their own disposable cameras or inexpensive digital cameras, and encourage them to photograph characters, too. You may be amazed at what they see through their lens.

12.Get the photographer in the shot every so often. The photographer is often the “invisible person” of a vacation, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Try trading-off photo responsibilities at different character meets, so that everyone has a chance to be in the shot. Disney cast members often volunteer to take over the camera so the photographer can join the rest of the group, and sometimes, even strangers offer to take the shot for you. You can even help spread some of that magic by volunteering to take pictures for the folks ahead of you in line—what goes around, comes around!

13. Avoid the “paparazzi effect.” When several members of a party have cameras it’s not uncommon to see all of them lined up trying to take the same shot. Photos are easy to share, and memories are golden, so assign one photographer to each photo op, and get everyone else into the picture.

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PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

8. Watch the background. Frame your shot so the background compliments the character and avoids anything that might break the magic, like a trash can or someone’s behind. You’ll find it helps to get closer to your subject to avoid this “clutter.” Also make sure there aren’t tree branches or other unusual items behind anyone’s head that will make them sprout “horns” when the photo is viewed later.

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Autographing by Characters

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PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

Getting your favorite character’s autograph isn’t too much different than getting photographs. You need to find them, wait your turn to meet them, and make the request. To collect character’s autographs, you first need something for the character to sign. The simplest thing is a Disney autograph book, available at virtually every Disney store for $7 and up. The photograph to the left shows a kiosk in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom with a basic selection of autograph books.

A larger photo above shows the books—there were two different autograph books available, along A kiosk selling autograph books with pens available separately ($3).

All autograph books we’ve seen sold in the Disney stores are hardcover.

The small blue book is the “Official Autograph Book”—it measures 6” x 4.5” and has 50 pages. The pink book is a “Princess Photo and Autograph Book”—it has 15 plastic pockets for adding photos plus 14 blank pages for autographs. Designs change regularly, but you can always find a basic autograph book for a reasonable price. Other autograph books we’ve seen in Disney stores include a pirate theme, a Sorceror Mickey theme, and so on. Another option available in Disney stores is the blue “Disney Dream Book,” a six-ring zipper binder with autograph pages as well as photo pockets, stickers, and a pressed penny page.

If you want to get one of these autograph books before leaving home, you have several options: 1. You can call “MOM” (Mail Order Merchandise) department at Walt Disney World (407-363-6200 or e-mail: wdw.mail.order@disneyworld. com) or Disneyland (800-362-4533 or e-mail: dldelivears@disney. com). Shipping charges apply and shipping may take from 3–20 business days, depending on the method you choose.

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2. You can purchase an autograph book from “personal shopping” services that get their merchandise from the Disney parks. Expect to pay a premium for items bought through here. Good examples include these web sites: http://www.laughingplacestore.com http://www.giftsofalifetime.com/shopping.html http://stores.ebay.com/Your-WDW-Store

Another option is to buy your autograph book at one of the stores outside Disney before you enter the parks, such as Wal-Mart or a Disney outlet store. Their autograph books are usually quite inexpensive.

What about making your own autograph book? Many families do this to either create a more magical and personalized book and/or to save a bit of money. In fact, at the end of this e-book we’ve provided a template to print and assemble your own autograph book. If you prefer to make your own, keep in mind that you’ll want the autograph book big enough for characters’ large hands to hold and sign (we suggest at least 6” wide), but not so big that it’ll be hard to carry or flop about while signing. You’ll also need a hard surface, like a very thick piece of cardboard behind the pages—the characters will need this firm surface to sign well. Finally, you’ll want to keep the pages bound together in some way—you could punch holes along one side of the sheets and bind them together with string, yarn, or ribbon. Or take the pages to a store like Kinko’s to get them spiral bound.

A homemade autograph book

No matter what type of autograph book you use, one thing is very important: As soon as you buy/make it, write your name and contact information in a prominent location. If your book gets lost with all your precious autographs (it happens more frequently than you might think), someone will know how to contact you to return it. We also suggest you write the date and year you purchased/created your autograph book.

PassPorter Deluxe: Cut, punch holes, and insert in binder.

PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

3. Purchase a wide variety of Disney-themed (but not “official”) autograph books from these sources: http://www.disneyautographbooks.com http://search.ebay.com/disney-autograph-book

PassPorter Deluxe: Cut, punch holes, and insert in binder.

PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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Are there any alternatives to autograph books? Yes, some families prefer to purchase Disney storybooks with illustrations of Disney characters—they then have the character sign the page near their illustration. It’s also possible to have characters autograph T-shirts, hats, bags, and pillowcases, but you cannot be wearing/using these items at the time of the autograph and you must be prepared with a hard surface behind the item when it comes time to get the signature. There An autographed bag may also be some official Disney gift shop items that they will sign (we’re thinking in particular about a stuffed Pluto designed especially for autographing). Note, however, that characters will not autograph people—they’re not tattoo artists (no signing arms, hands, cheeks, etc.). You’ll also need to provide an appropriate writing instrument—ballpoint pens don’t work well on fabric. A fat-barrelled permanent marker (they come in a variety of colors these days) or a laundry marker are your best choice for fabrics.

Speaking of pens, bring your own fat-barrelled pen to your autographing session—many characters have very big, clumsy hands/ paws, and petite pens may slip right through all four of their fingers.

There are any number of “fat” pens available for purchase in the parks, but you can probably find something before you leave home, too. We find that the PassPorter pens (sold in PassPorter Deluxe Starter Kits and PassPorter Goodies Bags) make very good character autographing pens, too.

When you approach the character to get the autograph, have your autograph book (or the item to be autographed) out, open to the correct page, and ready to sign. Also make sure your pen is ready to write with (i.e., pen point down or cap off). Many characters prefer to autograph before posing for the photo. Don’t let this stop you from giving a hug or interacting with the character briefly, however.

Once you’ve obtained that coveted autograph, you may want to make a notation on the page with the character’s name, location, and date.

You’ll thank yourself later! Another idea is to prepare stickers of characters in advance and place them on the page with the autograph.

Save room for a photo, too!

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Collecting the Characters

Official Disney Character Gallery http://home.disney.go.com/characters/ Wikipedia’s Disney Characters http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Disney_characters D-Land Friends http://dlandfriends.com/ ToonFinder http://www.toonfinder.com Ben’s Autograph Book http://www.wdwautographs.com Ryan’s Autograph Book http://www.dim29.com/2_Disney_Autograph_Files/disneyautographbook.htm Lorenzo’s Character Photos http://community.webshots.com/user/lhuntdorta Meeko’s Character Journal http://www.geocities.com/disneygettogether/ Amber’s Character Pix http://www.kodakgallery.com/amberscharacterpix Martha’s Character Pictures http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e291/makasper/Character%20Pictures/ Disneyajb’s Character Photos http://community.webshots.com/user/disneyajb Disney Character Photos http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/photo4.html Tristan & Shea’s Walt Disney World Photo Album http://www.geocities.com/chadamycallaghan2003/disneyphotos.html Disney Characters Showcase on flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/disneycharacters/

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PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

Once you’re bitten by the Disney character bug (would that be Flik or Cri-Kee, we wonder?), you may want to start a collection. Your autograph books are the start, but why not get all your photos together and create a photo album of Disney characters? Or try to meet every Disney character listed in this book (we’ve provided a handy checkbox on each page for just that!). Some folks like to put their photos online on web pages or photo albums—this would be a fun project to do with your family! Posting your character photos to the PassPorter message boards is also fun. Here are several web sites that contain collections of Disney character photographs and information ... enjoy!

PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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PassPorter Readers’ Character Tips Here are Disney character tips submitted by our PassPorter readers over the years: “Have you ever wondered what to do with the autographs our kids collect at Disney? Well, I scan them into my computer and use them as the background for our scrapbook pages of our trip. I also made my daughter a great shirt with all the signatures. I just printed them on special T-shirt transfer paper and ironed them on! And the best part is that I can remake the shirt as she gets bigger, or if something happens to the other one!”

—contributed by Jennifer M.

PassPorter Deluxe: Cut, punch holes, and insert in binder.

PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

“We love to take our Christmas card photos under the Merry Christmas sign behind the Disney Days of Christmas Store at Downtown Disney. Statues of some of the characters are there and it makes a great Christmas card.”

—contributed by Lisa M. “Prior to traveling to Walt Disney World I printed gift tags on my computer using Disney font and attached them to small Disney gifts I had purchased near my home. Each day I was the last to leave our hotel room and I left a gift from Mickey/Goofy/Minnie/Donald to each child. Rather than be disappointed to be going to bed they were very excited (after the first night anyway) to see if the characters had visited their room with a surprise.

On our final morning they left a thank you note to the characters (which I hid away to relive the memories in years to come)!”

