uncommon\u00a0<\/em>characters who seldom make appearances.<\/p>\nEver since Disney introduced that Figment can be returning to EPCOT in 2023, I\u2019ve been fascinated about how different uncommon characters might make a comeback to Walt Disney World. Even although I\u2019m not a hardcore character particular person, I do get pleasure from seeing and assembly the distinctive ones, and suppose they add loads to the parks.<\/p>\n
Seeing uncommon characters at Walt Disney World is one thing particular\u2013no joke. I\u2019m going to cease in need of calling it \u201cmagical\u201d as that\u2019s cliche and overused, however recognizing a uncommon character looks like capturing a coveted Charizard from a pack of Pokemon playing cards. It\u2019s a bit of victory value savoring, even when you’ve got 0 attachment to the character in query. It\u2019s addictive, and makes me perceive how folks get into character looking.<\/p>\n
One of the difficulties with bringing again uncommon characters is logistics. Character looking has been \u201ca thing\u201d for many years, nevertheless it\u2019s actually been dialed up a number of notches within the web period. Now, every part is on-line immediately and there are guides for locating uncommon characters. The possibilities of stumbling on all of them alone in random spots throughout coaching periods (as used to occur on a regular basis) looks like a factor of the distant previous.<\/p>\n
Quite merely, demand is larger for uncommon characters and fan favorites. A superb instance of that is on the Halloween and Christmas events, the place Jack Skellington continues to satisfy (and different uncommon characters just like the Seven Dwarfs have beforehand appeared). His line is routinely a number of hours\u00a0<\/em>lengthy throughout that tough ticket occasion\u2026which means friends are paying ~$25 an hour simply to face in line to satisfy him.<\/p>\nWe\u2019ve seen this play out in even worse methods up to now. The notorious Villains Unleashed particular occasion largely centered round uncommon characters, most of which ended up having multi-hour lengthy strains. As did Guest Relations on the finish of the evening, with folks requesting refunds as a result of the celebration went so badly. (For what it\u2019s value, I really loved<\/em> Villains Unleashed, however I acknowledge what a spectacular failure it was for many followers.)<\/p>\nHonestly, I don\u2019t have a fantastic resolution for all of this. Villains Unleashed was virtually a decade in the past, at a time when social media was nonetheless in its nascent years. The parks are way more standard now and character appearances regularly go viral, fueling much more demand.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the answer is extra spontaneous appearances of free-roaming characters. This is how Disneyland does issues, with far much less regimented character appearances than at Walt Disney World. Not solely does this eradicate predictability and people multi-hour strains, nevertheless it permits character interactions to unfold organically in memorable and enjoyable methods.<\/p>\n
Another different can be having uncommon characters seem not at devoted meet & greets, however within the \u2018greeting\u2019 places (a la Winnie the Pooh within the grass over by Journey into Imagination) which can be distanced from friends and thus, usually, extra environment friendly (and in addition a number of enjoyable).<\/p>\n
But I digress. The level right here isn\u2019t sensible options for the way uncommon character appearances might work, operationally, at Walt Disney World. It\u2019s itemizing those we need to return probably the most!<\/p>\n
Roger Rabbit<\/strong> \u2013 Who doesn\u2019t love Roger Rabbit? Well, it looks like lots of people. His film is on par with the Rocketeer relating to forgotten Disney masterpieces and his darkish journey is criminally underrated.<\/p>\nDespite being a morass of rights points, I\u2019m nonetheless hopeful {that a} sequel\u2013or one thing of substance utilizing Roger Rabbit\u2013will finally reduce by means of the egos and purple tape. Roger Rabbit looks like the right property for a revival in at the moment\u2019s popular culture panorama that loves nostalgia, popular culture influences, sharp humor, and meta-references. Perhaps I\u2019m biased, however I additionally suppose Roger Rabbit can be the right mascot for Disney\u2019s Hollywood Studios.<\/p>\n
