Alternate things for autographs?

[pooh4evr]

we have done a "Mickey man" twice aka the big plan white Vinylmations - we have 1 more to do on our next trip so all the girls will have one.

 

[drea21]

I just saw this and I'm so mad that I didn't think of it! I collect the Starbucks "You Are Here" mugs and you can get them at each Starbucks in the parks. I never thought to take the mug to be autographed, but it would be so cool to see Mickey's signature as I'm sipping my coffee every morning! (I guess you would need the type of marker wouldn't come off with washing)

 

[Shelbizzles]

You guys have some great ideas! My husband suggested buying a decent size piece of some sort of fabric ( he said burlap. Not sure how I feel about that) and then putting it in a frame and hanging it up. Has anyone ever done this?

 

[Figmentmommy]

Last trip our kids picked out a bunch of postcards at our resort gift shop and had the characters sign the backs of them. (Where you would normally write) We used a regular sharpie marker - the clickable kind so there was no fussing with a cap each time.

 

[tony609]

we have done a "Mickey man" twice aka the big plan white Vinylmations - we have 1 more to do on our next trip so all the girls will have one.

I bought the large one for our upcoming trip. Any tips/tricks for doing this. TIA!

 

[siskaren]

You guys have some great ideas! My husband suggested buying a decent size piece of some sort of fabric ( he said burlap. Not sure how I feel about that) and then putting it in a frame and hanging it up. Has anyone ever done this?

It wouldn't be any different than having them sign a T-shirt - I would suggest bringing a clipboard to give the characters a flat surface to sign against. I would definitely not do burlap though, since it's not a smooth surface.

 

[DaisyLou2]

I have read that they are not allowed to sign the shirt if it's on you. I would imagine they would not want to be accused of inappropriate touching.

Oh, I know. I agree with it. I am just saying the process would have moved along quicker if they could just sign a shoulder instead of leaning up against a building holding onto a t-shirt or crouching down on the ground.

 

[MataHari22]

You guys have some great ideas! My husband suggested buying a decent size piece of some sort of fabric ( he said burlap. Not sure how I feel about that) and then putting it in a frame and hanging it up. Has anyone ever done this?

Burlap is too bumpy. What about a cheap art canvas? That would be easy to sign, and you could just hang it up?

 

[AngiTN]

Some non-traditional options we've done, along with our thoughts on them

Large, undecorated Vinylmation - OK but a bit bulky to carry around. Thankfully, we still had the stroller for this one. But it would fit in a back pack but it would be about all that fit
Animated Character Encyclopedia - easy to carry around really. Fit right in a sling back pack. Easy to find characters. BUT, only has ANIMATED characters. No Mary Poppins, for instance. And a few animated are missing too. Forget now who else. Characters enjoyed reading about themselves. This probably is one of DGD's favorite items. She reads through it often
Pillow case - our had an applique on the opening end of a cartoon conversation bubble that reads "It all started with a mouse...." super easy to carry around. DGD sleeps on it nightly. I used a mini clip board and binder clips to hold a spot for characters. All of them were able to sign easily. BUT, I made a mistake and used Sharpies vs. Fabric Markers. Sharpies are permanent but don't remain bright and sharp (ironic, huh?) and have faded with time. Fabric markers do not have this issue.
String bag - did this on the past trip and loved it. Easy, used same clip board and binder clips. But got fabric markers this time. Rapunzel really thought it was a great idea
Ball cap - We have had a few select characters sign base ball hats. We didn't get a lot of signatures to avoid the clutter but it was great for a few

Though the most fun thing we ever used was a pen that looked like a Light Saber. Man did the characters have a blast with that.

 

[MataHari22]

I wanted to show you the mug I did through shutterfly. Autographs were done on white paper with black sharpies. I used individual autographs that were scanned in, and then I combined them into one photo. There is also a photo of me and Minnie Mouse from my Memory Maker photos.

Not the greatest photos of the mug, but you can get the idea.

 

[Shelbizzles]

I wanted to show you the mug I did through shutterfly. Autographs were done on white paper with black sharpies. I used individual autographs that were scanned in, and then I combined them into one photo. There is also a photo of me and Minnie Mouse from my Memory Maker photos. View attachment 119680

Not the greatest photos of the mug, but you can get the idea.

Omg!! That is adorable. And it seems like that would be the easiest. Then I just carry the autograph book then can customize it

 

[ttintagel]

For fur characters, ake sure it's something big enough - I asked Tigger to autograph a postcard for me and he just couldn't see it well enough to get his whole name on there.

 

[AngiTN]

Omg!! That is adorable. And it seems like that would be the easiest. Then I just carry the autograph book then can customize it

I should note the characters also love our customized autograph books when we've done those.
I've bought small sketch pads, which are comb-bound and have heavy enough pages to handle a signature without bleed through.
I use scrap booking paper and spray adhesive to cover the original front with something decorative and then use stickers made for scrap booking to decorate it. I found Disney themed ones at either Hobby Lobby or Micheal's.

 

[IWantDisney]

I love it when the characters really get into the interaction and signing of the book. I had bought my daughter an 8x8 scrapbook. Not sure what I was going to do, but hadn't actually planned to use it as a scrapbook. But after the Fairy Godmother had her turn with it, it was destined to become one. She made a big deal about being first then decorated the entire first page beautifully.

 

[MataHari22]

Omg!! That is adorable. And it seems like that would be the easiest. Then I just carry the autograph book then can customize it

Exactly. And making sure it's a white, heavy, non bleed through paper, like the PP says, is key. This way you can get a clean scan for the signatures. I like a plain black sharpie best. Better for when you want to print for projects. You really should look at shutterfly (or other photo site) there's all kinds of stuff you can do.

 

[jimmykitefan]

Where did you get your large Vinylmation? Any good deals out there. Are they still available in the parks? My husband would love a purple one.

 

[Rgonzalez79]

The coolest thing I saw someone carry in for an autograph was the Disney sketchbook sold in all the park stores and Downtown Disney, and they had the characters autograph the sketches.

I originally thought they had done the sketches themselves but then they told me they picked one up on main street.

 

[AngiTN]

Where did you get your large Vinylmation? Any good deals out there. Are they still available in the parks? My husband would love a purple one.

I've never seen a purple one. They are white. Ours is glow in the dark yellow but they stopped making the glow in the dark version a few years ago.
I know I saw the white ones (they are sold as decorate it yourself versions) while at Disneyland so I'm sure they are still sold. But I don't have a specific spot that sells them. I should check my handy dandy Shop Disney Parks app and see if they are listed

OK, found the white version on the app. It is available to order. It's $29.95. Be careful when ordering. There are smaller ones for less than $10 but they are the normal Vinylmation size so too small for autographs.

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

We've done a 4x6 photo album for each trip so far, then a pack of 4x6 plain white index cards and we give one to each character to sign. I then print out photos after our trip and match them up with the autographs in the photo album.

That said, my girls absolutely LOVE going through these, but I'm trying to figure out a smaller way to carry the index cards with us - something to keep them safe & not wrinkled, but maybe they could fit in my husband's pocket somehow and then we wouldn't have a bag to carry. We might need jackets to carry anyway, but if not, I'd love to be bagless one day!

 

[jimmykitefan]

I think the Art Canvas is a great idea. You can get them at Michaels or Hobby Lobby cheap and they come in white, black of denim. You could always add pins to the canvas around the signatures to finish it off.Sounds pretty cute!