How do you explain to 4 yr old about characters?

[sunlover13]

We took our first trip to Disneyworld this past May and we explained to DD4 that the face characters will talk to you and the costume characters do not talk. She seemed fine with that. This morning, she was watching something on TV with Mickey talking and started asking a lot of questions about why he didn't talk to her at Disneyworld. Is he real? Is it a costume? etc. etc. etc...........

Any advice? We are tentatively going back this September and I don't want her thinking the characters are not "real."

Thanks!

 

[guelde96]

I would tell her the characters are shy. They don't like to talk in person. Maybe that will work.

 

[buckler]

It is very hard for animals to talk so they can't do it for very long. If they tried to talk to everyone they would get laryngitis. So, to be fair they don't talk to anyone.

 

[Juniortrooper]

I totally wasn't thinking before I spoke about characters to my 4 year old...I was telling him there was nothing to be afraid of--they are just people dressed up in costumes, you know, like Santa Claus....
Whoopsie! Luckily, he has that male selective hearing thing down pat and he was only half listening and I quickly changed the subject...
The whole character thing is tricky--I don't really have any good answers but I'm anxious to get some advice from others as to how they explained everything!

Amy

 

[disykat]

I totally wasn't thinking before I spoke about characters to my 4 year old...I was telling him there was nothing to be afraid of--they are just people dressed up in costumes, you know, like Santa Claus....
Whoopsie! Luckily, he has that male selective hearing thing down pat and he was only half listening and I quickly changed the subject...
The whole character thing is tricky--I don't really have any good answers but I'm anxious to get some advice from others as to how they explained everything!

Amy

LOL! He probably wouldn't have thought a thing of it. He'd think "yes, Santa Claus is a person who dresses up in special clothes."

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. My oldest dd pretty much figured out the whole character thing on her own (I think b/c she connected it to dressing up in Halloween costumes), and her younger sister overheard all her discoveries. They both still have a vivid imagination. They both still love meeting the characters. They still love pretending. It hasn't ruined anything for them.

 

[sunlover13]

Thanks everyone! I think I might try they can't talk to everyone so they won't talk to anyone. That should work.........

My DD was trying to figure it all out when we were there in May. She claims the red power ranger talked to her and that's all I ever hear about. She met all the princesses and of course they talked to her, but she was in awe that the red power ranger talked to her.

 

[Hannathy]

My kids have always known they were just people in costumes but they still love Disney and when little liked getting pictures with the characters. Everything at Disney is "Disney Made" so this just fit in with that train of thought. Actually my kids especially my DD always said "doesn't the HARD head and the unmovable fingers give it away" and she was a very tiny tot when she said this! She is now a teenager and still likes to go to Disney.

 

[sskem96]

My kids have always known they are costumes because they were scared of Chuck E Cheese when they were little, so we told them it was just a person dressed up so they wouldn't be scared. Actually, I don't remember ever thinking character were real when I was little. I only found out that some kids think that from these forums! It's hard enough to keep up the Santa, Easter Bunny, and Tooth Fairy charade, but we still believe in those!

 

[_tinkerbell_]

My parents have always said to my younger brother and sister that the characters cant talk to everyone because they would lose their voice....theres too many children to talk to and its not fair if they only talk to some of them..lol i believed it when i was younger.

 

[Stevegriswold]

I would tell her the characters are shy. They don't like to talk in person. Maybe that will work.

I just tell them the characters are mute and deaf and if you want to talk to Mickey you need to learn sign language for our next trip.

 

[slduck]

I just tell them the characters are mute and deaf and if you want to talk to Mickey you need to learn sign language for our next trip.

My 5 year old has been asking about why they don't talk. She has been learning baby signs. I should tell her this. It would make for some interesting home video.

I almost cried when my dd told me that it wasn't Mickey just a person in a suit.

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

When my boys asked I reminded them that Mickey was a cartoon and cartoon people can not walk around in the real world so they had to use costumes.

 

[GrowingUpDisney]

My boys, especially Bobby, were completely FREAKED out by the characters, so I told them they were real people in costumes. Now they LOVE the characters and aren't a bit afraid. The idea of a giant mouse walking around hugging kids is kinda scary afterall...add to that the fact that he can't talk! Whew!

 

[emma'smom]

We had a neighbor girl who is a few years older tell my dd5 that the characters weren't real. My dd came as asked me whether is was true and I just said "Well, has she ever been to Disney?" "No". "Have you?" "Yes!" "Then who knows more about what really happens in Disney?" "I do." "So, don't worry about what the neighbor says, trust what you know to be true." She came to her own conclusions and hasn't said anything since.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

DH (who isn't NEARLY as Disney obsessed as I am) simply told DD that Ursula stole their voices. She totally bought it and now tells anyone she knows who goes to Disney is that the characters don't talk because Ursula stole their voices.

 

[Stevegriswold]

When my boys asked I reminded them that Mickey was a cartoon and cartoon people can not walk around in the real world so they had to use costumes.

I just tell my kids that the person inside the costume does not speak English.