Hidden Gems: Le Chapeau Party Line

Have you ever noticed the old fashioned phone on the wall inside Le Chapeau, the hat shop on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom?

Have you ever picked up the receiver and held it to your ear? Make sure you give it a try next time. You might just end up eavesdropping on a party line call from the days of yore...

...and that's just a snippet! Have you ever listened in? What kind of conversation did you hear? Tell us about it in the comments.

The Giant

In the shadow of the castle, just as you enter Fantasyland, stands Sir Mickey's- a gift shop themed to Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947), Disney's version of the Jack and the Beanstalk adventure. You can see part of the beanstalk winding its way around the sign on the left side of the castle photo below. Inside the shop you'll find t-shirts, hats, and other standard gift shop fare.

As you peruse the shelves, though, don't forget to look up. You just might find the giant, peeking
his way in...

Have you ever had the feeling you're being watched? This might explain it...

Wordless Wednesday: Remember

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Thanks to Deb @ Focused on the Magic  for hosting 

the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! 

If you hopped over, I invite you to check out my other posts, and 
please consider joining the blog or following on twitter.

Check out all the other Wordless Wednesday links by clicking below, 
and remember to share some comment love...

A "Questionable" Hidden Mickey in Disney's Magic Kingdom

Hidden Mickey: a representation of Mickey Mouse that has been subtly inserted into the design of a ride, attraction, or other location in a Disney park, resort, or property. 

Imagineers and cast members have found ways to plus the magic by hiding Mickey in all sorts of unexpected places, and in a variety of shapes and designs, throughout Disney properties.



I first wrote about searching for Hidden Mickeys in one of my earlier blog posts. Some are obvious Hidden Mickeys- but others? Not so much. If you think you may have spotted a Hidden Mickey, how do you figure out if you're right? How do you know if it really is a true Hidden Mickey? Or better yet- what if you think you might be one of the first people to identify a particular Hidden Mickey?! You go to Steve Barrett, The Hidden Mickey Guy. His book and website are incredible resources for exploring the world of Hidden Mickeys.


I thought for sure I had found a new Hidden Mickey when I first visited  Enchanted Tales with Belle, one of the long-awaited attractions in New Fantasyland. I glanced up while in Maurice's workshop, the second room in the attraction, and I saw a Hidden Mickey in the gears on the ceiling. I emailed my photo and description to Steve Barrett. He thanked me for the submission and said he would put it up on the "questionable" section of his website, leaving it up to public to decide. 

A upside-down Hidden Mickey in the gears on Maurice's ceiling?

That was almost three months ago, April 2013. 

Alas, my ceiling gears are not doing well; at the time of this writing, the popular vote was 38 thumbs up to 62 thumbs down. I'm still not giving up hope on it, though! Maybe a better photo? A different angle? You can find it on the questionable list here... so feel free to take a look and give it a thumbs up if you think it qualifies as a Hidden Mickey!


A few years back, I was pretty certain I had found a very out-of-the-way Hidden Mickey during my last visit to Disney's Coronado Springs. I wasn't able to snap a photo at the time, and I never made it back to that spot to capture it. I've searched for it in the guide book and on websites, and I have yet to see it listed or mentioned anywhere. I heard there's been some construction in the area, and I'm hoping my discovery isn't gone. Where is it, you might be asking? I'll keep that as my secret for now- just in case it truly is an as-yet-undiscovered Hidden Mickey! I will make it back to that resort one day, and I can't wait to resume my search.

Do you hunt for Hidden Mickeys? Have you ever found one that you thought was questionable? What do you think about Maurice's ceiling gears? Share your thoughts in the comments...

Disney Magic: Serendipity with a CM

One of the most magical moments we've had at Walt Disney World was an unexpected and touching moment of serendipity with a Cast Member.

During our last family visit, I wanted to get a silhouette done of my daughter. I had seen pictures of these amazing artists using small scissors to create likenesses of people in the Magic Kingdom, and it was on my must-do list. We had planned on doing this at the end of our trip, so we wouldn't have to store it and keep it safe throughout our stay. For some reason, on our first day in the Magic Kingdom, something told me to head right to the silhouette artist.

