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MouseTunes wins People’s Choice Award

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Congratulations to the team at The MouseTunes Disney podcast. It was awarded the 2006 People’s Choice Podcast Award for best Travel podcast on Tuesday, August 15th, 2006. This has been among my favorite Disney Podcasts for some time. (Link)

Firehouse Five Plus Two videos

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CartoonBrew points to two great videos of the Firehouse Five plus Two band that showcased the musical talents of Disney’s great animators. Jump on over before they’re dropped from YouTube.

ABC Fall Premier Schedule

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Tuesday, Sept. 128 pm Dancing With the Stars (ABC) Thursday, Sept. 219 pm Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)10 pm Six Degrees (ABC) Friday, Sept. 229 pm Men In Trees (ABC) Sunday, Sept. 247 pm Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)9 pm Desperate Housewives (ABC)10 pm Brothers & Sisters (ABC) Tuesday, Sept. 269:30 pm Help Me Help You (ABC)10… Read More »ABC Fall Premier Schedule

Bruno Kirby remembered

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It is with great sadness that I report on the passing of Bruno Kirby (imdb). He died after a short battle with Leukemia at the age of 57. Kirby’s work with the Disney company was short. He played ‘Stanley’ in the 1973 movie "Superdad". It starred Kurt Russell and Bob Crane (Hogan’s Heros) about a… Read More »Bruno Kirby remembered

Union Organization at Universal Orlando

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You’d think this would be a good time for union organizing in Central Florida. Apparently so do the local unions. They’ve kicked off a campaign to get Universal Orlando unionized. The unemployment rate in Orlando is at an all-time low. With higher starting wages and bonuses, it’s never been easier to get a job at… Read More »Union Organization at Universal Orlando

Many Disney Websites are down

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Update: Everything appears to be back up and running now. Just in time for the 5:30 Barrel races on VMK The Walt Disney Company of websites is experiencing a huge outage right now. Guests can’t get into DisneyWorld.com, Disneyland.com, or VMK.com for starters. At DisneyWorld.com instead of the blue screen of death, you get this… Read More »Many Disney Websites are down

Hidden Mickey Avocado

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As with most Disney fans, I have a soft spot in my heart for Hidden Mickeys. The concept was created when Imagineers revolted against Disney Management’s decision to keep Disney characters out of the original plans for the EPCOT theme park. To fight back they surreptitiously hid both the three circle Mickey icon and silhouette Mickeys throughout the park and various attractions. Over time the Hidden Mickey tradition has spread to all Disney theme parks. That’s the short history.

There are really five classifications of Hidden Mickeys:

  1. Intentional: a hidden Mickey Mouse (or other Disney character) shape placed obscurely and deliberately to be spotted by guests. For purists this is the only real Hidden Mickey.
  2. Design: the use of the Mickey Mouse three circle icon as part of the design element of a piece of furniture, decoration, or other object. These range from the very hidden (in the wallpaper or comforters at the hotels) to the obvious (a pattern of Mickey shapes in a wood carving).
  3. Cast Member/Temporary: usually a placed object or graffiti added to a scene by a cast member. These tend to go away when ever Imagineering comes in and resets or updates an attraction. Over time some of these may graduate to the Intentional category.
  4. Accidental/unintentional: formed mostly in the mind’s eye out of shadows and obscure shapes that when looked at just right make a Hidden Mickey. The Mickey shape on the sail of the Wicked Wench at Disneyland’s Pirates Of The Caribbean was an example of this.
  5. Natural: Hidden Mickey’s that occur in nature. 

Two of the most famous are the Chinese Theatre/Disney-MGM studios central plaza which, until they added that big eyesore of a hat in there, was a giant intentional Hidden Mickey when viewed from the air, and the plates in Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ballroom scene (which started as a temporary cast member prank and has since become canon).

Mickeyavocadox
I’ve been known to see Hidden Mickeys in oil stains, clouds (I have a picture of one somewhere that I took while on our Honeymoon at WDW – I don’t know how Disney does that), and even in fruit. Take this photo of an avocado sent to me by reader Gregory. On the outside it’s just a normal looking avocado, but peel off the skin and voila! Mickey Mouse’s famous three circle icon is revealed. (I’ve highlighted it in one pic below the cut.)

Mickeyavocado1
For more great reading on Hidden Mickeys pick up either the great Hidden Mickeys, 2nd Edition : A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets or Lou’s Walt Disney World Trivia Book, Volume 2: More Secrets, History & Fun Facts Behind the Magic.

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Disney’s child lines go upscale and global

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Disney continues its move away from the old The Disney Store in every mall model to the new multiple-tiered product and price structure model. Want to clad your child in standard Disney gear, you can now find stuff at Wal*Mart, Target, or the mall stores. Want to clad your child in couture and high fashion… Read More »Disney’s child lines go upscale and global