From today's Orlando Sentinal...
Meet Disney's newest tour guide
By Chris Cobbs
Sentinel Staff Writer
April 18, 2003
When sisters Kailynne and Riley Tangeman visited the Magic Kingdom recently, they didn't need to bug their parents with a lot of questions about the park.
After all, the girls from Marysville, Ohio, had their own tour guide -- Pal Mickey, an interactive digital doll that embodies the fabled Disney mix of technology and magic.
"He's soooo cool," said Kailynne, 10, who along with her 8-year-old sister lucked into an informal testing of the doll one morning earlier this month.
Pal Mickey is a 10.5-inch-tall plush toy concealing a cache of high-tech gadgetry that enables him to be a wisecracking tour guide who informs guests about parades, show times and the location of Disney characters.
This 21st-century version of Mickey Mouse, targeted at youngsters 5 to 10 years old, is totally huggable on the outside.
Inside, however, he's equipped with computer chips that enable him to home in on wireless signals sent out from electronic beacons concealed throughout the park.
Officials would not say how much it cost to develop Pal Mickey, but members of the Disney Imagineering team and other divisions worked five years to create the doll.
Pal Mickey will go public on a limited scale later this month before becoming broadly available in the four theme parks in mid-May. He will be available in Spanish later in the summer. And depending on Pal Mickey's success here, he may be available later at other Disney theme parks.
Visitors will be able to rent Pal Mickey for $8 a day or purchase the toy for $50.
"Pal Mickey helps bring the park to life," said Linda Conrad, director of Merchandise Technology Initiatives.
"He points out things you might miss, the hidden treasures in the park. The kids carry it and share the information with family members. The jokes are meant to be fun for the whole family."
The 13-ounce toy has four missions in life:
Deliver fun facts and trivia based on the location.
Introduce the gang of Disney characters and help guests find a character.
Make jokes and provide games to lessen the boredom of waiting in line.
Provide park tips, show times and information on park attractions, such as height restrictions.
Pal Mickey, powered by three AA batteries, is programmed with 700 lines of text. The script totals about two hours, with each line lasting about 10 seconds, said Kyle Poor, a member of the development team.
"When Pal Mickey picks up a signal and is ready to talk, he begins to giggle and jiggle," he said. "There are buttons in his hands and tummy that you press to get him to speak. He will repeat his line if you press again within 15 seconds."
When taken out of a theme park to a hotel or home, Pal Mickey can play three games and tell a variety of jokes, but he no longer talks about Disney World attractions.
The doll is big enough to be cuddly, but not too big to be cumbersome, said Leslie Hartog, project and business manager for Pal Mickey.
His remarks are carefully scripted to provide a combination of useful information and a touch of humor.
"We tested each line extensively with guests," Hartog said. "We wanted to know if a guest thought a line was funny.
"We learned guests wanted the doll to help them find characters and remind them when a show starts. Guests also wanted him to entertain kids while waiting in lines."
Pal Mickey's shtick is geared to his surroundings in the park. For instance, if guests are waiting in line at the entrance to the Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios, he says:
"A long time ago, on a dark, stormy night, they say five hotel guests disappeared sorta mysteriously while ridin' the elevator here. That won't happen to us, right? 'Cause we're not goin' on the elevator. Are we, pal?"
At the Magic Kingdom, Pal Mickey gave Kailynne and Riley a helpful tip for the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter in Tomorrowland:
"I hear this Alien Encounter is pretty scary. To see it, you gotta be 44 inches tall. Lucky for me, I'm too small."
Lucky for Kailynne and Riley, they were tall enough.
A lot of technical wizardry was incorporated into Pal Mickey to make him a cute little techno wunderkind.
"We've never offered a toy talking guide like this," Poor said.
"The evolution of microelectronics made it possible and practical. We think of him as a small attraction in himself."
There may be more characters like Pal Mickey, officials hinted without going into specifics.
"We're always striving to create magic," Conrad said.
"We think this harkens back to Walt's vision: lots of technology behind the experience, but it's all magic to the guests."