I approached the CM, whose name was Jan, and asked if we could have a silhouette done. She looked up from the pad she was sketching on. She set down her sketches, then noticed my daughter's birthday button. "Is that her name?", she asked me. "Her real name?" 

I get this question pretty often, because my daughter has an unusual name. I assured her that it was indeed her name. Jan smiled, paused for a moment, and then told my daughter to take a seat. 

She worked her magic with scissors and black paper, and in no time at all, we had a beautiful silhouette.

Before we left the silhouette stand, Jan said she needed to share something with me. She explained that she had a beloved cat who had lived with her for many, many years. The cat had recently passed away, and on this particular day, Jan was really missing her. She said the cat had been on her mind all morning, so she was drawing pictures of her. This is what she had been doing when we walked up to her stand. As she picked up the sketchpad and showed it to me, she told me that we had made her day. I wasn't sure what she meant at first- but as I looked down, I saw that across the page were various drawings of a beautiful cat, along with scrolling letters, spelling out her cat's name...Pepper. The same name as my daughter...

This keepsake silhouette not only represents a moment in time from my daughter's life, but also serves as a reminder of the magical connections we often find in unexpected places.

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Have you ever had a special or unexpected encounter with a Cast Member? Tell us about it in the comments...

Happy Mother's Day, Mom...

Adventureland, 1977: 

My mother and me. 

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my mother for bringing me on this trip so many years ago. It was a very big deal to go on a vacation to Walt Disney World back then- and it's a pretty safe bet that I didn't appreciate the enormity of it at the time. She struggled and sacrificed a tremendous amount, and I can't imagine how long it must have taken her to save up for this trip. She laid the groundwork for my love of this place, and I am very grateful- grateful for having the experience, and grateful for having her.

I'd love to visit the parks again with her one day. It would be a whole different kind of visit for me, though, and would take quite a bit of adjusting my typical park strategies. She will not be running for FastPasses, nor will she be clocking 10+ miles walking each day. She will not be riding Space Mountain or Tower of Terror, there will be no Expedition Everest or even Test Track.  But that's okay. Just spending a relaxing, slow-paced trip, filled with more people-watching than thrill rides, would be a welcome experience.

She would love the Boardwalk area, and she might even give Soarin' a try. She'd relish the view from California Grill, and she'd love to stroll the World Showcase. There are so many ways to enjoy the parks and resorts at a leisurely pace- ways I often miss out on when I'm racing from place to place. I'd love to do a slow trip. I'd love to make some of these memories with her.

I hope we can do it, one day soon...

I visit Enchanted Tales with Belle...and become part of the show

Tucked away as you enter the New Fantasyland section of the Magic Kingdom is a cozy little cottage- Maurice's Cottage. It's here, set back along a winding path, that you'll find Enchanted Tales with Belle.

photo coutesy of Disney Parks Blog 

When you first enter the cottage, there's no mistaking who lives here. We see charming little provincial touches all around- from the stone hearth, to family portraits, to markings on the wall charting Belle's growth over the years. Belle's books are everywhere, as are Maurice's blueprints and drawings. 

This is a small room, and visitors are packed in quickly. There's not enough time or space to take in all details, before a Cast Member is ushering us to the next room: Maurice's workshop. We see all kinds of parts and plans, models and works-in-progress. Notice anything familiar about those gears on the ceiling?

Ah, but there's one thing that looks a bit out of place in a workshop-

an ornate gilded mirror.

What happens here is perhaps the most incredible special effect I've ever seen. Right before our eyes, this mirror stretches and grows, becoming a doorway- a gateway to the enchanted castle. I can't begin to grasp how this effect is achieved, just a few feet from where we're standing. Impressive, to say the least. 

We walk through that doorway, and we're magically transported to Beast's castle. We're greeted by Madame Wardrobe, who tells us we're going to surprise Belle and put on a skit acting the night Belle and Beast fell in love. 

