raven
Well-Known Member
The reason WDI does not like this Hidden Mickey is because it's not one of their own.
Unlike most works of art, WDI can't 'sign' their work. Outside of Tony Baxter or Joe Rhode, you don't really hear of the names of anyone from WDI who works on a ride. And besides, Joe and Tony are not the only ones who work on a project....
As a result Hidden Mickey's (and other hidden items, Mr. Toad in Pooh, or the Mustard and ketchup pipes in Dinosaur) are ways for imagineers to say "I've work on this, there my Hidden Mickey signature. When park CM's put in their own Hidden Mickey's WDI considers that a forgery of their work.
This is true. I think the Hidden Mickey's should be only installed by WDI to keep it official. While working in Via Napoli a few weeks before it opened, a painter was working on the copper-colored ceiling above the bench by the bathrooms. We tried to get him to put in a hidden Mickey but he said he'd be fired if he even tried. Guess he'd been informed as well.