Do the characters really hug you ??

[DisneyMama409]

You know you watch the commercials and the tv specials and it shows Mickey or Pooh embracing you in a hug . I want to know if the character do that in real life. I admit Ill feel pretty wierd trying to hug Mickey LOL it would be awkward ...My dd has her heart set on hugging Mickey! She talks about it nonstop...were going to go on a plane and hug mickey mouse!Mickey mouse wants to hug me etc. So do they really hug you or do they shake your hand and pose for a picture ?? Do they interact much? I was watching the roseanne and full house Disney episodes and the characters interacted alot and it was awesome...Do they still do that ? I think its totally cute when I see the characters playing with the guests on the tv shows ....I want to hug Pooh

 

[Sabbie]

Yes! Characters will hug you, shake your hands, pose with you, everything!

The best way to interact with them is to talk to - regardless if they talk or not! For example, if you get in line to see Donald, ask him why Mickey is everywhere and not him. He'll throw a fit! Characters LOVE when you make conversations with them and have fun! Ask Peter what adventures he's been on as of late. Tell a Princess that you want to be a princess yourself!

If you need any help with characters, let me know! Regardless, never be afraid of characters, or to ask questions! They're fantastic!

 

[DisneyMama409]

Thats a great tip to actually talk to the characters! Im usually shy in general so ill definetly have to think of what to say to them beforehand...Ill say something like hey you're my favorite!

 

[Jess6001]

The characters totally interact with you! I mean it all depends on the exact CM but they usually hug you and play around (high fives, joking, etc). Last year, we had tons of great interactions with characters (and we're all adults!) I think your daughter will have no problem getting a hug from Mickey!!

As for talking with the characters, that's a great idea b/c they usually cannot actually "talk" to you...they need something to go off. Last year I accidentally insulted Donald by saying he was older than he was...he made such a show about being angry and hurt! It was so funny!

 

[phyllis1966]

Yes indeed! As Sabbie said, and it seems as if she knows some characters pretty well (!), they love to hug kids (happy grown-ups, too). It's one of the many reasons WDW is my favorite vacation destination - so many people, some furry, some not-so-furry - try their best to help you and your kids have a wonderful, and yes, Magical, time! DD has enjoyed hugging and being hugged since she was 3 1/2 years old. She's almost 11 now, and although she says it doesn't matter much to her because she's "not a little kid anymore," I see that special smile when she gets a hug from one of her big, furry friends.

This isn't a hugging pic, but it's the first time we ever saw Marie (she was in France), and DD was delighted:

Thank you to all you wonderful CM's and your character friends - we love you guys!

 

[humboldthny]

DD6 hugs pretty much all the characters all the time (with the exception of Captain Hook and the Mad Hatter!)...some of my best pics are hugging pics.

It seems to me that the characters are pretty good at reading a situation and body language as to the level of contact someone wants....

 

[davis65]

My boys got hugs from every character they met last week. Pooh and tigger included!! they couldn't help themselves, they had to hug everyone.

 

[Sabbie]

Yes indeed! As Sabbie said, and it seems as if she knows some characters pretty well (!)...

Characters are my best friends!

Also, awesome Marie pictures. She's so sassy!

 

[tink713]

I was just at Chef Mickeys this morning and Mickey came up to me and gave me a big hug and kiss! And then he requested a kiss on his cheek too! The character interaction is great!

 

[isk8]

My son kissed every single princess (on the cheek) at CRT in September. Belle and Jasmine returned the favor. But he is 4 and super cute, so he could get away with it!

 

[luvthemouse71]

Yup, they hug you..I have also been kissed by Stitch and Chip and Dale. So nice to hug them too-like gigantic stuffed animals.

