Is It A Magic Spoiler?

[Jasper Dale]

i am pretty thick skinned and do not generally get upset by stuff other people say.

however, one of the main reasons my wife and i scrimp and save to go to Disney World is that it is about the only place where you can "turn off the world" and let your imagination soar.

is it silly for two grown adults to "pretend" that the characters are "real"? maybe it is. but i NEED a break from regular life from time to time.

truly, some people must be so dull and jaded that they can't even suspend reality for a few days at WDW.

 

[seashoreCM]

"I saw a mouse caught by the neck in my trap the other day and when I picked up the trap the mouse fell off minus his head. I saw a leprechaun's head sticking out of the mouse body which must have been a costume. Or it must have been Minnie I caught because the leprechaun looked like Thumbelina. Or was it Tinker Bell inside?"

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/disney.htm

 

[DisneyWitch]

This is just an opinion from a middle aged woman with no kids, but not one of those "get off my lawn, you brat!" type of person. Haven't been to WDW, but as a California girl, I have spent plenty of time in Disneyland. Sorry for the length of this opinion, but I was pretty shocked that some grownups can be so insensitive towards kids, at a place which focuses a lot of its purpose at making things magic for little ones!

First off: I'm 100% against spoiling the magic for anyone - be it a munchkin or an ol' crusty broad like myself. Besides, it doesn't hurt anyone to just keep one's trap shut!

1. Pointing out "reality" (whatever that is) in front of kids, which could possibly spoil the magic, is no better than telling a stranger's child that Santa doesn't exist. It's not my place to do that, nor do I think it's ethical. The physical nature of Marie, or Belle or anyone else at Disney is a conversation that should be between the parents and the little ones. What if the little one truly BELIEVES that it is in fact Marie, and not a person in a fur suit? So...when a person says, "Wow...must be hot in that costume!", the child may actually hear "That's not really Marie and this whole vacation is a big ol' lie." This can potentially open up a honkin' can of worms that neither the child nor the parents might be ready to deal with - especially not while on a glorious (and expensive) vacation! It could potentially cause worry, stress and a crappy time. I refuse to be the person responsible for ruining anyone's vacation if I can avoid it!

2. For those of us big kids who may suspect that real life might include a few costumes (because Mickey can't be EVERYWHERE and needs a few helpers), I think staying quiet is an important courtesy. When we enter places like WDW, we enter a world that is somewhat outside of our own (but thank goodness gravity still works!!!) . We go on vacation to escape reality, not to reinforce it. That's what work, and bills, and other obligations are for. Yes, I know about those costume things - doesn't mean I have to believe it when I'm there. I'll save logic for when I go back to my 9-5.

Let's correlate this, ok? I mean, do you go on a cruise and tell some random stranger, "Hey...you know how polluted this water is, and that you can drown in less than 30 seconds, and that if you fall overboard you could possibly be lost forever and be shark food?" That is ridiculous - you enjoy the view, the relative security and the joy of being on vacation.

It's fun to spend a few days disregarding the real world and "what is possible/impossible" and that silly logic stuff. We are taught (erroneously in my opinion) from an early age that pretending is frowned upon, and imagination is wasted time. They tell kids that having an "imaginary friend" or living in a "fantasy world" is silly and wrong. I say Bulls....er....FIDDLESTICKS! Some of our greatest thinkers - Einstein, Hawking, Kaku, Edison, Copernicus, Nietsche, Kant, Newton, Sagan, etc., were self-acknowledged dreamers, and look at how these people (and more) have enhanced our civilization and knowledge. I personally think that expanding my imagination at Disney means that I'm part of a very illustrious club! LOL

I would never try to spoil the magic by injecting reality in public. Especially when kids are there, doesn't matter if those kids are 4 or 44!

I think it's a good thing that the OP was separated from their sister for a short while - maybe it gave her time to realize that the rules are a smidge different in Disney! <<laugh>> I hope she returned with a better perspective!

Long live Marie, and everyone else!

 

[mjp12831]

Maybe you dont want to ask them, but I'd be willing to wager that most kids 5yo and older are smart enough to figure out the characters are people in costumes - especially the non-human ones like Mickey, Donald, ...

