What to tell kids about why characters don't talk

[21hearts]

When my 3 y/o DS asked we told him that they had lost their voice. He thought for a minute and said that Mickey shouldn't allow that to happen and moved on to begging us to buy a hat.

 

[SueM in MN]

When my kids were little and asked, I asked them back, “What do you think?”
They came up with good explanations that made sense to them and then asked me what I thought.
We had a nice discussion about it and I didn’t have to worry about what I told them.

I did see an argument once waiting for a parade. The kids were just playing together and one said “My mom says Mickey can’t talk because he would lose his voice if he talked to everyone.” The other kid said “That’s not what my mom said. She said Mickey can’t talk because he was sick.”

It turned into a “Nah-Uh duel” with each child saying their parent knew and would not lie.

 

[danceintherain]

I would tell them the truth. All the furies are members of Actors Equity and union rules prohibit them from talking until such time that Disney meets their wage and working conditions demands. Disney has not signed the most recent contract and all the little children are just lucky that the characters are there at all! It’s just another sad case of unfair labor practices.

 

[Rachael1004]

This thread made me laugh SO MUCH!!

Last year we tood DS for his 3rd birthday. He had never had any interaction with characters like those at WDW beyond the Easter Bunny once, so he was awestruck at the whole ordeal of the World. The first thing we did was rush to ToonTown so he could meet Mickey. When we went into the little room in the Judges' Tent we were one of 4ish groups, and his eyes got as big as dinner plates and he started screaming "MICKEY! HI MICKEY!! I CAME TO YOUR HOUSE!!" We told him he needed to wait his turn to talk to Mickey, tried to calm him down, and the character even waved hoping to chill him out. Nada. He was beside himself. When it was finally his turn, he let loose with a continuous stream of toddler-speak for a few minutes, then stopped suddenly, cocked his head, and said "It's OK Mickey, you can talk, too." We told him Mickey had talked too loud at the Rope Drop ceremony, and now his voice was tired, and we would see if he felt more like talking later (at some of the shows). He seemed satisfied, but very sternly reminded Mickey not to yell too loud next time (it hurts people's ears), and suggested that his mommy take him to a doctor for some medicine, but not a shot. I almost peed myself laughing. For the next week, anytime he got too loud I reminded him that his voice might get tired like Mickey's if he was too noisy when we were out someplace.