Faking Princess Autographs: Would You Do It?

[Mambo Junkie]

I really thank you al for your opinions both pro and con. It helped me to come to my decision and see it wasn't such a big issue. It's true, I do have honesty qualms but I think to make a couple of little girls happy and since I've come to the conclusion the originals weren't real anyway, I'm ok with it.
Thanks again!

 

[Love Tink]

Honestly, the first thing I thought when I saw your original thread about losing the books was, "Why don't they just re-sign the names themselves?"

In my opinion, the important part of collecting autographs is the experience - meeting the character, getting a hug, having a conversation. The girls got to do all that. Whether the final evidence comes from a college student or from you isn't really the point, is it?

 

[dmband]

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

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

I wouldn't lie either but heck they are already being lied to

Side note, had a lady who used to work at Disney work for us, she signed a whole bunch of different ones for my son at a party. She played like ten different characters and talked about how they had to practice to make the. Look exact and stuff.

 

[Mikie]

Did you purchase Memory Maker? On there, some of the "stickers" you can add to your photos are the character signatures. There is also a way to upload your own photos for the purpose of making a photo album - maybe you can upload the character shots and add the sticker with the "right" signatures onto them.

Otherwise, I second the idea of doing a quick google search for each character's signature - bunches of images come right up. Possibly you could print them on clear address labels and stick onto your own photos or onto a character book like the one that got taken. My kids (13, 9, 7) still enjoy the books we put together on previous trips with pictures and signatures. Some will outgrow them, but some will always treasure them even after they've learned the people aren't "real".

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Did you purchase Memory Maker? On there, some of the "stickers" you can add to your photos are the character signatures. There is also a way to upload your own photos for the purpose of making a photo album - maybe you can upload the character shots and add the sticker with the "right" signatures onto them.

Otherwise, I second the idea of doing a quick google search for each character's signature - bunches of images come right up. Possibly you could print them on clear address labels and stick onto your own photos or onto a character book like the one that got taken. My kids (13, 9, 7) still enjoy the books we put together on previous trips with pictures and signatures. Some will outgrow them, but some will always treasure them even after they've learned the people aren't "real".

Thanks! I did purchase Memory Maker. We are not home yet so I have not explored everything. We all have to download pictures from our various cell phones then we will choose pictures. My Nikon was also in the book bag so we lost those, but thanks to Photo Pass we got all the pictures from the Wonderland Tea Party. It hurts a little when I think the fresh flowers she so happily presented us with after the Tea Party were on the front of the backpack. (they had smelled soooo good!) Thank you all for your suggestions and information! This is how this board is supposed to work, at least for me.

 

[PeterPanic]

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.

You do realize that they are characters and not alive. They don't have signatures to duplicate. Whatever they are using is from someone's imagination. Trust me here.. as soon as your child has reached an age where he/she knows that those characters aren't real, the fascination will be gone. And that is how is should be, in my opinion.

Now you can duplicate Walt Disney's signature because he was real and therefore actually had a signature.

The point is... no one knows or have any possibility of knowing what their signatures should look like. It isn't a problem and there is no reason to feel guilty about it.

 

[Fantasmic303]

It sounds like you've got some good options from this thread. My first thought was, if it's VERY important to you, could you send the book to WDW (maybe guest services or the hotel you stayed at), explain the situation, and include a return shipping label. My friend has a book signed by a bunch of characters for her daughter for a special occasion by making the request.

Good luck!

 

[mrsbicewdw]

You do realize that they are characters and not alive. They don't have signatures to duplicate. Whatever they are using is from someone's imagination. Trust me here.. as soon as your child has reached an age where he/she knows that those characters aren't real, the fascination will be gone. And that is how is should be, in my opinion. Now you can duplicate Walt Disney's signature because he was real and therefore actually had a signature. The point is... no one knows or have any possibility of knowing what their signatures should look like. It isn't a problem and there is no reason to feel guilty about it.

My point was that the signatures are specific and they are trained to sign them a certain way - I know, I almost took the signing class while I worked there. I know the signatures are not "real" and the person in the suit isn't "real - it doesn't mean the signatures I have gotten are any less special to me. For some people signature collecting is a big deal, and this mom (the OP) has stated that her kiddos treasure the signature books they do have. Hence wanting to replace what was lost. If signatures are not a special souvenir that you enjoy that is cool, but it doesn't mean they aren't enjoyable and special to other people.

 

[Laketravis]

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.

Awwwww........so sorry to hear that. My little guy left his camera full of pictures he had taken in the Sci-Fi bathroom last year and never got it back. He was devastated. That was a year after his stuffed Pluto plunged to his death in the crack between the monorail and the platform at MK. Needless to say, among all the happy memories are a few scattered sad ones.

I say do whatever you think you need to do so they aren't disappointed. If that means you have to "emulate" fictional signatures, so be it.

 

[jenrose66]

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.

