Please help me understand this!

[Riverbird]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I totally understand your explanations as to why you shouldn't touch a character's head. What I don't understand is why there's no warnings about this anywhere. Since it's clearly such a big deal, it would make sense to have warning notices when you register for a character breakfast or when you arrive, or near the greeting areas. Maybe even on the Disney app or when you purchase your tickets... It just seems like it would save so much trouble for so many to just kindly let people know it's a no-no. This is a trip I've been dreaming about for years, so I have spent A LOT of time reading about Disney, including about meeting characters. I've seen the obvious don't hit/grab/assault characters, but I haven't seen any mention of don't touch their head. If I didn't see it after years of "research", how is it expected for everyone to just know? While it may be obvious to some, it was most definitely not to me.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

I've never heard of the "no touching characters heads" rule, but I assume if it is indeed a no-no, Disney wouldn't want to publicize it, because it would probably make the issue more widespread with people that just want to cause trouble by intentionally breaking the rule.

That's because they usually don't publicize negative policies...i.e. DON'T do this, you CAN'T do that...usually the handlers take care of any situations like this and "cut them off at the pass", but it sounds like the OP moved so fast, the handler didn't have time to react or was out of position. It's more aimed for adults interacting with the characters...I don't think Disney wants to prevent children from running up and hugging the characters.

 

[danyoung56]

What I don't understand is why there's no warnings about this anywhere.

And how would this work, exactly? "Come meet Mickey - and don't touch his head. Minnie's here for your children - and don't touch her head." Would get kinda irritating after awhile, don't you think?

 

[NickPytlinski]

i wouldn't take it to heart, it probably happens daily to adults.
its probably an unwritten rule for the costume cast members.

The member inside the costume probably has a number of trigger points for different/certain costumes and different situations.
it may have felt stronger inside the costume, maybe they thought it could be somebody else touching them from their vision or maybe the person inside the costume 'overreacted' for his/her safety, totally acceptable based on their own opinion.

its probably just a very normal thing. it would be nice if there was someone on the forum who has been in the costumes and the rules and advice they are given when training.

at least you now know and can spread the word. i have been 5 times to disney from the UK and didn't know this so i can avoid it in future. just touching them on the shoulder as you scoot behind them is such a normal thing in disney, the lines, queues you have to do this sometimes to get past others. So with tables and chairs in the way at a character breakfast i can see how this is easily done.

so thank you for the thread and im sure its very informative for the rest of us. (even the ones claiming you should be arrested by the disney police lol).

 

[baskinthemagic]

And how would this work, exactly?

 

[danyoung56]

Nice art!

 

[EagleScout610]

I've just returned from my first trip to Disney World. It was absolutely incredible, but there's something that I keep thinking about that I don't understand.

On one of our first days there we went to a character breakfast with Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. When Mickey came to our table, I hugged him, and then went to stand behind him for a picture. (I thought it'd be fun to peek between his ears for a picture). I put a hand on his head right next to his ear as I moved behind him, similar to how I would put a hand on a friend's shoulder before stepping behind them...so they'd know I was there and I'd have a guide for distance. As I did this Mickey suddenly waved his arms and ran away out the door next to us. He came right back out, but went on to the next table and didn't greet anyone else at our table.

My friend said that she's been in a mascot costume before (not disney related), and that it's very uncomfortable for someone to mess with the ears. That was her theory as to why Mickey had left, and it makes as much sense as anything I can think of. I didn't grab, pull, yank, etc., or anything else that is obviously forbidden.

Later we were at a meet and greet with Doug (the dog from Up). We saw a woman reach up and scratch his ears, and she was immediately removed from the meet and greet area. The poor woman looked devastated, as was I with the Mickey incident. Yes I'm an adult, but this trip was many many years in the making, and meeting Mickey is a big part of the Disney experience!

The incident with Doug seems to fit with my friend's don't touch the ears theory, but if that is the case why is it not announced anywhere? Why aren't there signs up, or warnings when you get your tickets? I've looked at a bunch of different websites, and all I can find is the obvious don't hit or otherwise assault the characters. But both of these incidents were not that at all. In hindsight I do see that going behind Mickey could've been scary for him...but I can't imagine that that lady was the first to scratch Doug's ears. So is the ears really the issue here or is there something else I'm missing? We asked for an explanation from the other cast members around and didn't get anything...though Mickey did come back out and hang out at our table for a while.

