I guess I am the only one with a negative impression of Pal Mickey
We tried him back in June '03 (soon after he was introduced). We rented him rather than buying him. Pal Mickey never did talk like he was supposed to. We had TERRIBLE customer service at Epcot and MK regarding Pal Mickey from CMs who seemed utterly clueless about how to help us (my only complaint about WDW service ever, by the way). When we passed near places where sensors were supposed to be at Epcot, for example, PM did not talk either "on cue" or when prompted. I remember having to wait in looooong lines at the Camera Shop near SSE, and then at Guest Services, just to have a CM tell me basically that she couldn't help me. By the end of the day DW were joking that looking out for PM was like having a third (albeit unruly and tiresome) child to look after in the parks. We spent more time making sure he was still with us than we did interacting with him! Good think we didn't have to buy him a Hopper!
We will never, ever spend another nickel on Pal Mickey.