Meet Disney's newest tour guide
By Chris Cobbs
Sentinel Staff Writer
April 18, 2003
When sisters Kailynne and Riley Tangeman visited the Magic Kingdom recently, they didn't need to bug their parents with a lot of questions about the park.
After all, the girls from Marysville, Ohio, had their own tour guide -- Pal Mickey, an interactive digital doll that embodies the fabled Disney mix of technology and magic.
"He's soooo cool," said Kailynne, 10, who along with her 8-year-old sister lucked into an informal testing of the doll one morning earlier this month.
Pal Mickey is a 10.5-inch-tall plush toy concealing a cache of high-tech gadgetry that enables him to be a wisecracking tour guide who informs guests about parades, show times and the location of Disney characters.
This 21st-century version of Mickey Mouse, targeted at youngsters 5 to 10 years old, is totally huggable on the outside.
Inside, however, he's equipped with computer chips that enable him to home in on wireless signals sent out from electronic beacons concealed throughout the park.
Officials would not say how much it cost to develop Pal Mickey, but members of the Disney Imagineering team and other divisions worked five years to create the doll.
Pal Mickey will go public on a limited scale later this month before becoming broadly available in the four theme parks in mid-May. He will be available in Spanish later in the summer. And depending on Pal Mickey's success here, he may be available later at other Disney theme parks.
Visitors will be able to rent Pal Mickey for $8 a day or purchase the toy for $50.
"Pal Mickey helps bring the park to life," said Linda Conrad, director of Merchandise Technology Initiatives.
"He points out things you might miss, the hidden treasures in the park. The kids carry it and share the information with family members. The jokes are meant to be fun for the whole family."
The 13-ounce toy has four missions in life:
Deliver fun facts and trivia based on the location.
Introduce the gang of Disney characters and help guests find a character.
Make jokes and provide games to lessen the boredom of waiting in line.
Provide park tips, show times and information on park attractions, such as height restrictions.
Pal Mickey, powered by three AA batteries, is programmed with 700 lines of text. The script totals about two hours, with each line lasting about 10 seconds, said Kyle Poor, a member of the development team.
"When Pal Mickey picks up a signal and is ready to talk, he begins to giggle and jiggle," he said. "There are buttons in his hands and tummy that you press to get him to speak. He will repeat his line if you press again within 15 seconds."
When taken out of a theme park to a hotel or home, Pal Mickey can play three games and tell a variety of jokes, but he no longer talks about Disney World attractions.
The doll is big enough to be cuddly, but not too big to be cumbersome, said Leslie Hartog, project and business manager for Pal Mickey.
His remarks are carefully scripted to provide a combination of useful information and a touch of humor.
"We tested each line extensively with guests," Hartog said. "We wanted to know if a guest thought a line was funny.
"We learned guests wanted the doll to help them find characters and remind them when a show starts. Guests also wanted him to entertain kids while waiting in lines."
Pal Mickey's shtick is geared to his surroundings in the park. For instance, if guests are waiting in line at the entrance to the Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios, he says:
"A long time ago, on a dark, stormy night, they say five hotel guests disappeared sorta mysteriously while ridin' the elevator here. That won't happen to us, right? 'Cause we're not goin' on the elevator. Are we, pal?"
At the Magic Kingdom, Pal Mickey gave Kailynne and Riley a helpful tip for the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter in Tomorrowland:
"I hear this Alien Encounter is pretty scary. To see it, you gotta be 44 inches tall. Lucky for me, I'm too small."
Lucky for Kailynne and Riley, they were tall enough.
A lot of technical wizardry was incorporated into Pal Mickey to make him a cute little techno wunderkind.
"We've never offered a toy talking guide like this," Poor said.
"The evolution of microelectronics made it possible and practical. We think of him as a small attraction in himself."
There may be more characters like Pal Mickey, officials hinted without going into specifics.
"We're always striving to create magic," Conrad said.
"We think this harkens back to Walt's vision: lots of technology behind the experience, but it's all magic to the guests."
:sohappy: 