—contributed by Ky R. “PhotoPass is great when traveling solo! I used it during MouseFest 2006. I called home and gave my husband my PhotoPass code number, he set up an account online and then checked daily to see how my photos had turned out. Sometimes the photos would get uploaded to the PhotoPass site the same day. It was a good way for them to feel some of the magic back home while Mom had fun with her MouseFest friends. Also, if traveling with a large group like at MouseFest, write your name on your PhotoPass card with a sharpie pen. Mine got mixed up with someone else’s and when the PhotoPass was handed back to me, I got someone else’s card!”

—contributed by Janice P. “Every year my family and I visit Walt Disney world. While there I always purchase stationary. On the sly, I then have a character sign the bottom of the stationary. While my little one is asleep I will write a short note thanking her for visiting me and how I hope I will see her soon. The day we leave I mail it out. It usually arrives a day or two after we are home. My little girl gets so excited that Mickey or Goofy has taken the time to write her. She truly feels special. It is also a way to beat those post Disney Blues! We then take the letter and put it in a double frame that on the other side would host a photo of our family at the parks with that particular character. It makes a wonderful memory.”

—contributed by Tammy K. “I suggest arriving early in the day and taking the train right to Toontown Fair and getting autographs and pictures taken. Most people walk right down Main Street to get there.

I think its much faster to start from the back and work your way to the front for the parade and fireworks!”

—contributed by Tina B.

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

“Early in my trip I buy lots of postcards of the characters I like best and of various attractions throughout the park. When we find characters who are giving autographs, I ask them to sign their corresponding postcard. A friend back home loves Tigger the best, so after Tigger signs his postcard, I send it to my friend—as if Tigger is writing to her! I use the postcards of the attractions to keep a “journal” or “trip report” notes. Your PassPockets will be the perfect place to keep those postcards handy throughout the day.”

—contributed by Marnie W. “We, like most parents of young girls, took pictures of every princess and character encounter on our first trip to Disney (3 years ago). This time, we printed out all our favorite characters’ pictures, I packed them up in a plastic baggie with a thin, black sharpie marker and kept them in our backpack. Each time we stopped to get an autograph, I took out the picture from last time and had the characters autograph their photos with our children instead of a plain page in a book. The characters all commented on how much the girls had grown since the last time they saw them. It made my children feel like the princesses and others really remembered them. And It is great for scrapbooking!”

—contributed by Heather D. “We try to use the same autograph book every year. The characters date each entry, and were flattered to see we valued their signature enough to get it a second or third time.”

—contributed by Michelle S. “On our last visit to Walt Disney World, we arrived at our resort around 1:30 pm. My grandchildren were very excited and anxious to see Disney characters. Since we were all tired from the trip, we decided instead of wasting a day on our park hopper tickets, we would have dinner that night at Chef Mickey’s. It gave the kids a chance to dine with the characters and satisfied them until the next day when we actually went into the parks.”—contributed by Ruth P. “We brought with us a hardcover Disney story book featuring many of the characters.

Before we left home, we posted sticky notes with the character’s names on them with the corresponding pictures and story. Each time we met a character they were happy to sign on their picture page. Sleeping Beauty even took the time to read ‘her story’ with our son at the character breakfast. Some of the Princesses left lipstick kiss marks on the pages as well. But the best part was when we would need to wait for the parades or shows, we would take out the book and let our son choose which story he wanted us to read. It really passed the time and kept us all entertained. If it were not for the book, waiting for 30 minutes or more with a 3 year old would have been very difficult. We continue to read from the story book to him and remember all of the special moments meeting the characters.”

—contributed by Marie V.

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PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

“When I was five my family drove two days to Disney World. My mom knew this would be an awful drive if I did not have something to channel my excitement. So she gave me some colors and a note pad and told me to write notes to all of the characters that I would be seeing on our vacation. I spent time writing little notes and coloring pictures for Mickey, Minnie and the gang. Each day my mom took the notes to the park with us.

When we’d see a character, I’d give them the note. It gave me something to hunt for as we walked all over the park and the characters loved it... at least it seemed like they’d spend a little more time patting my head or taking a photo. 17 years and many trips since I still remember the joy I had seeking out and delivering my special messages.”

—contributed by Katie B.

PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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“Here is a great way to entertain toddlers and small children on the plane. It also makes for great memories. The night before we left I made my daughter a “Disney” coloring book by going to http://www.disney.com and printing out various coloring pages from their activities section. I used a three hole punch, some heavy card stock paper for a front and back cover, and some ribbon to tie everything together. I wrapped this up like a present (which ate up a few minutes of precious plane time while she tore open the package) along with some crayons. We spent a good deal of the plane ride coloring and talking all about the characters and our vacation to come.”