That doesn't imply that they aren't excited to see them.

Our 5yo knew it - We were waiting in a small line to see Donald, and I asked her if she was excited to see him - she told me "Dad, it isn't really Donald Duck". She still enjoyed getting her picture taken with him and getting his autograph, and looked forward to finding the next character (as did our 7yo and 8yo).

The princesses are a little different - it's easier for them to believe they are real because they talk and they look like people.

 

[okeydokey]

My kids always knew the characters were actors and it never spoiled the magic. I will try to refrain from speaking about this in front of other children, but I also think most kids really do get it. It is still a great experience.

 

[Dorisk3]

Maybe you dont want to ask them, but I'd be willing to wager that most kids 5yo and older are smart enough to figure out the characters are people in costumes - especially the non-human ones like Mickey, Donald, ...

That doesn't imply that they aren't excited to see them.

Our 5yo knew it - We were waiting in a small line to see Donald, and I asked her if she was excited to see him - she told me "Dad, it isn't really Donald Duck". She still enjoyed getting her picture taken with him and getting his autograph, and looked forward to finding the next character (as did our 7yo and 8yo).

The princesses are a little different - it's easier for them to believe they are real because they talk and they look like people.

I agree- I think my daughters play along and my little one likes to believe that there is for example a mini pooh inside the big pooh costume (he's not that big in 'real life')- but they both know there are people in there. At five my daughter also circled around Donald Duck looking for the zipper.

While I don't think you need to shout about how hot the characters are, it's probably a non issue because most kids over the age of 5 are probably suspending their disbelief anyway.

 

[SilverSynchro919]

It really and truly bothers me when someone does something like this.

I've been visiting WDW since I was too young to remember. I've been six times in nineteen years, and between visits, I spend at least half my time on the DIS, online listening to Disney Radio, etc., waiting for the day when I can take my next trip. I'm turning nineteen in less than a month, well past the age when I should believe that the characters are real, but when I am in Disney, or when I see pictures/videos or read accounts of character interaction, they are real to me. Disney has been such a huge part of my life since before I was born, and going to Disney allows me to continue my childhood even as I enter adulthood. So when someone "spoils" it for the children, they are also spoiling it for me.

When I am on vacation, I want to forget about life. I want to get away from work and classes and all of my daily trials and tribulations. Seeing those characters and KNOWING that they are real allows me to enter that magic world that Walt Disney himself wanted. I also want my twelve year old autistic brother to have some time to interact with other people and have FUN. He loves the characters, especially Mickey. If someone were to tell him that Mickey "wasn't real?" It would break his heart, not to mention my family's. We have had some of our best social progress with him and his interaction with Mickey and the princesses.

If you want to believe that the characters aren't real, you're just ruining the magic for yourself...please don't take it away from anyone else.

 

[bytheblood]

Originally Posted by Lorilais_mommie View Post
I hate to think what will happen when christmas comes.. and those non-believers try to tell her Santa is not real...

PS.. I believe...

This is one area where I do not "keep the magic" so-to-speak. We told our child when she was young there was no santa or easter bunny. This really had to do with our faith/beliefs. BUT, I would NEVER ever considering saying something like that in front of somebody else's child. It is up to the parent to decide what they want to allow their child to believe.

 

[bytheblood]

All this "people in costumes" is crazy talk to me. I am a 35 year old Dreamer. Everything in Disney is magic and real. So yes, you can see a 5 foot mouse and he is real.

That is EXACTLY it!!!

 

[Lbg206]

It upsets me a great deal when people say things like that. There have been a number of times I've wanted to laugh or talk about something about the "character" but I wait until we're either back at the hotel alone or definitely out of hearing range of kids. You should NOT be talking about costumes and such when kids can hear you because it completely spoils the magic. It was especially hard for us the time we came across a female Mickey. LOL but you just don't talk about it while kids are around. What's wrong with letting the magic stay magical for them?

 

[Planogirl]

DS and I always talk about the people in costumes because the CM's interest us more than the costumes. He's 17 though and we talk quietly so people would really have to strain to hear us. I like the characters, being a big Tigger and Goofy fan, but how it all works has always intrigued me more than the fantasy.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Maybe you dont want to ask them, but I'd be willing to wager that most kids 5yo and older are smart enough to figure out the characters are people in costumes - especially the non-human ones like Mickey, Donald, ...

