Grabby Guests / Autograph books

[mentu]

Now we have the new gold 50th autograph book. God help ALL OUR Disney characters.

Don't even get me started on those. Whoever thought of Gold books with gold pens should be shot. It's bad enough you can't even tell if the pen is working.

[1karenhb]

I couldn't agree more about guests and autograph books!!! I sell the damn things and guests get very impatient when they have to wait in line to buy the books and/or pens while their kid(s) are in line for the character. I also see the interaction with the characters. Unfortunately the books and pens are a big money maker for the resort so they are here to stay. :(

[BirdMom]

That sounds so pathetic. Back in '84 when I worked Main St. merch, I used to love working at Guide 1, just because in those moments when you could take a breather you could glance over by the train station and watch the little kids with the characters. To me there's nothing more adorable than seeing this wee little person who just believed. They would go running up to Snow or Mickey with arms outstretched, just so full of love and adoration - it was the coolest thing to watch. That was what made my job back then.

Do you think a two-year-old really cares that much about getting the autographs? It doesn't seem right that we're such a celebrity obsessed society that people want to act like jerks to get anonymous kids in masks to sign not thier own name, but a trademarked name, into a blank book that will end up as a dust catcher in a drawer someday.

[PrincessY]

I can see the headlines now....Crazed Tigger tosses family into the rivers of america. :twisted:

I would pay good money to see that! :D:

[kimpossible33]

A few thoughts on autograph books: THEY ARE THE DEVIL!!! Character magic is steadily being ruined by people who want autographs and nothing more. The other day, Goofy was in Hollywood visiting people, along with The Incredibles, Jojo, Mickey, and Minnie, and the entertainment host decided it was time to play a game of "duck duck goose" with the characters and kids. Numerous parents yelled "WE DON'T WANT TO PLAY THAT!! WE JUST WANT OUR BOOKS SIGNED!!!!" It's crazy! It's gotten to the point where when the characters walk in, people stand with their books ready, waving their pens and calling out "GOOFY GOOFY GOOFY GOOFY GOOFY GOOFY" repeatedly. I don't know about others, but I'd be more fond of a memory of being chased by Mr. Incredible during "duck duck goose" than by seeing "Mr. (I)" written on a piece of paper. The characters can't even mess with the people anymore. Goofy also played patticake with a little girl, who was thrilled, while her parents were yelling "come on! get your book signed! we need to go on Indiana Jones!" and other guests yelling "Hurry up!!!" There should be a day when the park just doesn't sell autograph books, JUST to see how it changes the guest/character experience!!

This is how celebrities feel all the time. Rather than social interaction, it's all about pictures, autographs, and people swooning over them. (Or passionately hating them.)

I've had a couple good interactions with characters as a kid. One time was just when Genie autographed my book (about 5 or 6, I'd assume... yeah, I'm kinda young in that Aladdin existed when, or before, I was 5 :p: ) and got angry when he saw that Jafar had signed the previous page. He spent 2 minutes doing Jafar's signature again on the next page and purposely messed it up, then scribbled all over it and wrote "NO!" Then, he signed his own name and wrote "YES" next to it.

Another time was when my older sister and I were someplace on Main Street (I'm guessing it's the Character Breakfast buffet or something?) at about the same age as previously mentioned when we saw Alice, Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, and Mr. Smee inside. It wasn't crowded at all - we were the only ones there. Mr. Smee played tic-tac-toe with my sister, and each time acted as if he had won. He drew a map of Neverland on her autograph book as well, and we chatted a bit with Alice. It was great. How meeting characters SHOULD be.

[PirateJohn]

I was by myself having a character breakfast at the Plaza Inn (I went for the all-you-can-eat buffet more than the characters) and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum came up to me. I had a sketch book and had been doodling while eating. One of them took the sketch book and made a couple of very nice drawings of Buzz Lightyear in it. I kept that drawing for quite a long time and probably still have it somewhere.

[LegoDan]

At the last CM holiday party, my sister and i were walking by the golden horseshoe and saw chip and dale, she wanted to see what they were doing so we stoped. They were just leaving towards an exit when dale got his arm "stuck" in a loop of rope. The escort (i don't know what they're called) said something along the lines of "Now what have you done dale? Got your arm stuck?" Dale tries to walk away but can't.
The escort says "what are we going to do? I guess we'll have to cut it off."
Dale acts all worried then procedes to "knaw" his arm off. Chip decides to help and Dale acts all worried. After that Dale slips it off and starts laughing.

There was more but this is the most memorable character experience besides Donald taking my sister's daisy hat and making out with it.

of course the chip and dale one couldn't be repeated in normal hours

[DLRFantasmic!Dan]

Sometimes the magic of character interactions goes back to backstage. One time when I was working Fantasmic!, Chip and Dale came down the stairs and I think it was CHip that tried on a Fantasmic! jacket and had a flashlight in hand, swinging it, mocking us: "Stay to your right"!! LOL That was very memorable!!

Just yesterday, I saw Push interacting with a couple of Snow Whites!!! That was hilarious!!

[lady ulrike]

I don't really have any memories of interacting with the characters as a kid, I always wanted to go on the rides, but I do have a great one I observed. I was sitting on Main Street waiting for someone, don't remember who, and Cinderella starts walking out to the castle. This little girl who was dressed as Cinderella saw her, screamed her name, ran to her, and just jumped in her arms. I was tearing up when I saw that, to this little girl that was Cinderella and she was quite obviously her favorite. Of course, shortly after I also thought that it was a good thing Cinderella saw her and caught her cause she was airborne. :)

[Stduck]

There was more but this is the most memorable character experience besides Donald taking my sister's daisy hat and making out with it.

Must be reading my mind.

So does anyone remember those awesome Donald and Daisy hats where the bill of the hat was the duck bill?

So LegoDan and I had to have them as smallish kids (I must have been about 7) and we went to see Donald Duck who was on Main Street. He looked at my brother who was wearing the Donald hat and gave him the big thumbs up. Then he looked at me and "gasped" stealing my Daisy hat off my head ran around with it as I was chasing him. He gave it a big kiss on the bill and ploped it back on my head.

That's my favorite memory of characters.