—contributed by Justine L.

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PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

“We purchased small backpacks, Disney T-shirts, plastic pencil boxes and an assorted pack of Sharpie markers for our children prior to our Walt Disney World trip. Each child’s backpack has a T-shirt inside of a pencil box with some Sharpie markers. They each will be ready to get Character autographs on their T-shirts. The plastic pencil boxes provide something hard for the characters to sign on and keep the shirts dry if it rains or we get soaked on the water rides. They can’t wait to wear their autographed T-shirts home and show them off.”

—contributed by Jennifer Rettler “I suggest that people take an address sticker with them to put on their PhotoPass card.

I have seen the photographers have a card in their hand when you hand them your card and I always wonder if we got our own card back. I put an address sticker on our card and they were very impressed that it was marked. Also, if you lose it, someone could easily send it back to you.”

—contributed by Sandy M. “We discovered there is an art to taking pictures with characters. Take your time. Let the ‘official’ photographer take the photo first then the character will turn toward you and your camera for another photo. This way you can get both the character and your child’s eyes/face turned toward you instead of looking over somewhere else. If your children are old enough, tell them ahead of time to look at the photographer first then at you. This just makes things go more smoothly.”

—contributed by Danielle R. “Prior to our Disney trips, we brush up on our knowledge of the various characters we will see at the parks by watching their movies. We plan “movie nights” at least once a week. We have a themed dinner to go along with the movie - Alice In Wonderland - tea sandwiches, scones with lots of jelly, fancy cookies and iced or hot sweet tea; Toy Story - pizza; Mulan - Chinese take out; Peter Pan - open face subs with a cheese slice sail on a skewer stuck in the top; Dumbo - sandwiches decorated with squirt cheese hair, olive eyes, red pepper mouth to look like a clown; Pooh - chicken strips with Hunny mustard, owls make from pineapple rings, mandarin oranges and marshmallows; Jungle Book - biscuits shaped into a paw using pepperoni for the toe marks; Little Mermaid - tuna sandwiches or fish sticks; Cinderella - bread sticks in the tubes made into broom sticks; 101 Dalmatians - hotdogs wrapped in unbaked breadsticks to form dog bones, human puppy chow; Beauty and the Beast - salads with radish roses, beastly baked potatoes - all kinds of toppings; Sleeping Beauty - Subs - made open faced with meat folded as the dress, mayonnaise or cream cheese piped for arms, 1/2 hard boiled egg for head, squirt cheese or mustard for hair, various veggies cut to make facial features; Aladdin - Kabobs. On the busy nights with no time to cook, we do take-out food. Sometimes it is just a special snack while we watch. Gummy fish, fish crackers, popcorn (we have a fantastic popcorn store in our town with many different flavors and colors - we use it often to help set the theme). It certainly helps get us in the mood for our trips and refreshes our trivia to communicate better with the characters.”

—contributed by Teresa W.

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

“Make character dinner reservations for later in the evening, preferably about a half hour before the restaurant’s closing. You will still have plenty of time to relax and eat since they don’t rush you out after closing, but as the restaurant dies down and most guests are leaving you may get to have the characters almost to yourself! On a recent trip we had a 9:00 pm dinner at Chef Mickeys and by 10 o’clock we were one of a few tables still finishing up our meal. With the place almost empty Mickey, Minnie and the whole gang had time to come to the room we were dining in and dance and goof around with us. We got to take some fun pictures we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get if it was still crowded. It was like a private show!”

—contributed by Steven B. “The joy (or hardship) of carrying autograph books and pens (especially when you have three children) could be made easier as I discovered a few years back. Buy your child a light T-shirt (preferably light color—white works best). Wash it before you leave for your trip. Buy a multi color pack of laundry pens. Cut about a 6 x 6 piece of cardboard— OKAY—now you have it—oh, forgot to tell you ... Use the shirts as the autograph book.

Every character you see - have them sign the shirt anywhere and everywhere. Buzz and Woody use stamps so you can try on shirt, but might wash off. My kids love doing this and wear them longer than the autograph books last. I even bought my little one (who wants to be Cinderella) a shirt from the Disney store with Cinderella on the front - at Cinderella’s Royal Table - Cinderella thought it was so wonderful and signed her name real big across the entire back of the shirt. The shirts end up being a lot lighter in my backpack than the books and also, sometimes the kids just put them on and have the characters sign while they are wearing them which you can imagine some characters act really silly and do fun things when the kids are wearing them!”

