At what age did your child enjoy character autographs?

[MommytoaSweetie]

DH and I are debating the topic... DD2 will turn 3 the week we get back from WDW. I think she'd especially like looking at the book later and remembering who signed where, but DH thinks she wouldn't be too into it at the time. Maybe we're both right, who knows. Anyway, out of curiosity, when did your kids get into it?

 

[Halbleib1]

DH and I are debating the topic... DD2 will turn 3 the week we get back from WDW. I think she'd especially like looking at the book later and remembering who signed where, but DH thinks she wouldn't be too into it at the time. Maybe we're both right, who knows. Anyway, out of curiosity, when did your kids get into it?

My son loved getting their autographs on our first trip and he was only 2 at the time. Our next trip he was 3 and was really into it. He still looks at his book and remembers our trip last year. He still remembers stuff from our first trip as well. On our first trip he fell in love with Pop Century and asks us all the time to go back. He asks for the Mickey Mouse room all the time as we stayed in the 70's building with the big Mickey phone out front. Our last trip he insisted on walking that way so he could see the Mickey phone.

 

[susykt4]

My daughter has always loved the autographs, my son never cared a bit about them, though he has always loved the characters. Our first trip I used a spiral-bound book of perforated index cards and had the characters sign on the solid (unlined) side. I then put the card with the autograph in the photo slot under or next to the photo of the character with my children in the album. We were really into characters that trip and got way more autographs than would have fit into a regular Disney autograph/photo album. If the album is important to YOU, get the autographs. If not, your child is probably too young to notice or care. It will definitely take up less of your time or provide more character interaction time if you do not get autographs. But... They are cool

 

[WantToGoNow]

My dd was the age of your child last trip - she turned 3 three weeks after we returned. She loved collecting those autographs. After we got home, she never looked at it again UNTIL now. Now that she can read some, she loves looking at it to see who signed her book. I have asked the kids (now 5 and 8) if they want to do autographs this time, just get pictures with the characters or just have me take pictures from a distance (i.e. no lines) and they both want the autographs.

 

[mickkey]

Our first trip our son was 5 ....we had no idea that the characters actually signed autographs until we got there We were very green... The autograph phase lasted from our first visit when he was 5 until about 10 or 11Now that he's 14 it's all about the rides and the food ...(he' a growing boy) We can't even be seen with a character now unless it's Mickey or Pooh....go figure. Alas I await my grandchildren for that special magic again

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

My son started enjoying autographing at 3. At that point he started to be a little nervous around the characters, and the autograph book gave him the courage to go up to them.

I would recommend you find one with a picture page opposite each autograph page. Take a picture when she gets each signature, and then when you get home add those pictures to the book. It makes an awesome memory book. My son STILL (at age 6) looks at his books from past visits.

One of our favorite ones has been the Guide to the Magic Walt Disney World Autograph & Sticker Book. It has spots for autographs and a page opposite for pictures, pages for stickers and stamps from the Epcot countries. They sell it on Amazon.

 

[tinkmom2]

My daughter was 3 on our last cruise. And two last time she was at WDW. She was more interested in hugging all the princesses and characters. My oldest was about 5 when we started collecting autographs. I see some children have no trouble with going up to the characters but my oldest was very shy though.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

I agree with the person who said to get the book with a space for pictures opposite. Take a photo of your child with that character (make sure is is in landscape so it will be upright when you look at it next to the autograph) and place it next to the autograph. It makes a much nicer souvenier to look at later if there are photos. Also, your child won't need to be able to read to look at it and see who signed their book. I think the book that has a spot for pictures is about $10.95. You can save money by brining your own pen instead of buying the ones they sell. The fat barrel ones are easier for the characters to hold. Multi-color pens are fun too (the ones where you click for a color). Fawn used our multicolor pen to write her name in all of the "autumn colors."

 

[scrapquitler]

My kids are 6 and 13, and we have never, ever done autographs. Until my daughter (the 13 year old) was about 6 she wouldn't even go near the characters. Even now, they'll go for one or two pictures with characters, but that's all...they just aren't interested.

