Faking Princess Autographs: Would You Do It?

[Mambo Junkie]

We "lost" our backpack on Dec 3 at MK. I just called lost and found again but still no luck. The only thing I care about were the 2 encyclopedia of Disney character books where we got all the princess autographs. Every one. Lots of hours and character meals gone. We still have 2 of the regular autograph books where we got the characters not in the encyclopedia. We have all the photos: my thought is to "create" autographs to replace those lost. Would you do it? They're 2 and 4 so they would never know.

 

[MPB82]

We "lost" our backpack on Dec 3 at MK. I just called lost and found again but still no luck. The only thing I care about were the 2 encyclopedia of Disney character books where we got all the princess autographs. Every one. Lots of hours and character meals gone. We still have 2 of the regular autograph books where we got the characters not in the encyclopedia. We have all the photos: my thought is to "create" autographs to replace those lost. Would you do it? They're 2 and 4 so they would never know.

See if you can find one on eBay or something like that, going back in the next 2 years? If so it can be done again. In the end if you think it's something they will wantsnd don't feel guilty then go for it. They are actors as the princesses are made up so it's not like you forged the presidents signature.

 

[ORMom2Four]

I would probably just tell the kids that it was lost. Honestly, by the time you order books and do fake autographs, they will have moved onto something else.

Is the 4 year old very upset about the autographs?

I have twin 4 year old girls, and if we lost an autograph book, they would be upset only for a day or two. At 4 years old, they tend to lose interest very quickly.

 

[Nancyg56]

I would not lie. I think kids understand what lost means so I would tell them what happened.

 

[serene56]

All our books have the name of the child and a cell phone number along with an address in case we misplace it.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We have not told the 4 year old yet. What makes me hesitate is the fact that we made one when we took her at 2 and she takes it around and shows it to everyone. She's taken it to her pre school for show and tell twice. The fact that they're actors and each one is probably do their own signature is what makes me think it's not a big deal to just write the names down. As far as going back in 2 years we would ordinarily be planning our next one plus I had a couples only trip for next year which I cancelled because it has gotten so expensive. We are also discussing the pre planning which had to go into this and it was certainly a more stressful vacation due to heavy crowds and keeping schedules. By day 4 we had tossed all the plans out and just winged it and it was way more enjoyable. I wish we had done it sooner because the kids really enjoyed the pool which makes me think beach.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Sure. I mean the autographs are kind of, er, fantasy to begin with right

 

[Mambo Junkie]

All our books have the name of the child and a cell phone number along with an address in case we misplace it.

We did too but when I said "lost" it was not really lost. It was taken while I was in the restroom. I laid it beside the stroller which my husband moved because a couple of young boys started playing football with a full water bottle. He was afraid it would hit the baby.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We did too but when I said "lost" it was not really lost. It was taken while I was in the restroom. I laid it beside the stroller which my husband moved because a couple of young boys started playing football with a full water bottle. He was afraid it would hit the baby.

I have been calling daily to see if someone at least tossed the books.

 

[PeterPanic]

Sure. I mean the autographs are kind of, er, fantasy to begin with right

Absolutely! It's a kid in a costume that signed them anyway. They are no more princesses then you are.

The thing with these type of autographs is that the value to the child is fleeting at best. Once they have reached a certain age they know what is going on and then just memories (if they have one) will continue. Memories will stay but signatures will eventually take there place as no more valuable then the paper they are written on.

I have a granddaughter that was an avid autograph collector at 9 years old. Today at 11 she doesn't know or care where those book are. Just like keeping the Santa Claus, etc. alive, it's the same thing. When it ends, it ends and no one will ever know the difference. Nor, contrary to popular beliefs, cause any issue with trust, so stop worrying, sign them and let that be your little secret forever.

 

[sheetz]

I wonder if you contacted guest services if they might be able to get you the autographs you lost. It wouldn't be hard for them as they could just get some office intern to fake the autographs and send them to you. But at least your conscience would be clear.