—contributed by Tracy M. “What do you do with an autograph book after you get it home? After you’re done chasing all those autographs, it’s usually the photos of the characters that grab all the attention.

To keep photo and signature together without cutting and pasting, I bought my kids each a little photo book for our recent Disney trip. Instead of a plastic sleeve, each page was a paper mat to slip the photo into. It gives each picture a frame effect. I had the kids use the book as an autograph book, and each Disney character signed a page. When we got home, we just one-houred our film and then slipped the photo of the kids with that character into the sleeve for an instant keep sake. Each page has the character signature on the surrounding mat or in the space behind the photo. I got my books at the Dollar Tree, but I have seen something similar at Wal-Mart. It was so inexpensive, and the kids loved it because they didn’t have to wait for a ‘scrap marathon’ for me to make it. They took it to school right away to share their vacation memories.”

—contributed by Christine P. “Instead of buying an autograph book for your child, have them make their own by getting a 5 x 7 spiral scrapbook and they can put stickers of their favorite characters and if they see those characters at the parks, the character can sign on their page. This worked out really well for me and it made a nice souvenir.”

—contributed by Leslie E.

PassPorter Deluxe: Cut, punch holes, and insert in binder.

PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

“I am an avid scrapbooker and planned to make a 7x7 autograph album for each of my 3 “princesses”. I brought 4 acid-free note pads with us and even had to buy an official Disney World autograph book when we filled ours up! My plan was to cut out the autographs and add them to the scrapbooks. I quickly realized that I had way more autographs/photos than would fit, so I scanned all the signatures and printed them smaller so I could fit multiple photos/signatures on a page. My albums turned out great!”

—contributed by Jennie D.

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“We made a Disney Countdown Calendar and purchased a variety of Disney stickers at the dollar store. Every day my 6-year-old gets to pick a sticker to put on the calendar counting down to our trip. We talk about that character, and if we have a book starring the character, it becomes our good night story. This is building great excitement and also reviewing all the Disney characters. “ —contributed by Larraine Stacey

PassPorter Deluxe: Cut, punch holes, and insert in binder.

PassPorter Spiral: Cut, trim at dotted line, and insert in PassPocket.

“We, like most parents of young girls, took pictures of every princess and character encounter on our first trip to Disney (3 years ago). This time, we printed out all our favorite characters’ pictures. I packed them up in a zip lock baggie with a thin, black sharpie marker and kept them in our back pack. Each time we stopped to get an autograph, I took out the picture from last time and had the characters autograph their photos with our children instead of a plain page in a book. It is great for scrapbooking and the characters all commented on how much the girls had grown since the last time they saw them. It made my children feel like the princesses and others really remembered them. How special did they feel??!!”

—contributed by Heather D. “I have taken each of my 3 grandchildren individually to Disney World and I did this for each one. I bought a plain beige canvas tote bag at the craft store and put the child’s name on it. Inside I put an assortment of sharpie pens. The characters autographed the bags and the kids used them to tote home their treasures from their trip. Their other grandmother and I are taking all 3 together back to Disney World in March, and this time we are using sweatshirts for autographing. For items to be laundered, like shirts, I’ll use fabric pens rather than sharpies - sharpies sometimes run when washed. Fabric pens don’t come in as many colors, but they last. I still have a sweatshirt I had characters autograph 10 years ago and that tigger tail is as clear as ever.”

—contributed by Melinda F. “Autographs are fun to collect, but hard to enjoy later. I came up with some ways to enjoy the autographs. I brought Disney Junior Encyclopedia of Animated Characters.

As we met a character we found their page and had them sign. Most of them made a big deal about it being in the book. It created a lot of fun interaction with the characters.

If they were not in the book we had them sign the title page. We will be taking the book again to try and get more autographs. Similar to the encyclopedia we brought some of my daughter’s favorite princess story books. When we met the princess we gave them their book to sign. A few of the princess even personalized the autograph with my daughter’s name. As we read the stories at home she remembers her friends who signed her books. A princess breakfast is a great place to get a lot autographs in one place. I have also used a 12X12 piece of scrapbook paper, and had everyone sign the paper. We put a picture on the page and hung it in a 12X12 inch frame. It hangs on the wall in her room. One 12X12 inch paper is easy carry. (Even with cardboard to keep it from bending and the zip lock bag to keep it dry.) We also carried crayons in the coordinating colors for the characters to use. Don’t feel like you need to be a scrap booker to do this one.

