autograph pens

[Suzflee]

I read all the neat ideas about autograph books. How about the pens to use? I read "fat" pens so the characters can hold them. Would Sharpie permanent ones be fat enough?

 

[Ratpack]

I would suggest getting the ones they sell at WDW in all the stores and resorts. It is like $2.50. It is a "Fat" ball point pen. Sharpies are good, but they can bleed through the paper in the books and they sometimes get on the costumes of the characters. Also, if you get the pen at WDW and they stop working, just carry it back into any store and they will replace it free of charge.

 

[oogieboogie]

BIC makes a nice fat pen. It's blue green or orange purple. Fat enough for the characters but not as long as the disney pens.

I got mine for about $1.67. Walmart has them.

 

[Suzflee]

As usual, go to the experts for the answers! Many thanks and I'll say hi to Tigger for you

(although I'm bouncing more than the kids are!!!)

 

[Katy Belle]

We just returned from our first trip and the pen drove me crazy! We bought a "fat pen" from a gift shop, but kept losing it! It would be in my husband's pocket when I thought I had it, etc. Then I remembered that when my mom was working as a nurse she had pens with a string, to hang around her neck! I asked in a gift shop if they sold them and they didn't. Later I saw a little girl with one and my last hour in a park I saw a Mickey pen on a string in a gift shop. It may be a hazard, get caught on a ride, so I wouldn't put it on the child, but if you wore it you could find it!!

Katy Belle

 

[goofy4tink]

Don't use the Sharpies!! We did and Mickey almost had a little mouse heart attack. His handler told us the pens really make a mess of Mickey's clothes. We use the park pens now. I also have used a spiral book for an autograph book since I like to add the photo of my child getting the autograph to the page next to the actual autograph. I found that I could tie the pen to the spiral binding with a shoelace. That way, it didn't get lost and it was always right there, ready to be used. I did find it a good idea to use some tape to keep the shoelace from slipping on the pen.

 

[meeko_33785]

The characters do not like the sharpies since they can mess up their outfits- especially since many of them from Mickey to Cinderella to Geppetto all wear white gloves which can easily be marked up. As for the pens they sell in the parks, I would recogmend being very careful with them. They're made pretty cheeply (even though the sell them for $2.50 or so per pen) and break easily. I bought one on my last trip and it didn't even make it through the day.

 

[4407mark]

I'll second the previous posters - the park pens seem to work really well. I bought two at the Mission Space shop in August and use it at work every day. I have used Sharpies in the past (signing a Chef's hat at Chef Mickey's) and I always asked the character if they would like me to put the pen in their hand - every one of them said (well, nodded) yes.

For autograph books, I'd say go with the fat pens - whether you buy them before you go or at the parks.

 

[gary4jenn]

They have an area in the front of the store where they have bins of stuff from $1-$5. I found Disney pens for $1. I bought one of each- MIckey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy. They have a cap that comes off and if we lose one, I'll have extras. Also since we are going with another family. We will be able to split up and not worry about who has the pen.

When we went last month I bought the bic XXL pens from Office Depot. About $5 for 2.

 

[DISshopkeeper]

Here's a DIS pen that we carry right here in the DISshop!

You can see it in the DISshop !!

 

[TandyR]

We ended up buying our autograph books and fat pens at Publix. The fat pens Publix had had a string and it also had a safety release in case it caught on something the string would pop open. I am not sure how much the fat pens cost there, but I spent about $7 for two autograph books and two fat pens.