She asks for volunteers, and a Cast Member passes out parts and props. My hand went up! The CM was definitely focused on the kids first, but she saw me with my hand up and made sure to give me a part before she finished casting. Hooray! I am Featherduster. Time to move on to the next room...

The library! It's here we will await the arrival of Belle, and the fun begins. This is a beautiful room, with books as far as the eye can see. And Lumiere! He's is in full Audio-Animatronic glory on the mantle, the focal point of the room.

If you're interested in taking pictures, be aware that the lighting is a bit odd inside the attraction. It's muted and dim, particularly in the library. My amateur skills made it hard to get any clear shots, but someone with better photography equipment and know-how would likely have more success capturing the moments. 

Did I mention I was the only...tall...volunteer? Look how close I am to Lumiere!

A quick skit is performed, and we march around the room. Once it's over, each volunteer gets a few seconds with Belle, where she gives us each a special bookmark.

A PhotoPass photographer snaps a few shots, and the attraction-specific PhotoPass card is given to participants on their way out. The card can be used to view the photos online and purchase prints. 

This is a fun show, with one quick but incredible special effect, definitely worth seeing. The interactivity is great, and the Cast Members did a nice job of drawing in and supporting some of the younger and shyer volunteers. The younger set is the target audience here, so keep that in mind if you have older children. Head here first thing, because the waits are some of the longest you will find in Walt Disney World.

Have you visited Enchanted Tales with Belle? What did you think of that mirror effect? Did you volunteer for the show? Tell us about it in the comments...

Hats, revisited...

The hats kept calling me back! I had to do a follow up on this recent Wordless Wednesday post on hats. I didn't want to let them remain wordless, because each of these has a special Disney memory to go along with it.

Starting clockwise from the upper left, that's me back in 1977. I first featured this, and two other of these old style beautiful hats here, for a Wordless Wednesday history theme. This shot was taken during my first trip to Disney World. Le Chapeau, the hat shop on Main Street, used to be filled with these fancy creations. I'm not sure if they always had them, or if it was just for a short period of time. Someone recently suggested they may have been there for a year or so after the bicentennial celebration, but that's just a theory. I haven't been able to find much info on these, so if you know anything, please share! I don't look very happy in this photo, because I found out just moments before the photo was taken that I was only modeling the hat, and I was not in fact getting this as a souvenir. In hindsight, I can understand how impractical (and expensive, no doubt) it would have been to purchase the hat- but at the time, I was crushed. It would be decades before I'd return to the Magic Kingdom, and Le Chapeau was my first stop when I finally made it back. I sunk a tiny bit when I strode inside, only to find baseball hats and Mickey ears- no fancy hats to be found anywhere.



The hat in the upper right is a cloche hat, which I got at Disneyland. I've always loved this style of hat, popular in the 1920s, and they were not yet back in style or readily available at the time I found this one. They've since become ubiquitous, and similar hats can easily be found in a variety of clothing stores and shopping mall accessory shops. This one, however, will always be special to me...because it came from Disneyland.








Next is a baseball hat, also from Disneyland. I was fortunate to visit Anaheim for a work conference several years back, and of course I extended my trip a bit so I could visit the parks. I forgot about the California sunshine when I packed my bag in the cold, gray north east, so I needed something to shade me from the sun. I've always loved that Disneyland font, so when I spotted this "D" on Main street, I scooped it up. This remains one of my favorite go-to hats; perfect size, perfect shape, perfect softness.





Ah, Epcot. My home away from home, my favorite place in all of WDW. I fell in love with the 30th anniversary logo and color scheme, and wanted to get my hands on anything I could when the merchandise was released in October 2012. I was not able to visit the parks at that time, and items went quickly! Thanks to a very special family member, I found this under the tree at Christmas a few months after the 30th celebration.







And that brings us to the hat in the middle of the collage- my daughter's first set of ears. We agreed to purchase whatever ears she wanted during her first visit. She had done some reading about Walt, and she was drawn to his famous quote that went something like, "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing- it all started with a mouse..."

When she found a set featuring that quote, she knew she had found her ears!

Do you have a favorite Disney hat? Tell us about it in the comments...