I'm not like most of you. I don't go around telling kids that the characters aren't real. In fact, I'm very cautious around children these days.
But, anyway, I did grow up knowing the characters in the cartoons were not necessarily real. But, I enjoyed them, I still enjoy them, and I always will enjoy them. The only character that I truly believed in as a kid was Santa Claus, but I stopped believing when one Christmas Eve, my mom got injured getting out the presents. But, I wasn't mad or disappointed when it happened. I was worried about my mom.
But, like I said, I believe in "preserving the magic." That means not making a living of shouting "Mickey's just a cartoon" or doing other things. In fact, I am my high school's mascot and love making the kids that are there happy. I also plan on trying out for the Disney College program in the character field.