Prince Eric & Max<\/strong> \u2013 When it first got here out, I cherished The Little Mermaid. I didn\u2019t care a lot concerning the precise plot or the primary characters\u2013I cherished the songs, undersea setting, and the aquatic creatures and above-water critters. Sebastian, Flounder, Scuttle, and Max had been my favorites; once I reenacted the film as a child, it was actually nearly them.<\/p>\nIt\u2019d be cool to see any of them as meet & greets, however Max is admittedly the one one that may have a enjoyable character as a fur character who interacts with friends. (To be sincere, I’ve no want to satisfy Prince Eric. However, this record is a \u201cwe\u201d factor and I\u2019m guessing Sarah would possibly disagree barely. Plus, I\u2019ve solely ever seen Max with Prince Eric, so that they is likely to be a package deal deal.)<\/p>\n
Ludwig von Drake<\/strong> \u2013 If anybody ever made the unwise choice of permitting me to instruct a course in something, I might enlist the erudite, eccentric, and egotistical professor Ludwig Von Drake to help. (Meaning I\u2019d play outdated episodes of Walt Disney\u2019s Wonderful World of Color for the category as an alternative of doing any precise instructing.) The solely main animated character Walt created for tv, Professor Von Drake is Donald Duck\u2019s father\u2019s brother.<\/p>\nI first turned a fan of Ludwig von Drake because of D23 occasions again within the day, his theme tune, and \u201cAn Adventure in Color\/Mathmagic Land,\u201d the primary Wonderful World of Color episode. He\u2019s one of many wittiest and most satirical characters, Ludwig looks like certainly one of a bygone period. I\u2019d like to see him within the parks extra\u2013and would an academic Disney+ collection be an excessive amount of to ask for? I’d want it sometime.<\/p>\n
Aristocats<\/strong> \u2013 One of my greatest regrets is just not naming our cat, \u201cThomas.\u201d Sarah and I had been big followers of the Aristocats on the time he determined to dwell with us, he seems to be much like Thomas O\u2019Malley, and a cat with the identical identify as me would\u2019ve been\u00a0the right crime.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nAround that point, we additionally observed that Marie from the Aristocats appeared a ton at Walt Disney World. When I requested a Character Attendant about this, they stated she was one of many high character requests they acquired. It\u2019s a kind of issues I didn\u2019t imagine then and don\u2019t imagine now, nevertheless it nonetheless caught with me all these years as one thing that I need to be true. As I end penning this, I\u2019m probably not certain why I\u2019ve shared these two random anecdotes. I don\u2019t suppose they\u2019ve added something of worth to this put up, and I ought to in all probability delete them. Yet, I would not have something higher to say apart from, \u201cI like cats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mickey\u2019s Christmas Carol Characters<\/strong> \u2013 During the inaugural (and solely) Merriest Nites at Disneyland, one of many highlights was the meet & greet with Mickey\u2019s Christmas Carol characters. Minnie and Mickey Mouse had been sporting new costumes as Emily and Bob Cratchit, they usually rotated with Ebenezer Scrooge and Goofy Marley (certainly one of my all-time favourite character costumes, ever).<\/p>\nWhile I\u2019d favor Muppet Christmas Carol characters (think about Statler and Waldorf as Marley & Marley\u2013or higher but, a human-size Rizzo the Rat as Charles Dickens!), these had been fairly superior. That was just one yr in the past, so we all know these costumes nonetheless exist someplace. It\u2019d be superior to see them reappear at Mickey\u2019s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom!<\/p>\n
Jedi Mickey & Darth Goofy<\/strong> \u2013 Star Wars Weekends looks like a fever dream lower than a decade after the final one was held. Just take into consideration Hyperspace Hoopla, Legends of the Force Parade, the seminars, the loopy merchandise, or character meet & greets. Can you think about any<\/em> of that occuring now? It looks like the traditional previous, despite the fact that it wasn\u2019t that way back.<\/p>\nThe celebration began to finish when Disney acquired LucasFilm, and determined that Star Wars characters wanted to be handled with extra \u201cintegrity.\u201d Almost instantly, all the wilder character crossovers had been nixed and Hyperspace Hoopla was cancelled. Over time, we additionally misplaced the tamer character costumes, like Jedi Mickey, Darth Goofy, and Stormtrooper Donald Duck.<\/p>\n