 

[RMulieri]

My DD loved it on her first trip last year .She was 4.She still looks at her autograph book all the time.

 

[MinnieGi]

I didn't buy my oldest an autograph book until she asked for it, which was at age 3. She had been previously and loved getting her picture taken with the characters but at age three she noticed the others getting autographs and asked for her own book. When DS came along I got him one too when he asked which was around age 2.

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

Thank you all so much!! Those are great ideas. I'm thinking we'll ask if she wants one and go from there. I'm definitely going to check out that autograph book on amazon! DD1 already asks to see pictures of her previous visit to WDW and pictures of the princesses, so I had planned on making her a photo book so I don't have to find them on the computer all the time, but that's a great idea to combine it with autographs if she does want them. Thanks!!

 

[ebtbmom]

My son didn't have the patience to wait in line for them until he was 11. Then, he got bored with it after about 2 days and I had to make him fill the book up. I wish they would do the character thing differently, I don't like waiting longer for a character than I do a ride.

 

[scrapquitler]

My son didn't have the patience to wait in line for them until he was 11. Then, he got bored with it after about 2 days and I had to make him fill the book up. I wish they would do the character thing differently, I don't like waiting longer for a character than I do a ride.

Not to be difficult, but if your 11 year was bored and didn't want to get the autographs, why would you "make him fill the book up"? It doesn't make any sense to me to make my child spend all that time standing in line waiting for character autographs if he/she isn't interested in doing that. If it was because you had a younger child who DID want to do it and you didn't want to separate your family, maybe, but when I'm at Disney I'm not apt do force my kids to do something like wait to participate in an activity that they don't want to do. In that sort of situation, DH and I would each take a child and do something different.

 

[ebtbmom]

Not to be difficult, but if your 11 year was bored and didn't want to get the autographs, why would you "make him fill the book up"? It doesn't make any sense to me to make my child spend all that time standing in line waiting for character autographs if he/she isn't interested in doing that. If it was because you had a younger child who DID want to do it and you didn't want to separate your family, maybe, but when I'm at Disney I'm not apt do force my kids to do something like wait to participate in an activity that they don't want to do. In that sort of situation, DH and I would each take a child and do something different.

Whenever someone starts a sentence with "Not trying to be difficult" or argumentative, or contrary, or any other word you could fill in isn't that person really trying to be exactly what they are saying they're not trying to be?

I suppose I'm just a forceful overbearing mother who likes to strongarm my child into doing things that he desperately doesn't want to do.

Not perhaps because I told him before we bought the book that I would want us to fill it up if we got it. Or because I got the one that you put pictures in and we took a picture with each autograph and just a couple of weeks ago we were looking at it together enjoying the memories and being glad that we had spent those extra minutes to get the autographs and pictures. Or because I KNOW MY CHILD and know that he has a problem with patience and if I never encouraged him to wait for rides, parades, shows, lunch, snacks, the bus or characters we would basically spend all day roaming from activity to activity looking for something that doesn't have a line.

Please don't be self righteous and give other people parenting advice when you don't know them or their child.

 

[happymommy]

We never got autographs. Also, if there was a line, we have never waited in it to meet a character. My kids were never really too into it - if we pass by a character, and there is no line, and they wanted to go get their photo taken, we'd do it. My kids never would want to wait in line to meet a character, and they never did see the point in autographs.

Some folks are really into it, some aren't, so just go with what you want to do. But definitely more kids that go to Disney do not get autographs than do. Don't feel like you have to get them.

 

[scard192]

We weren't sure if my 3-1/2 year old grand daughter would understand about autographs so we didn't bring a book with us. Decided to pick one up at the resort gift shop on our way to dinner our 1st night. She loved getting the characters autographs and I had to buy another book, she filled the first one! Most of our TS meals where character meals so not a lot of waiting for autographs. She loves looking at the books, especially the one that has spaces for pictures.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

DS was 2.5 when he went for the first time. Having his own book was a very special part of the trip for him as it gave him an excuse to really interact with his favorite characters. We didn't go "hunting" but we did make an effort to hit up some of the character greeting spots and were lucky to run into a couple of characters along the way. I was DSs favorite part of the trip.