Probably 20 something years ago my wife and I were at park and someone in a Scooby Doo character costume walked toward and past us on their way out toward a cast member exit and reach back and grabbed my wife’s rear end on his way by. Both of us were so stunned we didn’t do anything. Now, we would have of course, but so many things go through your head at the time it happens, including whether anyone would believe you. I’m sure characters get the worst of it, but this a two way street.
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News Disney Characters Say Tourists Inappropriately Touched Them
- Thread starter BromBones
- Start date
ObscurityPoint
Well-Known Member
No no, soon the characters will be all done cis screen technology “interacting” with guests through a mobile app.
dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Doesn't matter. From my very limited understanding of furries, it's often more about the fur, and less the flesh within.
Monkee Girl
Well-Known Member
From my experience with character dining, the characters usually don't pressure anyone for a photo. Usually, when the host seats us, we are told those who want photos should stay on the outside as for easier access for the characters walking around. Or, if I was seated on the 'wrong' side, I would make the effort to get up for a photo. Also, characters (or their handlers) can usually tell if someone doesn't want a photo. I went for Christmas with my aunt, cousin and mother and my mom wanted NOTHING to do with the Pooh characters. all she had to do was turn her body from them and they politely left her alone the rest of the dinner. So, it interests me that they would be insistent on a photo. I've never experienced it before. Was it a fur character and maybe they couldn't see you declining?
PurpleJesus
Active Member
I can't imagine how hard that grandma must have patted Mickey on the head to hurt the cast member's neck. Was she patting him on the head with a pipe wrench? I've been patted on the head many times in my life, and so far, have luckily escaped without injury.
dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
I believe the head pieces weigh somewhere between 5-25 lbs each, and may have a harness/frame to help hold it in place. So getting bumped can cause it to shift dramatically, while not being able move freely, wrenching the CMs body in ways we aren't meant to be moved.
GSP Guy
Well-Known Member
Yes they were fur characters and I guess "insistent" might be a poor choice of words on my part. More like "ah come on let's get a pic." Maybe they were just goofing with me because they could tell it was awkward for me. I'm aware that I come across as a "bull in a china shop" in situations like these. No biggie really I was just curious as to their normal protocol.
Piebald
Well-Known Member
When you go to Tokyo Disney the characters roam free and everyone politely stands around them in a circle. The interactions are very organic ranging from people showing off their plush version of said character (some people roll into the parks with dozens of these little plush badges) to hand shakes and obviously pictures. The characters choose who they interact with but they get to everyone. It's pretty neat. And people go NUTS for characters there. Mickey had a 7 hr wait when they changed their appearance a few months back.
Beyond the aesthetics and unlimited money in imagineering over there, one of the reasons that resort is so superior is because of the culture of the people. People here are such mindless morons that we get stories like this constantly (many go unreported because it's mostly a shocked reaction from cast members)
Beyond the aesthetics and unlimited money in imagineering over there, one of the reasons that resort is so superior is because of the culture of the people. People here are such mindless morons that we get stories like this constantly (many go unreported because it's mostly a shocked reaction from cast members)
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The American culture of being self entitled and arrogant combined with the US parks being full of rude pushy parents is what makes the American parks less enjoyable than Tokyo which has fee kids and thankfully few Americans.
Monkee Girl
Well-Known Member
Oh, it's all good. I know there are thousands of people who visit and have different experiences so I was curious as well.
Not sure if it's official protocol or just my own experience but I think the characters are very much trained to appreciate/respect personal space. If you ever watch a character with a little girl or boy and they seem extremely shy or about to cry, the characters will immediately turn away and ignore them until they seem more open to a meeting.
This happened to me when I went on a trip with my cousins and sister. My little cousin was 3 and despite never having a problem the previous year, that particular year she wanted nothing to do with any male characters. It was the Pirate and Princess Party (ah, memories) and we were meeting Ariel in her Grotto and Prince Eric was surprisingly there (which made me and my sister VERY Happy). Well, when my little cousin started to go toward Ariel, she started to cry because she wanted nothing to do with Eric. so he backed away and said 'I think I am going to look at some treasure over here' and got out of the way so she could meet Ariel alone. Just to add, me and my sister made sure Eric was NOT alone at this time, lol Gotta love those magical moments, lol
That same trip, we were in Epcot and were in line to meet Princess Jasmine. Well, during our wait, Jasmine had to leave and Aladdin came out and took her place. My sister and I were NOT complaining but little cousin...yep, NOT happy. She covered her eyes in her hands and almost started to cry when Aladdin had just got her autograph book and was like 'I'm just gonna turn over here and sign this for you' and when he was done he very quietly offered the book back to her. She very timidly went to grab it and he pulled it away. he did this a few times till she broke into a smirk. 'I do this all the time with Abu' he said. She ended up finally coming around and got a picture and was fine the rest of the night.
I'm sure your character was just trying to lighten the mood but If you experience it again and just don't feel like you want the picture, just give a firm decline and I'm they will respect you.
ImperfectPixie
Well-Known Member
Little kids are so funny with how they flip-flop with their likes and dislikes! Ours was 2 1/2 his first trip, and his first experience with characters was at Chef Mickey's for breakfast. He wanted ZERO to do with any of the characters...until Pluto came. He started to shy away, but Pluto got down on his knees a couple of feet in front of him and just bobbed his head up and down to make his whiskers wiggle. Our little man was ENTRANCED and reached out and grabbed the sides of Pluto's face and giggled! He's been fine with all of the characters ever since (with the exception of Donald, who he looked at as if Donald was going to try to eat him during that first trip, which is odd because Donald has been a fave of his since day 1 and acting out Donald's role in Trick or Treat helped him learn to talk).
CoasterSnoop
Well-Known Member
CMs didn’t have a voice in these situations before. If you don’t think guests groped or otherwise abused costumed characters before 2019, you haven’t been paying attention.
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Now suddenly they have a voice? What has changed??
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MY POINT: Ped-o-Files congregate in places where there are higher concentration of kids.... WDW...SCHOOLS...SCOUTS. WDW is a great place because parents are distracted... your delusional if you dont recognize that...
I never allowed my kids to even go into the restroom in WDW alone until they were teens...
peter11435
Well-Known Member
Are you unable to figure out the answer to your question on your own? Honestly?
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CoasterSnoop
Well-Known Member
You are aware of recent social movements that have resulted in victims of harassment and abuse across the board being more comfortable in being open about their cases so that they may get justice and not sit in a painful silence, one of which was so prevalent that I don’t even need to say its name and you know which one I’m referring to, yes?
In this case at least, because of those movements, Disney providing a voice for those people is a good PR move in the same way they might’ve seen not providing them a voice as a good PR move say 10 years ago.
One could infer from your responses that you think that never, in the near 50 years WDW has been in operation, has there ever been a disturbed guest who has intentionally injured, or groped a CM character. I don’t think you do, I’m not trying to put words in your mouth, but frankly it comes off that way and it doesn’t help your case anymore than bringing in needless generational garbage.
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awoogala
Well-Known Member
yeah, mine wasn't Disney! Totally different set up, sorry!
Gabrielle Russon
New Member
Here's the original story from the Orlando Sentinel. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/bus...0191227-wok3tpnguzhhdglddw5qgue3hq-story.html
Gabrielle Russon
New Member
The Sentinel requested 10 years of battery reports in September to get a sense of how often this behavior happens and is reported. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/bus...0190923-zy7o3lka3fhmhfeohjicftx74a-story.html