What to say??

[howlongtillsummer?]

My daughter is 7 and adores her Disney. Especially the characters. However she arrived home from school the other day asking:

"Mummy, Matthew says Mickey Mouse is a man in a suit. Why is he saying this?"

She doesn't believe it and doesn't want to. I have told her that I will always believe in Mickey's magic and this seems to have contented her for now.

Anyone been there, or have any good advice??

This is a sore one!!!

 

[jcb]

"Matthew" sounds like he needs a lump of coal wedged between his mickey mouse ears.

I think your answer was perfect. I believe.

 

[medicjch]

What!?!? Man in a suit?!!!? Possibly at that crazy Disney knockoff park in China...........but not at WDW. Why would someone be posing as Mickey in his own front yard?

You just gotta believe!

 

[howlongtillsummer?]

Thanks. Matthew has never even been to WDW. Think he is just trying to hit her where he knows it will hurt!!

 

[ellenm]

I have told my children when they start to figure it out that only one of the Mickey's in all of Disney is the real one. Most of them are people in suits, but one of them is real. My oldest is almost 9 and we were just there last week and he's convinced that he got the "real Mickey's" signature. He said he can tell by the nose .

 

[tinkbutt]

I have told my children when they start to figure it out that only one of the Mickey's in all of Disney is the real one. Most of them are people in suits, but one of them is real. My oldest is almost 9 and we were just there last week and he's convinced that he got the "real Mickey's" signature. He said he can tell by the nose .

I would say it is along the same lines as santa being in every mall at christmas Mickey is real but he needs some help to make everyone's day a happy one when they visit the parks! I mean some times a mouse needs a day off too

 

[gbrchill]

We first went to WDW with DS when he was three and a half. We never really discussed the characters that much before we went. He just decided for himself that they were people dressed up as the characters from the films, a bit like separating fiction from reality. For him the characters represent the characters and behave like the characters - so when he interacted with the characters he was doing just that (and not interacting with a person in a costume). Disney magic at its best.

We always approached it as "it may not be THE Mickey Mouse, but it is A Mickey Mouse". If it looks like THE duck, walks like THE duck and quacks like THE duck then chances are it is A duck.

As for the man in red, he was a firm believer until one of his peers gave the game away. He'd still like to believe though!