That doesn't imply that they aren't excited to see them.

Our 5yo knew it - We were waiting in a small line to see Donald, and I asked her if she was excited to see him - she told me "Dad, it isn't really Donald Duck". She still enjoyed getting her picture taken with him and getting his autograph, and looked forward to finding the next character (as did our 7yo and 8yo).

The princesses are a little different - it's easier for them to believe they are real because they talk and they look like people.

ITA. I know people feel very differently about this subject, though, so I would never go around the park loudly talking about "costumes"... but there is no way we could have convinced my kids - even at 4 yrs old - that there was really a giant mouse name Mickey, who didn't speak, walking around WDW.

DS4 was the one to mention on our last trip that "this is a different Cinderella than we saw yesterday". We don't go out of our way to say "no, of course that's Cinderella!!", and we also don't go out of our way to say "you're right - they are actors". We let them come to different realizations at their own pace.. "Huh, does she look different today?" Regardless... they LOVE seeing the characters... LOVE the character meals, etc.

My mother was more excited at 55 yrs old to get her picture with Goofy than anyone I have ever seen in a character line!! Pretty sure she knew it was a costume...

 

[bytheblood]

We all spend so much time immersed in "reality"-- Kids and adults! Homework, work, bills, activities, etc- it is absolutely pure heaven to be sucked into Disney Magic- where little fairies exist, princesses are kind, and a Mouse rules the kingdom. To have someone be "practical" and remind us that it isn't "real" is just irritating! Really, in real life there aren't barbershop quartets singing as we walk down the street, and photographers catching picture perfect moments???? I get it! Now- keep it to yourself!!!

That sums up what it is all about. I guess the truth is, most of those people who bring reality with them to WDW are the same ones that don't get what WDW is all about.

I say most because my husband does not have the WDW bug, but he would never say anything like that outloud. he likes Disney movies, but the parks are not his thing.

 

[TillyMarigold]

My kids always knew the characters were actors and it never spoiled the magic. I will try to refrain from speaking about this in front of other children, but I also think most kids really do get it. It is still a great experience.

Right. Even when I believed the princesses and characters were real, I never believed that the characters at the parks were actually them. Why? Because Mickey Mouse is a *cartoon*. Duh. Also, the real Mickey Mouse is about 2' tall, there are plenty of scenes in which he appears alongside people, and of course there's a life-sized statue of him in front of the castle now (there wasn't when I was a kid). So of course the 5½' tall character you meet isn't really Mickey Mouse! Clearly it's someone else pretending to be Mickey so the real Mickey can be elsewhere, just like the Santas at the mall.

 

[stonfiesta]

I read on here somewhere a few years back that someone got on a cast member bus by mistake outside the magic kingdom and it was full of mickey mouses. True or not i dont know.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

That sums up what it is all about. I guess the truth is, most of those people who bring reality with them to WDW are the same ones that don't get what WDW is all about.

I say most because my husband does not have the WDW bug, but he would never say anything like that outloud. he likes Disney movies, but the parks are not his thing.

To clarify something: our whole family LOVES WDW!! We are DVC members and make it there at least once a year. I don't think that recognizing there are people in the costumes means that we "don't get what WDW is all about". Did you mean that about people who run around talking about costumes at the top of their lungs? As I said above, we would NEVER go around the park talking in anything above a whisper - and I don't even think we've even done that - about "costumes". We respect that people feel differently about this stuff.

We love immersing ourselves in the magic. We check into our DVC resort, and don't leave WDW property or the magic until we absolutely have to at the end of our 10-day trip. I can't stress enough how much we escape to WDW... honestly, we are immersed enough that someone talking about "costumes" doesn't mess with the experience for us. My husband would probably make a comment (just to our party) about how "that person must not understand how Disney magic works! ", and we would go about our business.

 

[left_arm]

I think Disney parks are the only place my wife is comfortable with me having my picture taken with 21 year old coeds merely due to the fact that it isn't a college student but rather a princess from a far away land!