 

[mrsbicewdw]

Just look up a photo of each signature on Google and then replicate. Yes, they are "actors" signing, but they do have training in how to sign for their character (so they all look similar year to year, person to person). At our resort we tried to have a trained character signature person on shift all the time to sign pictures to leave in rooms for special requests. Basically any cast member can take a character signature class and learn the main sigs, like the Fab Five and other popular characters. As to whether your four year olds will remember that they need these books....I still have my signature books from my trips at that age (4, 5, 6, etc). They are all dated and I love having them. So it is very possible they could miss these. And you could also contact Guest Services and explain the situation - I bet you could get signed photos to replace them if you want to be honest with your girl that they were lost. Either way will keep the magic going.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Just look up a photo of each signature on Google and then replicate. Yes, they are "actors" signing, but they do have training in how to sign for their character (so they all look similar year to year, person to person). At our resort we tried to have a trained character signature person on shift all the time to sign pictures to leave in rooms for special requests. Basically any cast member can take a character signature class and learn the main sigs, like the Fab Five and other popular characters. As to whether your four year olds will remember that they need these books....I still have my signature books from my trips at that age (4, 5, 6, etc). They are all dated and I love having them. So it is very possible they could miss these. And you could also contact Guest Services and explain the situation - I bet you could get signed photos to replace them if you want to be honest with your girl that they were lost. Either way will keep the magic going.

I still have 4 from my son's visits when he was little. He still values them.

 

[mrsbicewdw]

I still have 4 from my son's visits when he was little. He still values them.

It's like a little window into those visits, isn't it? :mickeyears:

 

[pavicich]

I don't see the harm and have done it myself. Have not had to create a full collection but set it outside the door at night for "Disney mail" and in the am the princess/character with the crazy wait signed it overnight for DD

 

[mirak]

I don't mean to laugh, but the fact that you're even hesitating about this demonstrates that you are a VERY honest person!

The sigs weren't real in the first place, so by all means "forge" them again - as long as you think you can find a suitable replacement book that won't arouse suspicion.

Do you still have all the pictures from those meet & greets? If so, that's the only keepsake that matters - not squiggles on a book.

 

[bumbershoot]

Just like keeping the Santa Claus, etc. alive, it's the same thing. When it ends, it ends and no one will ever know the difference. Nor, contrary to popular beliefs, cause any issue with trust, so stop worrying, sign them and let that be your little secret forever.

I'm so glad you have kids like that.

Not all kids are like that. Some kids do, actually, take things seriously, and if they were to find out their parents lied, they could be devastated. Alas, sometimes it's hard to tell what kind of kids you have until it's all too late.

The idea of keeping a secret, in your words, forever like this would keep me from doing it. If it's something I would just confess later, then what's the point of it? If it might cause questions from an older child, it could actually work against me later on. If it becomes a funny story later on, that's awesome, but that's not the sort of thing you KNOW when kids are that little.

I'd just tell them if they ask. Sometimes things get left behind, and sometimes other people pick them up. Somewhere out there maybe there's a little kid enjoying the book. Somewhere out there maybe there's a package making its way to you because you put name and address in it, and the parents of the kids that might have picked it up are decent people. When my son's new pirate hat was taken from under a ratty sweatshirt under the rental stroller at Disneyland, it was a moment of growth for all of us, to realize that we had to be careful. He was so little but he was so big about it. Talked about the "bad pirates" that sneak around the parks, and you have to be careful. And a year or so later when DH talked us into getting DS a build your own lightsaber that was far too big for DS, and we all sat down on a bench and got up and forgot about it, and 5 minutes later it was gone gone gone, that was another moment of "no really, we have to be careful".

It was a lot of work to get the autographs, but I assume you got more from the character meals and meetings than JUST the autographs. They had experiences, you got memories, and you got pictures. The signatures are just signatures.


To keep this secret, this silly secret, "forever", just seems pointless. It's signatures. Focus on what you did get from it, work on being more careful in the future, hope that someone who doesn't know about Lost and Found is sending you a package soon to arrive, and go make a photobook of those pictures. Those are far more important than the signatures.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I don't mean to laugh, but the fact that you're even hesitating about this demonstrates that you are a VERY honest person!

The sigs weren't real in the first place, so by all means "forge" them again - as long as you think you can find a suitable replacement book that won't arouse suspicion.

Do you still have all the pictures from those meet & greets? If so, that's the only keepsake that matters - not squiggles on a book.

Oh I would eventually tell them just not at 4. I would think there would be no more scarring from trust issues with the fact that you forged the signatures than it is to pretend that the princesses are real. (Or Santa Claus, Easter bunny etc) In fact they may just love you even more that you took the time to ensure their happiness. As for the book I do have the one where you do the autograph and the picture beside it so they can see themselves meeting the princesses. I already had some autographs from the characters that were not in the encyclopedia. Thanks for the tip on researching the different ones! I think I'll do it

 

[laughinplace199]

Well, since they're fake to begin with, I don't any reason not to make a new book yourself.

There's no difference between a young lady wearing a blue dress signing "Cinderella" and you signing "Cinderella" - neither of you is the actual Cinderella.

 

[rwdavis2]

I would fake them. The kids will not care about them by the time they are ten any way. The "originals" we're not real in the first place.