At what age did your children realize that the characters...

[C.Ann]

weren't "real" ??

I'm still trying to get a trip together to WDW for myself, DD and my DGD and the best I can come up with right now is next December..

My granddaughter will be 6 then (her birthday is in late Sept.) and I'm so afraid that she won't "believe" anymore and the "magic" will be gone..

Her first trip was just before she turned three and of course she really, REALLY "believed" then..

 

[jdonat]

Real? They're not real????

I think ours realized it about 8-9 or so, but youre
at Disney! Time for a little suspension of belief!

The characters are magical no matter what
age you may be!!! The magic will still happen,
no matter how old you are, if you believe.

Remember what the narrator says at
DL in California at the end of the fireworks,,,
"Remember, just believe!"

jd

 

[HaleyB]

OK- My six year old not only understands that these are costumes, she knows the difference between a face character and a head costume. She was just saying how much she likes the face characters because you can talk to them. She is extreamly excited to get pictures and autographs, so even when they know it is still magical.

I don't know exactly when she first figured this out, but it was awhile ago. Maybe I over exposed her to Disney?

 

[Blueeyes101817]

i went last march for my senior trip..and although we were all 18..we had a blast going to get pics with all the characters...obviously we knew they werent real! and still love d it

 

[maps]

my 4 yr old knew this yr but when she saw the characters in person it really didn't matter to her.

 

[skiwee1]

My DD, 5 y/o, knew it at age 4. She remarked that the person that plays Mickey must get hot and thirsty under his costume and wanted to know how they went to the bathroom! I think it depends on the kid.

 

[itsmetigress]

omgosh my 3 year old informed me of this a few weeks ago at AK when we were going to see Pooh and friends...DD "..but they arent real just people dressed up" that didn't stop her from having a blast with piglet though when as he was leaving for his break he took her by the hand and walked up the path with her...although the princess's are "real" she still loves getting hugs from her favorite "stars" hey wait i still do too oh and she also knows they need to take potty breaks too so she makes sure she gets out of the way when we see one of them walking from one place to another lol

 

[dznyacct]

On our 2nd trip to WDW as a family, our son had turned 5 three months before our trip. It was December and we were staying at the then brand-new Wilderness Lodge (still our favorite resort 9 years later!). My son LOVED his Halloween costumes. He and his best friend would play "dress-up" all year long with the costumes until they fell apart. That year he had chosen a thick, furry Simba costume from The Disney Store. He even had matching Simba slippers to complete the outfit. He brought his costume with us to WDW. Anyway, it was kind of chilly the night we were going to watch the Electrical Light Pagent from the boat dock at WL so he wanted to wear his Simba costume. We were ready early so we decided to hang out in the WL lobby. Within minutes he was encircled by ~ 10 little kids who were petting his costume and talking to him. I noticed that he wasn't talking back to them, but was instead using hand gestures. Let me tell you, he did look adorable and I counted at least 5 different families who were videotaping him. On our way to go watch the ELP I asked him why he didn't talk to the little kids. He said "Well mom, the people that pretend that they're the characters don't talk." It was kind of a sad moment when I realized that he knew the truth, but I was so proud of him for wanting to "keep the magic alive" for the little kids.

 

[tassie42]

Originally posted by dznyacct
On our 2nd trip to WDW as a family, our son had turned 5 three months before our trip. It was December and we were staying at the then brand-new Wilderness Lodge (still our favorite resort 9 years later!). My son LOVED his Halloween costumes. He and his best friend would play "dress-up" all year long with the costumes until they fell apart. That year he had chosen a thick, furry Simba costume from The Disney Store. He even had matching Simba slippers to complete the outfit. He brought his costume with us to WDW. Anyway, it was kind of chilly the night we were going to watch the Electrical Light Pagent from the boat dock at WL so he wanted to wear his Simba costume. We were ready early so we decided to hang out in the WL lobby. Within minutes he was encircled by ~ 10 little kids who were petting his costume and talking to him. I noticed that he wasn't talking back to them, but was instead using hand gestures. Let me tell you, he did look adorable and I counted at least 5 different families who were videotaping him. On our way to go watch the ELP I asked him why he didn't talk to the little kids. He said "Well mom, the people that pretend that they're the characters don't talk." It was kind of a sad moment when I realized that he knew the truth, but I was so proud of him for wanting to "keep the magic alive" for the little kids.