 

[Nutz4Dizney]

I love your reply about Santa!! I am so going to tell my kids the same thing.
Great idea with the fairy dust!

Thank you. I'll try the magic in this house as long as he's willing to believe. I have 4 older siblings so I didn't get to believe as long as I should have been able to.

Maybe you dont want to ask them, but I'd be willing to wager that most kids 5yo and older are smart enough to figure out the characters are people in costumes - especially the non-human ones like Mickey, Donald, ...

Like I said before I'm sure my son knows but has yet to say anything to me about it. I believe my son loves the magic as much as I do.

This really had to do with our faith/beliefs. .

My son goes to Catholic school so it's pretty hard to keep the Santa and Easter Bunny thing alive. The school has huge affairs to celebrate the real reason for Christmas and Easter but I still do the Santa and Easter Bunny thing at home. When my son asked me why Santa gave out presents (I think he was 4 or 5) I simply told him that Santa celebrates Jesus by gifting to others. The Easter Bunny does the same thing but in a smaller way since he doesn't have elves...duh LOL

That is EXACTLY it!!!

Thank you.

 

[mom2rtk]

All this "people in costumes" is crazy talk to me. I am a 35 year old Dreamer. Everything in Disney is magic and real. So yes, you can see a 5 foot mouse and he is real.

Now as for santa: My son was in 3rd grade last year and that is when the kids are "grown". Well, my son comes home from school and says "Mom do you believe that the kids in school are saying there is NO SANTA". I asked him "What he thought?" He said "There HAS to be a Santa, I catch him every year" (my hubby dresses up each year as Santa) I then told him "The kids that don't believe, don't receive anything from Santa. Because Santa won't go to their house, their parents have to buy their gifts and pretend it's from Santa". He was satisfied with that.

In my house my son gets 1 gift (the biggest and the best) from us and all the rest come from Santa.

Shoot, when my son (who is 9) losses a tooth I STILL put fairy dust (blue glitter) around his room and next to the money the tooth fairy leaves. Since the money is too heavy for her, she has to stop to rest. He will find fairy dust in different places that she has rested...on the desk, a trail by his lamp, on his book case then finally where the money is.

I say let your kids believe in magic as long as you can. I think children now a days have to grow up too fast and I don't know why. What harm can a little imagination do? I'm sure my son knows about the Disney characters being "real" but he hasn't let me know, he knows LOL I think he's letting me believe in magic as much as I am letting him believe.

When my oldest was in FIFTH grade, we tried to explain the facts of life about Santa. I honestly thought he was going to be made fun of by the other kids if we didn't. He was so deeply disturbed about it, I vowed never to share my thoughts on the matter with my other kids. I still haven't told the 15 year old. Of course, he DOES like to remind me of the one year I was puking over the toilet and begged him to wrap the gifts...... I like to explain that Santa just needed a little help from some good elves......

As for that mouse. We're all good with him being real and all..... but that dang mouse took it WAY too far by stowing away in our mini-van when we left Disneyland and headed for the Grand Canyon. NO ONE appreciated him showing up in our cabin in the middle of the night!!! (OK, so maybe it was one of Mickey's cousins............ but the boys thought Mickey had followed us when he smelled a few dollars left in our wallets........ )

As for the OP......... I really wish people would keep their OPINIONS to themselves. Mostly around young kids, but also around us BIG kids!

 

[mikew71]

I have to agree with what I think most people are saying. Everyone has to pick their level of "Believing" for themselves, but we all should be sensitive to others and what they chose to believe, especially the kids. But in all areas of life, there are those who just don't think about others. My DS (7) will be going for the first time in October. He's one that I'm sure will recognize a costume vs a real person, but I'd never mention it to him, he can set his own level of believing, and we'll go along with it. We adults are there to have fun too, but to see that magic in a young child's eyes is magic to me.

Back to the OP, I would hate to have someone "blabbering about" to take away from that magical moment. Not sure if I would say anything to them, depends on the situation, and if it seems like it might even make a difference. if children around don't seem to have noticed, and they shut up, probably just let it go. But then with all the stimulation and the intake of so much new. I doubt I could distract my DS if I was screaming in his ear.