 

[PoohsFan1]

Make sure your DD lets her favorite characters know that they are her favorites, the characters love that. For instance, my DD6's all time favorite character is Minnie Mouse, and whenever she tells them she is her biggest fan, Minnie will always give her the biggest hugs and kisses and just give so much attention to my DD, which leaves my DD giggling and smiling from ear to ear. Also, one time while eating at Akershus breakfast, Jasmine was one of the princesses that made the rounds (she is my DD8's favorite princess). My DD told her how much she loved Jasmine, so Jasmine gave my DD a huge hug and then started talking to her about her movies and what was my DD's favorite parts in all of them. Then she wanted my DD to sing "A Whole New World" with her....this made my DD8's day, I had never seen her smile as much as she did that day

 

[freshlybarked]

They certainly will hug you. I was in a store in United Kingdom and Pooh and Tigger were there. I'm 48 and have no kids. I was standing watching Pooh and Tigger came up to me and "kissed" me with his nose then he bounced off. It was sweet.

 

[PearlySwan]

OP, go to Youtube.com and type "Minnie Mouse Makeout" on the search function. I promise it's not anything inappropriate, but rather a very funny video. Yes, characters will hug you if that's something you want to have happen. Have a great time at WDW!

 

[disneydad78]

yes they do !!! I believe his name is elton, very friendly guy,played football with my son before epcot opened. Gave him a disney fastpass collector pin.He was a member of the dream team! Then he gave my son a hug,,lol for pic!!

 

[Finally08]

Yep! DD has been hugged, "kissed", made to kiss them, twirled around, pulled into their laps (I have the cutest video of Dopey sitting with her in his lap, on the ground, rocking and hugging and kissing her) - and once Goofy even tried to run off with her!
We love the interaction, and it's not just for kids either. I got pounced on by Tigger whilst innocently walking through Fantasyland on our last trip.

 

[100acrewoodsfan]

The characters are great! I have been hugged by almost all of the ones I have met. Mickey even got down on one knee and proposed to me on my honeymoon cause my DH was off doing something else when I met him. Minnie was pretty jealous.

 

[Reto]

Meeting the characters is one of my favorite things to do and it certainly is magical to get a hug from none other than your childhood idol. Doesn't matter how old you are - if you give them a hug, they'll hug you, too.

Here's a pic of Tigger hugging me over at Disneyland. He's one of my very faves:

Next we have Miss Bunny at AK:

And finally two photos of my very favorite, Baloo. It's indeed a good tip to talk to the characters. Whenever I met Baloo, I told him he's my childhood idol. That got me a couple of extra photos with some cool poses.

Another big bear hug:

 

[Poohlovr]

We've has so much fun with the characters!

I have a great picture of Pluto trying to eat my grandson's head. You see Justin's body, then Pluto's mouth. So cute.

Another time, we walked into Epcot via the IG and Pluto was playing fetch with his handler. The next thing I know, Pluto has grabbed my grandson and had him chasing the stick, with Pluto throwing it.

Once, on an all-girls trip with some fellow DISers, we were at LTT when it was still a character meal. Somehow, the chipmunks started wrestling (I'm not sure, but people seemed to think we started it ). They went into the back for a bit. When it ws time to come back in, their handler walked over to our table and wanted to know if it was safe to bring them back out--if we were going to behave. You know they wlked out, walked over to our table, flexed thier muscles and started wrestling again!

During the wrestling match, Goofy came out and sat with us to watch. He pulled me onto his lap and there the two of us sat, watching the wrestlng match.

I've never had so much fun at a dinner!

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

It seems to me that the characters are pretty good at reading a situation and body language as to the level of contact someone wants....

We had a good example of this! My girls who are both 13 are very different personalities. One is a real girly girl, and when she met Donald Duck at Chef Mickey she got a big hug. Next in line was her sister, who is a tom-boy and much more hesitant in her interactions. For her, Donald shook her hand, and then bowed and kissed her hand! The picture of her shy smile is priceless! I was very impressed that "he" understood!

The other good character story is Belle. My husband was with the kids when they met Belle. He asked if they could take a picture with her and she very politely said she can not hug him but she'd be happy to hold his arm for the picture! So proper!

And, my DS13 (yes, he's also 13) got a lot of "guy" poses from the characters, arms folded, high fives, dude stuff.

They're not just dressing up....