That is so cute!!!!

 

[Talking Hands]

My daughters knew fairly young. Around age 3 or 4. They knew because I worked for a party company and saw my dressed up in character costumes for my job. They used to go to work with me during the week as I was also the office manager.

 

[kahiko]

Real is in the eyes of the beholder

And as Judy said " Seeing is not believing, believing is seeing"

Judy makes a mean cookie too

 

[Disney Debbie]

dznyacct - That is such a sweet story!! I hope he's that sweet at 14!!!

 

[slo]

Our #1DD will be 6yrs old when we and this will be her 4th trip to WDW. She has never implied that she doesn't believe the characters aren't real.

When she does though, I'm going to tell her that even though people are inside the characters - if she wants to believe they are real that's all that matters. I believe she will understand what I am saying because I am always thrilled to see the characters and I'm 32. In fact, when I saw Snow White for the first time 2 yrs ago, I was in tears because she is my absolute favorite - and I certainly know she's just a CM.

If you believe in the magic of the characters - your children will follow your example. Because if you let your inner child shine through they will too.

 

[angel's momma]

We've always told DD that they are people in costumes, but she's always been very excited to see them anyway.

 

[kbkids]

My DD is 6 and on the verge of figuring it out. She's been to Disney lots of times and loves all of the characters. Occasionally, she'll ask me if they are really real, and I just respond with, "What do you think?" I think she really knows but just doesn't want to admit it. Kinda like Mom

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

My DS was 4 when he figured it out. We were in the limo on our way from the Airport to the Poly. He just looked at me and said, "You know mom, Mickey is just a man in a costume". I wanted to cry! I thought the magic would be gone. We didn't go last year because I was pregnant. But we have a trip planned for Nov., and DS asks at least once a week when are we going to Disney World? He still can't wait to see "the gang"

 

[dznyacct]

Disney Debbie ~ My DS is still a very kind person, even though he is 14. I'd like to think that we (me and DH) had a little something to do with it.

Were you and your family on a 3 day DCL Wonder cruise in December 2001? And you and your daughter were chosen for the Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer? We were on that cruise!

 

[thatchicktrish]

My DS (7) knows they aren't real but he is still very excited to see them and he is hoping he gets to ride on something with Goofy or Mickey. He even made a deal with me that I have to give Mickey a hug and have my pic taken with him "because....he is Mickey Mouse, mooooommmm! you have to give him LOVE!!!!"

 

[Grumpy37]

We took my son to AKL a few days before his 5th birthday. At Rafiki's Planet Watch we asked him if he'd like to meet Rafiki and get a picture taken. In hushed tones to make sure no other children could hear he said to me, "OK, but it's not the real Rafiki it's just a man in a costume..."



OMG, the cutest, funniest thing I ever saw but couldn't laugh because he was so serious! One of those priceless moments you never forget as a parent!

A day later at Epcot WS, do you think that bothered him one bit when he got an opportunity to meet Tigger? Not on your life! It was the highpoint of his vacation!

 

[BrerRabbit_fan]

We told our 2&4 yr olds the truth before our trip and were glad we did. We just came back from another trip and the now 5 yr old was still wary of the villains. The 7 yr old was a Disney freak and wanted to know the inner workings and truth to everything Disney. When the five yr old would exclaim "Isn't that magical?" the 7 yr old would say no and tell him that Tinkerbell had a rope, etc. When I finally asked her to stop ruining the magic, she explained the magic isn't Disney itself but the families having fun and spending time together.