As somebody who is simply an off-the-cuff curiosity in Star Wars, I miss this. I feel the franchise is inherently absurd, however takes itself method too severely. Star Wars Weekends had been a time when it might lean into the sillier aspect of Star Wars, and the occasion was flat out enjoyable. I nonetheless maintain out hope that sometime Disney will loosen up about Star Wars and this occasion will return. I\u2019d additionally like to see a Cars Land overlay, if solely so I can meet Darth Mater.<\/p>\n
Scuba Mickey Mouse<\/strong> \u2013 This one really isn\u2019t tremendous uncommon or lengthy misplaced. On World Oceans Day, Scuba Mickey Mouse has made appearances within the Living Seas aquarium to commemorate the event once in a while. Seeing him a few years in the past was lifelong want success. The promotional VHS tapes of my childhood all contained footage of two characters in Future World: Figment and Scuba Mickey.\u00a0Between the\u00a0Boy Meets World<\/em> proposal at Coral Reef and pictures of Scuba Mickey, seeing this character would\u2019ve been on my WDW bucket record as a toddler.<\/p>\nJudging by the reactions of each single particular person\u2013children and adults\u2013within the Living Seas pavilion who noticed Scuba Mickey, he was the spotlight of everybody\u2019s day at Epcot. Mickey Mouse scuba diving in one of many largest man-made ocean environments on the planet is the form of unforgettable \u201clittle thing\u201d that completely defines (or ought to<\/em> outline) Walt Disney World.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s seemingly insignificant, nevertheless it leaves an enduring impression\u2013an indelible reminiscence that friends will cherish lengthy after they\u2019ve forgotten which rides they rode or reveals they noticed. Seeing Scuba Mickey Mouse is the form of factor that made so many people Disney followers within the first place, and is the kind of expertise that retains us coming again. More friends ought to have that have\u2013it\u2019s completely value no matter price there may be in paying Mickey Mouse a bonus to go scuba diving each day.<\/p>\n
Disney Afternoon<\/strong> \u2013 Like all kids of the Nineties, I used to be principally raised by the Disney Afternoon. (Hey, it\u2019s higher than being raised by YouTube!) I cherished Darkwing Duck, TaleSpin, and DuckTales. However, I used to be completely obsessed<\/em> with Chip \u2018n Dale Rescue Rangers as a child. Not solely did I watch the present religiously, however I had a surplus of their toys, and even constructed Rescue Rangers \u201cscenes\u201d out of LEGO. Regrettably, I even had a Rescue Rangers jumpsuit that I wore on a regular basis to high school. It was the Nineties, man, type was wild!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nIn any case, it has introduced me far more pleasure than I ever would\u2019ve imagined progressively assembly Disney Afternoon characters as an grownup. We used to make journeys to \u201cThe Teardrop\u201d in Mickey\u2019s Toontown Fair at Magic Kingdom simply to see in the event that they had been there. (They by no means had been.) The first one I ever noticed was Launchpad at EPCOT on one of many random coaching days and I used to be completely overjoyed. Since then, we\u2019ve met just about all the characters at random Disneyland occasions. I\u2019d like to see all of them at Walt Disney World once more\u2013and I can\u2019t be the one millennial who would overpay for a 90s nite at Magic Kingdom.<\/p>\n
Cheshire Cat\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 I like cats.<\/p>\nOrange Bird\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Created particularly for Walt Disney World the place he was the consultant of Magic Kingdom\u2019s Sunshine Pavilion, the Orange Bird was an initiative to advertise the Florida Citrus Commission. The character was a staple of Adventureland through the Nineteen Seventies and 80s, however pale away by the Nineties.<\/p>\nWalt Disney World, Imagineering, and the Disney Archives introduced again Orange Bird and the Citrus Swirl throughout Walt Disney World\u2019s fortieth Anniversary. This got here after years of on-line fascination with the Orange Bird, and restricted merchandise releases to check the waters. It was an enormous deal for followers on the time, because it felt like Magic Kingdom administration was listening and making an attempt to repair a number of the little issues and restore the \u201cDisney Details\u201d that made the parks particular.<\/p>\n