Yes, I would "fake" them

 

[RunnerMomO]

They used to have guidelines for all of the signatures so they should look somewhat close.

 

[cgattis]

Did you purchase Memory Maker? On there, some of the "stickers" you can add to your photos are the character signatures. There is also a way to upload your own photos for the purpose of making a photo album - maybe you can upload the character shots and add the sticker with the "right" signatures onto

Just as an FYI for anyone who might think of using MM in the future, you can't add the borders to your own uploaded pics. There are a only few VERY generic borders (like hotel stationery) that you can add to uploads. I learned this a couple of years ago when the PP server had an issue during SWW and my Chewbacca pics were lost.

But in this situation, I'd either re-sign myself (after lots of practice!!) or do what another poster suggested and try sending it in. That might be expensive, but you might end up with some extra signatures you didn't have before, too

 

[Luckybee]

Thanks! I did purchase Memory Maker. We are not home yet so I have not explored everything. We all have to download pictures from our various cell phones then we will choose pictures. My Nikon was also in the book bag so we lost those, but thanks to Photo Pass we got all the pictures from the Wonderland Tea Party. It hurts a little when I think the fresh flowers she so happily presented us with after the Tea Party were on the front of the backpack. (they had smelled soooo good!) Thank you all for your suggestions and information! This is how this board is supposed to work, at least for me.

If you're still there perhaps speak to guest services at one of the parks and see if they could assist in any way to replace the book . It couldn't hurt to ask.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I'm not in the park any more. I love the idea of sending the books in, but I hesitate to let them out of my hands because I do have about a dozen "authentic" autographs. I think I will practice a lot and sign them. As I said before, my son has 4 books he had signed while growing up, and some of the signatures were pretty special, like Pluto drawing paw prints, and April O'neal drawing a happy face. I have pictures of him getting all the autographs, and our Memory Maker has some awesome character signing pictures as well. Thanks for all the pixie dust; it is much appreciated. I sat at City Hall for 5 hours waiting until the end of the night to see if it had been turned in and cried for most of it. Then I just sucked it up, came up with a plan to spend my last 2 days getting as many character signatures as possible and figure out what to do about the rest (Cinderella, Merida, A&E, Snow White, Belle, Aurora, and a few others).



edit to add: we were lucky the last day planned to eat at 1900 Park Fare for breakfast so she got Alice and the Mad Hatter again as she lost everything from the Tea Party.

 

[Eastern]

I would forge away.

Most. Definitely.

 

[PeterPanic]

My point was that the signatures are specific and they are trained to sign them a certain way - I know, I almost took the signing class while I worked there. I know the signatures are not "real" and the person in the suit isn't "real - it doesn't mean the signatures I have gotten are any less special to me. For some people signature collecting is a big deal, and this mom (the OP) has stated that her kiddos treasure the signature books they do have. Hence wanting to replace what was lost. If signatures are not a special souvenir that you enjoy that is cool, but it doesn't mean they aren't enjoyable and special to other people.

Yes they are, to some extent trained to do a signature in the manner that somebody wants it to look, but, one of the requirements of being a character is not that they should be able to flawlessly forge character signatures. But sending it back in no way means that whomever was in character that day will be available or even be known. It could be someone completely different.

Gosh, I can understand children being enamored by the process and valuing the signatures for a short while, but adults, by the time they become parents should be able to know what is going on and merely, like with Santa, play the game until their child matures enough to know better.

As someone said, you can probably go online and see what the standard, as close as you can get, official signatures are and copy them just like the kids in the foam heads do. You can send something in at some expense and get exactly what you would if you did it yourself. It's not like they are going to go to meet and greets and get each one to sign them.

Somebody will sit at his or her desk and copy the fabricated signature. You can do the same thing and have it done by tonight. And honestly your child will not hold it against you even if they find out you did it. In this case what happens between you and an autograph book, stays between you and an autograph book.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

In this case what happens between you and an autograph book, stays between you and an autograph book.

Lol!

 

[Frozen2014]

I'm so sorry the knapsack with the autograph book has not shown up. I remember your post from before when you lost it.
I can see how bad you feel knowing how disappointed your little ones will be.
If it was me, I think I'd feel just as bad faking the autographs...but I know what you mean that it is not really Cinderalla...just someone in the costume...so whatever you decide, will be the right decision.
I'm sorry as was really hoping it would show up.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

No, I would not do so. We have two DDs, ages 14 and 10. What we all value and enjoy are the photos we have of the girls with the characters. If you have photos, I would say you are good to go. This loss might sting now, and I am sorry this happened, but I personally would not try to recreate those signatures in the encyclopedias because chances are very strong that one day your kids will not care if they have them or not. At least this has been my experience.

I am sorry again, it's the absolute pits to have something taken, especially when the items have such sentimental value.

 

[canoe86]

Why don't you start anther thread asking if anyone on here has a extra autograph book or two around they could send you. I would guess there are multiple posters on here who have these books collecting dust.