Meow-velous May 2025 Exercise Challenge

[PollyannaMom]

Welcome to the May 2025 exercise thread, in which we'll be entertained by the various cats of Disney.

If you’re returning, we’re excited to have you back! If you’re new, welcome to the team! Here’s how it works:

Each person chooses a time goal and posts minutes towards that goal as they exercise. You can post daily or just catch up when you can. You decide what movement counts towards your goal - which can be a nice round total for the month, a specific number that means something to you, or a calculation based on a target number of minutes per day. Since May has 31 days, here are some common conversions:

15 minutes/day = 465
20 minutes/day = 620
30 minutes/day = 930
45 minutes/day = 1395
1 hour/day = 1860

One of the special motivations of our Disney challenge is color changing! Page one will be updated with individual and team color changes as we make more and more progress:

10% - Blue
25% - Orange
50% - Purple
75% - Pink
90% - Red
100% - Green

We’re officially starting this challenge on April 1st, but if you don’t find the thread until later in the month, you’re still welcome to join! There's no better time than the present to start toward your goals!! Just post your goal and I’ll add you to the list. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions and to check out old threads to see what’s been going on.


Participants:
PollyannaMom - 35/600
sophy1996 - 150/1000
Twilight Sparkle - 145/2500
piglet1979 - goal: 620
BonnieF - goal: 500
ktink - goal: 1200

-------------------------
Team Total: 344/6420

 

[sophy1996]

What a purr-fect theme! I’m in for 1000. Thanks for hosting, PollyannaMom!

From the Times Square Disney store:

 

[PollyannaMom]

Starting off with 15 treadmill minutes tonight, and our first feline friend:


The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland

who is voiced in the 1951 cartoon by Sterling Holloway:

(yes, the same actor who voiced Winnie the Pooh, Kaa in the Jungle Book, and Flower in Bambi!)


and in the 2010 version by Stephen Fry:



While a favorite of many for his fun colors and magical abilities, the Cheshire Cat does tend to fluster Alice and steer her in the wrong direction, and according to the Disney Wiki, he is considered a Disney Villain:

Despite appearing as a more neutral character/minor antagonist in the film, the Cheshire Cat has gone on to become one of the most prominent characters in the Disney Villains franchise, along with Jafar, Maleficent, Cruella De Vil, and many more, featured in countless merchandise and villain-related media.

The Cheshire Cat also appears as a recurring character in House of Mouse, an on and off antagonist in the Kingdom Hearts series, a background antagonist in Mickey's House of Villains, and a background/minor character in Disney Villains' Revenge, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, and other Disney projects.

Bonus pre-Disney background on Lewis Carroll's book version and where his name may have come from:
https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cheshire-cat/
...

 

[sophy1996]

I love the Cheshire Cat! I dressed as him for the Disneyland Halloween party a few years ago.

He appears in the Villains parade at the party.



150/1000-lots and lots of walking

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

Love the cats theme! Somehow I started the year with our one cat, but now we have seven living in our house.

The cat distribution system made us the proud guardian of our second cat when he showed up at our house hurt and needing vet care. His microchip scan did not lead to a successful reunification with his previous family since they never responded to the outreach.

The other 5 showed up 2.5 weeks ago when a tiny and very young cat gave birth on our front porch. We brought her and the babies inside because we were worried predators would harm them. We are waiting on a local rescue to have space for them, but the longer we wait the more attached I'm getting. I can't keep them, though. I mean, I want to, but I can't. But, they're sooooooooo cute!

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

So excited about cats that I forgot to add the important info!

I'm in again for 2500.

145 minutes with the horses so far

145/2500

 

[piglet1979]

I am in for the month. I am going to go for 620 minutes this month.

5/1 -- 34

Total -- 34/620

 

[BonnieF]

I'm in for 500. Enjoying the cars theme! Sterling Holloway had such a great voice - so purrfect for Cheshire Cat.

 

[ktink]

I'm in for 1200

 

[PollyannaMom]

Another 20 minutes for me (35/600) and congrats to sophy1996 - our first team member to reach blue!!


Today's Disney cat is Figaro, from Pinocchio:



From https://kids.kiddle.co/Figaro_(Disney) - Figaro can be found all over the Disney theme parks, including Pinocchio's Daring Journey and Celebrate A Dreams Come True Parade. At Fantasy Faire in Disneyland, Figaro can be seen sleeping in a window of one of the buildings. He is occasionally awoken by a caged bird that chirps familiar Disney songs.

In the Pinocchio's Village Haus restaurant, he appears in various murals retelling the Pinocchio Story, as well as serving as the namesake of Figaro Fries and appearing over the exit. A design flaw led to the exit signs not being properly centered at the Disneyland version of the restaurant, so Figaro is shown pulling the sign on a rope to fix things. At Disneyland Paris, the problem was corrected and Figaro is shown leaning on the exit sign giving a thumbs up.

His namesake is also used in a shop called Figaro's Clothiers located in the Mediterranean Harbor at Tokyo DisneySea.




Bonus Figaro Fact - Figaro did his part as a mascot in WWII:

(pictured with Wing Commander Ian Gleed on a Spitfire Vb)