The page will look great with just the signatures, or you can add stickers or photos.

Another year I cut colorful cardstock and put it on a small clipboard. Each character got a card to sign. (Store the card stock on the back of the clip board in an envelope taped to the back. Put only one on the board to sign at a time.) When we got home we created an expandable album of pictures and autographs. I have also photocopied and resized autographs from books to use in albums.”

—contributed by Alayn Becker

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

“We will be coming home from Walt Disney World on my little granddaughter’s birthday.

I am planning on finding a birthday card (hopefully with Cinderella on it) to take with me and have Cinderella sign it for my granddaughter. I am also going to buy a birthday gift to go with the card. Imagine my granddaughter’s surprise when she gets a birthday gift and card from her favorite character. This would work great from any other of your kid’s favorite Disney pals.”

—contributed by Fran S.

“When you are in the Magic Kingdom and want to see the characters, try checking in the Exposition Hall building on Main street (near the train station). We took our daughter in here twice on our last trip and we were amazed at how many characters were there.

Our daughter had many of the characters to herself and received great interaction. The building is also air conditioned so it is a great place to get out of the heat.”

—contributed by Jenny M. “Order your autograph books from Disney prior to your trip (or buy one at your local discount store). I cut out small pictures of any of the Disney characters that I can find and place one on every other page of the autograph book. When my kids see a disney character, they can then flip to that character in their book and the character can sign on the page beside their picture. (Some of the costumes require the characters to write very large!) This makes the characters laugh a little when they sign and also enables my small children to know who the autograph belongs to without asking over and over.

Even if the character’s writing is slightly difficult to read they will always know who signed it!”

—contributed by Tina O. “Ask your children which characters they REALLY want to see during your stay at Disney.

On the first day of your trip go into City Hall at Magic Kingdom or Guest Relations at the other parks to find out where and when all of the characters on the list will be appearing.

By doing this on the first day you can plan around seeing all of the characters and you won’t go home with dissapointed children because they did not see some one they had wanted to.

Also be on the look out for characters in odd places. Some of the best places to encounter a character without the crowds is on places not marked as character meeting places on the map. Any small alley way can hold a whole group of characters. Try different paths to get somewhere rather then always taking the same route. You never know who you might find!”

—contributed by Jennifer H. “To save money and familiarize my preschooler with all of the characters of Walt Disney World, we go to the library twice a week and browse through the Disney books. My son is not well acquainted with Disney characters. I tell him that the characters will be ‘great big as big as mama or papa’ so he can be prepared and enjoy the characters.”

—contributed by Lisa S.

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“We usually get in late afternoon too late to use up a day on our tickets so we explore our resort a little and get settled in. Then it’s off to Chef Mickey’s! This fun dinner time gets our kids acclimated to the fact that the characters are huge to a child and gets them in the Disney mode. We enjoy our character encounters in the park much better when we have been introduced the night before and our kids know what to expect.”

—contributed by Bev J.

PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

Page 29

Introducing the Characters

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The next 209 pages profile the Disney characters you can meet/see at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and the Disney Cruise Line. Each character gets their own page, which includes details on character (movie/TV show, first debut date, family members, personality, story, etc.). This is followed by the character’s “dress code,” or what you’re likely to spot them wearing. We’ve also included their friends and foes, likes and dislikes to give you even more background and have a bit of fun.

This information is provided to help you interact with the character.

So we’ve also included an “Overheard” section which typically lists things we’ve heard guests say to characters to great effect. In cases where a character isn’t available for interaction, we list things we’ve heard the character utter to provide additional background for you.

A space is provided for you to paste in your own character photo.

We’ve also included links to photos from PassPorter readers and other vacationers to help you identify characters, too.

Last but not least, the bottom half of each profile page is devoted to the locations in which the character has been spotted. The lists are organized by geography (separate lists for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise Line), then organized by park. We’ve tried to include all the places the character is spotted, so we’ve included attractions, parades, and shows. To tell the difference between a character appearance at a meet-and-greet and a character appearance at an attraction, we’ve formatted the listings as follows: Meet-and-Greet — underline, no italics Attraction— no underline, no italics Parade or Show— no underline, italics (statue)—in parentheses, no underline, no italics We also include a link to where you can find more information about the character on the web.

