A character performer's thanks

[Crazy Kanga]

What park do you and "your friends" hang out in? Maybe we will see you, even though we won't know it.

 

[goingbackagain]

Thank you for what you do! My teenage dd want to be a character. And I really believe one of them will go through with it!

 

[joshsmom]

Angie--

That is SO cool of you to post this! It brought tears to my eyes and that warm/fuzzy Disney feeling!!

Where are you hanging out these days?? We will be there May 23-30 and we would LOVE to stop by and say hello!!!

 

[AngieBelle]

hehehe, I'm kind of hard to track down...I'm global so I make appearances in all 4 parks! I'd say that at least 50% of the time I'm at MK though. Today, I was with my good friend Dale right out in front of Main Street! Tomorrow, I'll be puppeteering for Voyage of the Little Mermaid. (I do blackfish, turtle, and one of the eels.) Every so often, I do MGM's parade or Spectro.

I love to do the surprise hugs! The parents totally don't expect to get the attention too- it's great. Sometimes I'm too huggy though....Crystal Palace is often really busy and really popular, so the character performers are encouraged to "love and shove" to see as many folks as possible. I have a tendency to want to hug everyone at the table, but then of course, the family wants to take more pictures, and I get stuck! Sometimes, I get told by a coordinator that I'm going too slow, but I'm too nice and always want to acknowledge everyone.

If you had a particularly wonderful character experience, write to Disney and be as detailed as possible- time, date, character, location. It does come back to us!

I love the drawings and notes! I don't get stuff very often, but what I have is up on my fridge. Once I got this cute drawing at Crystal Palace, but one of the servers offered to take it for me, and it never made it to my breakroom. That's one of the hard parts about getting things at a dining location. We don't have pockets.

 

[ILoveDisney-Angie]

The last trip I made to Disney I was able to get my picture with a lot more characters than the last few trips. However, I felt that the characters thought I was a "little odd" since I was so excited and mostly since I'm an adult. It's nice to know that you even give "grown ups" hugs.

Angie

P.S. Belle is my favorite too. : )

 

[ANTSS2001]

Thank you to:

*The families who suprise another family by offering to take a group picture.
*The parents who don't force their child up to me when he or she is truly scared
*The parents who make sure their children don't cut the line and appologize to everyone when they do
* the people who delight in watching other people's children react happily towards the characters
*the children with the big grins who run to my arms with such infectious joy
*the adults who are more excited than the children
*the toddlers who snuggle me and don't want to leave
*the parents who secretly want a hug too and are so happy when I surprise them with one
*the grandparents who absolutely adore the characters and aren't afraid to show it
* the kids who give me notes or drawings
*the chatty kids who tell me everything
*the children who sweetly say please and thank you without being prompted

Even on days when I'm feeling blue, I can't help but smile!

what can we bring to our favorite characters.. like a token of appreciation.... last Oct 04 I was at Epcot and there was no line with Snow White located at the world showcase and I lost my group so I basically chit chatted with her for a good 5-10 min. I brought her album..(yes I have a snow white album a pooh bear, a minnie and a Belle and Cinderella Album since 1970ish )I showed her the album and asked her "Snow White what do you eat? And she smiled... it must be the apples... what's wrong with this pictures. She was so sweet and said "but there's nothing wrong with the pictures" I said yes there is... I better run to the nearest produce and buy lots of apple.. she gave me a puzzled look... I said look and turn to picture '80 (disneytokyo) then flipped the pages more.. and said... you have age gracefully and me ???? Am aging by the minute now ... I never heard them laugh but this time I got a chuckle... she signed the latest picture and gave me a hug... I got teary... still no kids in line !! Yey! A princess all to myself... finally I said "Snow White I like to keep you company but I am hungry.. care to join me and asked the CM partner too... She said... it's ok its time for her to go cook for the 7 (lucky ) dwarfs! I sat there just going through my album.... will never get tired of the magic.

 

[disneysteve]

Hi Angie!
What a great post. Thanks for sharing. Having had the pleasure of meeting you on our last visit, your thoughts were even more special. Seeing you and your friends at Crystal Palace that day really made lunch super special. Hope to see you again this fall. I'll let you know when we're coming (Jersey Week).

