Does the guy inside the suit smile?
I originally heard this as a joke, years ago, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder what they do when the photographer says, “Smile!”
Do they sit there with a scowl, or do they smile along?
Can’t speak for Mickey, but if Minnie is flirting with you, then chances are the guy that’s inside is smiling his head off.
I had my picture taken with Goofy at Disneyland, and he wouldn’t let go of me and was gesturing like we should get together. I was only 14 at the time (though pretty mature looking). I don’t want to think about what he was doing inside his suit.
I took a picture with Mickey in Florida, he motioned to a passing young lady and said, “Nice Ass.” I could only agree (I was 17 at the time).
Sir
Years ago, when I was working in a department store, I stood next to Santa Claus at the urinal in the staff toilets. I dunno, that kind of thing sticks in your mind.
Hmmm, so which toilet does the guy in the Minnie Mouse suit go to? Be afraid… be very afraid.
Oh, gawrsh! I almost peed my pants reading this thread. It doesn’t take much to amuse me, I guess. I can imagine that Minnie might not have as much of a problem, since the bathrooms are backstage. ‘She’ can take her head off. No pun intended.
Aren’t the characters getting a bit too fresh with the guests?:eek:
Eeyore gave my girlfriend a big bear hug when we had our picture taken with him, and he wouldn’t let go until I took at least two pictures. I guess he wasn’t gloomy that day.
I have been:
[li] stepped on by Brer Fox (MK-Frontierland)[/li][li] goosed by Donald Duck (EPCOT-Mexico)[/li][li] poked in the eye by Dale (EPCOT-China)[/li][li] bumped in the head by Darkwing Duck (MK-Mickey’s Toontown)[/li]
Except for the second, these were accidental - those costumes are a bit unwieldly, and I’m sure that getting used to walking around in oversized feet is difficult, and having a duckbill a foot in front of your face does not help with your vision.
The Little Mermaid (MGM Studios) has to get carried to and from the character meeting places since she is zippered into an oversized mermaid’s tail and obviously can walk on dry land.
Not that everyone is a klutz in those costumes - I was pretty impressed with the people as the Wolf from “Pinnochio” (EPCOT- Italy) and George Jetson (Universal Studios) - both were signing to some hearing-impaired kids, although I imagine it must be difficult doing sign language in three-fingered gloves).
(Then again, having Tigger walk up to me and start gnawing on me was actually quite enjoyable. A friend of mine later confessed he was the one. :D)
Which all reminds me of something that took place here in Stockholm, Sweden, a couple of years ago. There was some Disney do in a square in central Stockholm and someone dressed up as Pluto went up to Mickey Mouse and started humping him. 
Floater - I used to work at SeaWorld, and one day, Baby Shamu did a running tackle at Clyde Sea Lion, took him down and pretended to beat the stuffing out of him. (Yes, we asked - it was a set-up.)
When at Disneyworld with my sister’s family years ago, my 5-year-old nephew was excited when he saw Mickey Mouse, and ran over to greet him. Trouble was, a Hispanic family was just posed for a picture. Now they have a little gringo kid in the picture with them. :D:D:D:D:D
I can’t remember where I heard this, so it may be just an urban legened, but I was surprised that this little fun tidbit wasn’t mentioned…
Apparently, there are very strict rules at the Disney theme parks about the removal of one’s costume head. I’ve heard that a lot of workers there end up getting heat stroke and vomiting inside of the heads, but are still not allowed to take off the heads in public. Yuck.
Also, something that I remember hearing about on the news in DC: Do you guys remember a couple of years ago when Disney was going to make a theme park in an old Civil War battlefield in Virginia (I think it was Virginia, anyway)? Not only were they going to clear a big road through some wetlands to make it accessible, but they also were going to have Mickey and Goofy dressed up as soldiers (in an “historical” park!) trouncing on top of a previously bloody battlefield! Talk about inappropriate. It seems that protests (mainly because of the wetland issue) led to a halt in this bizarre project.
I’m not sure whether to move this to IMHO, or submit it to Threadspotting.
Oh, what the heck, I’ll do both.
And what does everyone mean, “costumes”? Don’t tell me that mickey isn’t real!
I could point you to some good stories about the things cast members have done while in costume but that could be considered spam so I won’t.
But, if you have been spoken to by any rubberhead, they were taking a grave risk. If they had been caught they would have been suspended or fired. If you can see their real face they can talk, if you can’t they are not allowed to talk AT ALL.
Minnie and Mickey are almost always women. The height requirements for those suits are pretty small. Mickey, Minnie, Donald are 4’11" to 5’2". If you are an average man your best bets are Goofy (5’10" minimum) or Pluto (5’6"-5’10"). If you are really tall you are only suited for The Beast or Brer Bear.
If you want to be Alice, I am told you can’t be taller than 5’4" (the smallest “face” character).
There. More than you wanted to know.
One of the disadvantages to being a face character - you can’t always imitate the character’s voice. A former co-worker was also a full-time Mary Poppins [mainly for the character breakfasts and the Holiday Reviews (Contemporary hotel)] - she said she was always nervous about doing a British accent in front of the guests from the U.K. and being called out on speaking the dialect incorrectly.
I know many male Minnies.
Another acquaintence played Rafiki in the the Lion King show at the Magic Kingdom (though he preferred playing Peter Pan - said the costume was cleaned more often - the furry ones can get pretty grotty on a hot day). He was the only costumed character in the show - all other parts were done with puppets on sticks. He told us the worst part about being Rafiki was trying to run up and down the staircases in the dark in a very constricting suit, and the puppeteers wouldn’t get out of the way. He’s tripped over Simba a couple of times.
And a correction to an earlier post - the Little Mermaid can**'t** walk on dry land. Forgot to preview.
For people who are interested in this subject, I recommend this very entertaining book. Koenig has written two sequels, as well. All three are very funny and fascinating, although I can’t speak to their authenticity.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by screech-owl *
[li] stepped on by Brer Fox (MK-Frontierland)[/li][li] goosed by Donald Duck (EPCOT-Mexico)[/li][li] poked in the eye by Dale (EPCOT-China)[/li][li] bumped in the head by Darkwing Duck (MK-Mickey’s Toontown)**[/li][/QUOTE]
Big deal. I was once kicked in the tuchas by a giant plush Province of Manitoba, which beats the hell out of anything any of you could come up with.
Yup, the American History Theme Park.
I could see it now:
[li] “Kraft Cheez-Whiz presents The Declaration of Independence”.[/li][li] Ulysses S. Grant (hell, all of the famous figures) would have had to shave to go by (then) Disney Grooming Standards[sup]TM[/sup].[/li][li] “Apache Trail of Tears: The Musical” (with a Disney-fied happy ending of course).[/li]matt-mcl - stop it, I am crying over here from laughing so hard! I knew governments tend to beat up on the little people, but the imagery of a fluffy province in a butt-kicking contest is just too damned funny. Where did you meet up with the “Province of Manitoba” and what did you do to deserve that?!
:still laughing::
I can recommend his books (though it is in my interest to do so). If anybody wants autographed copies of Mouse Tales or Mouse Under Glass I can arrange it for you.
Note: I’m not David Koenig, but I have professional connections to him.
A good friend of mine used to do the Hunchback in Anaheim. (He’s 5’3".) He never, ever wanted to talk about it. You’d ask him how the day went, and he’d get a pinchy-face frown, like he’d been in a POW camp or something. He was a horndog, too, so I bet he’s got some stories. He just wouldn’t ever tell them.