If you notice characters and/or location missing, please e-mail us at e-books@passporter.com so we can be sure to include the details!

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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Abby Mallard

Dress Code Abby has buckteeth, a pink/ purple shirt, and hairbands for her pigtails in various colors.

Paste your own photo here or see fellow vacationer photos at: http://bradk.smugmug.com/ photos/39477263-L-3.jpg http://bradk.smugmug.com/ photos/50435429-L-3.jpg http://www.passporterboards.com/ ubb/uploads/1106015-DSCN4532.JPG http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/ b350/mattnkatsmum/DSCN2335copy.jpg http://home.att.net/~disneysue/ characters/wdw/abbymallard.html

Friends Chicken Little

Foes Foxy Loxy and Goosey Loosey

Likes Karaoke, psychiatry

Dislikes Dodgeball

Overheard “Have you kissed Chicken Little lately?”

“You’re not an ugly duckling, you’re cute!”

Attendance Report 3/10 (unlikely to meet, and as time goes on she will probably disappear from character meetings altogether) Favorite Hang-Outs Walt Disney World: Toontown Fair Welcome Sign, Sorceror’s Hat Disneyland Resort: Hollywood Pictures Backlot Disney Cruise Line: Not seen here Love ya, Duckie!

C.L.

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Who Is This?

Abby Mallard (also known as “Ugly Duckling”) is the lead sidekick to Chicken Little in the movie “Chicken Little.” Despite getting teased because of her appearance, she has a “glass is half full” attitude.

PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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Abu

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Who Is This?

Abu is Aladdin’s mischievous monkey (and best friend) in “Disney’s Aladdin” animated movie (1992).

Dress Code Abu dresses simply in a red and purple vest and a purple fez hat.

Paste your own photo here or see fellow PassPorter readers’ photos at: http://www.passporter.com/ubb/ uploads/1067227-GenieAbu.jpg http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/ d150/cpthead/abu.jpg http://bradk.smugmug.com/ photos/132385880-L-3.jpg

Friends Aladdin, Jasmine

Foes Iago, guards

Likes Apples

Dislikes Boredom, books without pictures

Overheard “Are you missing Agrabah?”

“Where is Aladdin today? Is he off getting into trouble again?”

“What did you wish for?”

Attendance Report 1/10 (almost impossible to spot) Favorite Hang-Outs Walt Disney World: Toontown Hall of Fame, Agrabah Bazaar, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Pirate & Princess Party [$] Disneyland Resort: not seen here Let’s “ha Disney Cruise Line: not seen here this sum ng out” togeth er mer! — Laddy

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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Aladdin

Dress Code Baggy white pants and a purple vest and red fez hat. It’s very rare to see him as “Prince Ali,” but if you do spot him, he’d be wearing a turban with a big feather.

Paste your own photo here or see fellow PassPorter readers’ photos at: http://www.passporter.com/ubb/ uploads/408377-sarah%20with%20Jas mine%20and%20Aladdin.jpg http://www.passporter. com/ubb/uploads/582627101504EPCOTAladdin1.jpg http://www.passporter.com/ubb/ uploads/677238-MKAladdinB.jpg http://www.passporter.com/ubb/ uploads/910306-aladdin3.jpg

Friends Abu, Jasmine

Foes Jafar, Iago

Likes Full bellies, lamps

Dislikes Earning money, angry guards

Overheard “Hey, where’s Abu?” “What’s it like being Mr. Princess Jasmine?”

Attendance Report 7/10 (likely to spot) Favorite Hang-Outs Walt Disney World: Main Street Town Square, Agrabah Bazaar, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Disney Dreams Come True Parade, Morocco, Great Movie Ride, Disney’s Stars and Motor Cars Parade, Cinderella’s Royal Table [$], Pirate & Princess Party [$] Disneyland Resort: Main Street Town Square, Adventureland, Aladdin’s Oasis, Goofy’s Kitchen [$], Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams, A Christmas Fantasy Parade (holiday season) Disney Cruise Line: Lobby Atrium, Disney Dreams On the Web: http://disney.go.com/characters/aladdin

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Who Is This?

Aladdin is a “diamond in the rough” who has lived on the streets of Agrabah since he was orphaned as a child. Once he meets Princess Jasmine, his life turns around and they fall in love.

PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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Alice in Wonderland

Who Is This?

Alice in Wonderland is the star character from “Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland” animated film (1951). She is about 12 years old.