Orange Bird might \u201conly\u201d have been a personality created to advertise the Florida Citrus Commission, however he transcended his position as a easy promoting car in his years up within the Sunshine Tree. For me, Orange Bird is symbolically important and that\u2019s precisely why I\u2019d like to see the meet & greet character return. It\u2019d be a welcome sign that Walt Disney World administration cares.<\/p>\n
Lagoona Gator<\/strong> \u2013 Here is a personality who was born out of a want to promote plushes, however one which failed spectacularly. This might be why I really like him a lot. When Blizzard Beach opened, it had a enjoyable mascot in Ice Gator. Accordingly, Walt Disney World made enhancements to Typhoon Lagoon to offer it associated a mascot: Lagoona Gator,\u00a0the resident surf ace of Typhoon Lagoon\u2026and he\u2019s additionally a film star, rock star, artist, and extra. He had an entire line of merchandise and a meet & greet character\u2026all of which is now gone. You would possibly say Lagoona Gator did the entire home parks Duffy factor first.<\/p>\nApparently, water park friends circa the early aughts weren’t within the temper to pose of their swimsuits subsequent to an inflatable alligator (that\u2019s what his presumably waterproof costume seemed like). Well, the occasions have modified, and now I’m sure that friends need to meet an alligator whereas sporting swimsuits. When it involves character meet & greets, Lagoona Gator is my white whale (or alligator, because the case could also be) and I\u2019d actually in all probability be as excited to satisfy him as I might be to see Figment and Dreamfinder once more.<\/p>\n
BONUS: Creepy World Showcase Dolls \u2013 <\/strong>If you ask me, Walt Disney World doesn\u2019t do practically sufficient to terrify kids. Sure, Haunted Mansion could be scary, however there\u2019s nothing\u00a0actually traumatic.\u00a0<\/em>That\u2019s why Walt Disney World ought to carry again the \u201cEPCOT Pageant Dolls\u201d or \u201cPeople of the World\u201d walk-around characters.<\/p>\nNot a ton is understood about these walk-around characters from the early days of EPCOT Center, besides that they had been recycled from America on Parade, a bicentennial parade that ran in Magic Kingdom. For causes unknown, somebody thought it\u2019d be a good suggestion to re-outfit these characters for World Showcase, and have some \u2018it\u2019s a small world\u2019 characters in actual life. It\u2019s fairly straightforward to see why this experiment was short-lived. Still, Walt Disney World ought to carry them again for the comedic\/worry issue. As Calvin\u2019s dad would say,\u00a0it could construct character.<\/em><\/p>\nPlanning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about inns on our\u00a0Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews<\/a>\u00a0web page. For the place to eat, learn our\u00a0 Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews<\/a>. To lower your expenses on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our\u00a0 Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets<\/a>\u00a0put up. Our\u00a0 What to Pack for Disney Trips<\/a>\u00a0put up takes a singular take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our\u00a0 Walt Disney World Ride Guides<\/a>\u00a0will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to begin is our\u00a0 Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for every part it is advisable know!<\/p>\nYOUR THOUGHTS<\/h3>\n Do you hunt characters when visiting the parks? Which uncommon characters are your favorites? Any that we missed? Which ones would you prefer to see reappear (or seem for the primary time) at Walt Disney world? Do you agree or disagree with our picks? Hearing your suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas or questions beneath within the feedback!<\/p>\n