 

[bonnie w]

I am one of those adults who gets more excited than the children & always love to get a hug from the characters. I am a big kid at heart & it is people like you who make Disney such a Magical place to vist. Thank from the bottom of my heart. I envy you because I think to work at Disney must be wonderful. Thanks again.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

Thanks so much for everything that you do!! We truly spend our vacation time around the characters schedules! We just have a great time watching the magic being created for others, like it has been for our family.

Hope to see you when we come down next weekend!!!

 

[philaround]

Angie, I'm quessing that was you last December at CP. DW and I were there with our DGS. DGS was a little afraid so my DW got the hug. Billy was actually able to hi five piglet a little latter because of how Pooh hugged his "GaGA"

Was that you also the next night as Mickey at The Garden Grill in The Land Pavillion?
Billy still talks about how Mickey wrote him a note on his place mat with a crayon.

 

[sarahsmom73]

Thank you for making and keeping us all kids at heart and for helping our children beleive in "The Magic" when this world can be so cruel!

 

[poochie]

I too am one of the adults who never grew up. I cry when I see a little one (unknown to me) get excited by the characters. I cry with the music played at the MK, I cry when I frist see the castle. And yes I am one the the people who just adores it when the character pays attention to me. My children are grown both in College. So I can no longer use them as an excuse to get close to the characrters. But occassionaly they come up to me and I am a child again.

Thank all of you special CM's. You are truly special in the way you affect our lives.

 

[disneytraveler]

Being a ventriloquist and family entertainer myself, i appreciate the hard work
the Cms do as well. I aslo worked as a professional clown and Angie makes a good point on not forcing your children to the characters.
Steve

 

[Harambe]

Thank you for making so many people (big and little) happy. And I'm sorry my DS mowed you down last September to get to the Beast (his absolute favorite!). Believe you me, he got a talkin' to afterwards!

And I'm glad you appreciate me taking pictures of families, and especially couples who usually go home with 50 pictures of him and 50 pictures of her. I always approach people so that I can take a picture for them. It drives my family crazy - as they walk along, then notice I'm missing, and have to backtrack to find me trying to communicate with a European on how to work their high-tech camera! LOL!

You truly have the dream job!

 

[Luv2Roam]

Thanks AngieBelle, for the post and all you and other characters do!

I think DH's favorite are Jafar and Buzz.
Mine are Chip n Dale. They are so sweet and funny!

 

[sweetinmaine]

Thank you for all that you and the other CM's do to make all of our trips magical! We just got back from a trip with our 2 grandsons ages 3 and 1. While we love the pictures we have of our 3 year grandson with the characters facing the cameras, the ones we believe are most magical are those where he is hugging each character that he came across. (our 1 year old grandson did not "appreciate" the characters this trip. A little too shy). We adore you!!

 

[agnes!]

When my family & I(DH, me & DD/12) meet the characters, my DD always makes sure that I tell them that I think that they are 'angels'...
They really are, you know.

agnes!

 

[AngieBelle]

Philaround- I keep my schedule in a little book so I can tell you that I was at CP for breakfast and lunch on December 11th and the 26th. I'm afraid I was not your Mickey- I'm too tall! Mickey's close friends have to be 5ft or under. I'm 5' 3.5" tall.

Harambe, hehe, I think you have the impression that I play Belle! I wish more than anything that I could tell you that was true, but it's not. My screenname is only because Belle is my favorite.

Oh yes, I love when I'm visiting one family at their table and someone at the table next to them offers to take a picture. Everyone is so happy! It's heartwarming to see families who didn't even know each other just a little earlier share happiness together.

I think the best pictures are of just your child grinning up at the character. Don't fuss so much about getting them to look at the camera all the time- let them enjoy the moment! You might just get that perfect shot that doesn't look like every other character shot.

It's so funny- some toddlers seem trained; they will come to me, then immediately turn around, either stand in front of me or sit right in my lap, and "cheeeeeeese." Or they'll run up, hug, then run back, and the parents will be like "go back! go back! I want a picture!"

 

[disneytraveler]

I remember Tigger and Pooh making a vist to me at the CP dinner last summer.I am big little kid to. HEHe solo traveler . Made me feel great!

 

[liveforthemagic]

thank you really doesn't seem like enough. Its just so wonderful for all of us parents to be able to give our children these magical memories...and for us to watch their eyes light up.

If you already have kids, then you know how special this place is for all of us moms and dads. If not, I'm sure one day someone as sweet and sensitive as you will have children, and then you will see a whole new depth of the joy your job brings.