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Dress Code Alice wears a blue “frock” dress with a white pinafore apron over it. White stockings and black Mary Jane shoes complete her outfit. She has long blond hair swept back with a black ribbon.

Paste your own photo here or see fellow PassPorter readers’ photos at: http://www.passporter.com/ubb/ uploads/681884-alice.jpg http://www.passporter.com/ ubb/uploads/880771-IMG_ 1256MGMParadeAlice.JPG http://www.passporter.com/ubb/ uploads/1059580-MomAlice.jpg http://www.passporter.com/ubb/ uploads/1354601-alice.JPG http://www.passporter.com/ubb/ uploads/1434803-alice2.JPG

Friends White Rabbit

Foes Queen of Hearts

Likes Nonsense, dreams

Dislikes Boredom, books without pictures

Overheard “Have you had tea with the Mad Hatter lately?”

“The Queen of Hearts tells me you’re still in trouble!”

“Where is the rabbit hole?”

Attendance Report 5/10 (moderately likely to spot) Favorite Hang-Outs Walt Disney World: Main Street Town Square, Mad Tea Party (Fantasyland), Disney Dreams Come True Parade, SpectroMagic parade, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parade @ Christmas Party [$], United Kingdom, Disney’s Stars and Motor Cars Parade (Disney-MGM Studios), 1900 Park Fare character breakfast [$], Wonderland Tea Party [$] Disneyland Resort: Mad Tea Party and around Fantasyland, Alice in Wonderland attraction, near “it’s a small world,” Refreshment Corner, Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams, Fantasmic!, Disney’s Electrical Parade Disney Cruise Line: Lobby Atrium (decks 3–4), “Very Merry UnBirthday Party” (Oceaneer’s Club) On the Web: http://disney.go.com/characters/alice

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ANASTASIA TREMAINE

Who Is This?

Anastasia is one of Cinderella’s two evil stepsisters in Disney’s “Cinderella” feature animation (1950). Her older sister’s name is Drizella.

Dress Code Anastasia wears an awful red and pink dress, which clashes horribly with her bright red hair. She tends to overdress for most occasions, and is often seen sporting a huge feather in her brassy hair.

Paste your own photo here or see fellow vacationers’ photos at: http://bradk.smugmug.com/ photos/134438883-L.jpg http://bradk.smugmug.com/ photos/134439952-L.jpg http://www.mouseplanet.com/divas/ sue2.htm http://www.mouseplanet.com/sue/ cindy.htm

Friends None

Foes Cinderella

Likes Prince Charming, being bossy

Dislikes mice, glass slippers

Overheard “What happened to your prince?”

“How is Cinderella enjoying married life? She must be so happy!”

“Been to any balls lately?”

“What? Still single?!”

Attendance Report 3/10 (not likely to spot) Favorite Hang-Outs Walt Disney World: Around Cinderella Castle, 1900 Park Fare dinner [$] Disneyland Resort: Main Street Town Square; Near Sleeping Beauty Castle, Disney’s Electrical Parade, A Christmas Fantasy Parade (holiday season) Disney Cruise Line: Twice Charmed (Magic), ‘Til We Meet Again (Magic) On the Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella

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PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

PassPorter’s Disney Character Yearbook

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Annie

Who Is This?

Annie is the girl who loves to sing in the “Little Einsteins” animated TV series on Playhouse Disney. Annie is four years old and the little sister of Leo. She and her friends zip about in a ship called Rocket.

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Page 35

Dress Code Annie wears a blue dress with a green shirt, and keeps hers blonde hair back in pink ribbons.

Paste your own photo here or see fellow vacationers’ photos at: http://bradk.smugmug.com/ photos/100221620-L-3.jpg http://www.passporterboards. com/forums/attachments/usingyour-passporter-tips-answers/ 14062d1182478529-seeking-yourcharacter-photos-jacob-little-einsteins.jpg http://www.passporterboards. com/forums/attachments/usingyour-passporter-tips-answers/ 14129d1182692487-seeking-yourcharacter-photos-annie.jpg

Friends All Little Einsteins

Foes None

Likes Singing, animals

Dislikes Spiders

Overheard “What is your favorite song?”

“Where is Rocket?”

“What’s your big brother doing today?”

Attendance Report 4/10 (moderately likely to spot) Favorite Hang-Outs Walt Disney World: Mickey Avenue, Hollywood & Vine Play ‘n Dine [$] Disneyland Resort: Not seen here Disney Cruise Line: Not seen here On the Web: http://disney.go.com/littleeinsteins