First of, welcome to the board Riverbird

Time for my two cents. I worked as an assistant to Chuck E. Cheese for a little over a year, and I can shed a little light on this. Now, obviously we're not as big as Disney, but the same general costume rules apply. We would try to keep any head-touching of Chuck E to a minimum. Why? Because those ears are: A. Large and B. Heavy. Watch any video of Chuck E and you'll see that the movement of the ears pretty much indicate the way the performer's head is going. There was a time when a kid grabbed the ear and pulled backwards, causing my head to lean back a little faster than I'd wanted. This leads to point B. which is that the ears are HEAVY. If the head slips fast enough, then it could roll off the performer (I've seen it happen).

I did see @ninjaprincesst mention the sight lines, choking the performer, and balance. All of these are true. The mascot heads offer NO peripheral vision, so unless a child is RIGHT in front of the character, you're not going to see him/her. If somebody puts a hand on the back of my head, my first thought is that their intention is to hurt the character. Now, I'm not saying they are, but it's kind of a reaction. It's best to leave any potential problems and come back when you can see the guest in question clearly. Oh boy, where to begin on the balance issue. The characters' ears, snouts, noses, ect... are alot heavier than the back of the head, and if a kid smacks the nose, it could send the unbalanced performer into an unpleasant fall.

Well, that's everything I have on the matter.

 

[Riverbird]

I've never heard of the "no touching characters heads" rule, but I assume if it is indeed a no-no, Disney wouldn't want to publicize it, because it would probably make the issue more widespread with people that just want to cause trouble by intentionally breaking the rule.

Interesting...to me that sounds a little like let's not put up fences or barriers because it might make people want to climb them into places they're not supposed to be. Instead let's just leave everything wide open and hope people guess appropriately at where they are and are not supposed to be.

 

[Riverbird]

That's because they usually don't publicize negative policies...i.e. DON'T do this, you CAN'T do that...usually the handlers take care of any situations like this and "cut them off at the pass", but it sounds like the OP moved so fast, the handler didn't have time to react or was out of position. It's more aimed for adults interacting with the characters...I don't think Disney wants to prevent children from running up and hugging the characters.

There were no handlers with the characters at this breakfast, which seemed interesting to me. We watched the characters for a long while after this and there was no one following them. It wasn't an issue of me moving too fast. In the later issue we witnessed, the handler was there but just kicked the person out of the meet and greet area rather than give a warning or explain what was going on.

 

[Riverbird]

And how would this work, exactly? "Come meet Mickey - and don't touch his head. Minnie's here for your children - and don't touch her head." Would get kinda irritating after awhile, don't you think?

Disney has created the happiest place on earth, and done a fantastic job of it! I'm sure it is well within their abilities to create a Disney language friendly list of tips for meeting characters. Then when you get your confirmation email for a character breakfast, it could have a link to it, with something like, "For the best possible experience meeting Mickey and his friends, check out these tips!" Obviously not everyone would read them, but someone like myself absolutely would and an uncomfortable situation could've been avoided. There could also be something like that on the app that gives all the Disney info. Again not everyone would read it, but some would. For characters like Doug, where touching his ears seems pretty natural (he's a dog after all), there could be a sign saying something like, "Doug loves hugs, but ask before ear scratches!" I'm sure the actual Disney staff could come up with way better wording than anything I'm suggesting, but there are most definitely ways to do it.

 

[Riverbird]

i wouldn't take it to heart, it probably happens daily to adults.
its probably an unwritten rule for the costume cast members.

The member inside the costume probably has a number of trigger points for different/certain costumes and different situations.
it may have felt stronger inside the costume, maybe they thought it could be somebody else touching them from their vision or maybe the person inside the costume 'overreacted' for his/her safety, totally acceptable based on their own opinion.

its probably just a very normal thing. it would be nice if there was someone on the forum who has been in the costumes and the rules and advice they are given when training.

at least you now know and can spread the word. i have been 5 times to disney from the UK and didn't know this so i can avoid it in future. just touching them on the shoulder as you scoot behind them is such a normal thing in disney, the lines, queues you have to do this sometimes to get past others. So with tables and chairs in the way at a character breakfast i can see how this is easily done.

so thank you for the thread and im sure its very informative for the rest of us. (even the ones claiming you should be arrested by the disney police lol).

Thank you for bringing common sense back to the table! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! That's really all i'm looking for with all of this. For it being such a big deal for the characters, I'm surprised that people don't know about it. (Well, apparently lots of people here do, but yeah...lol). I'm grateful to finally have a solid understanding of what caused the reaction, so at least I can know for next time!

 

[EagleScout610]

ftfy

Were you a friend of Chuck E's too?

 

[ninjaprincesst]

Disney has created the happiest place on earth, and done a fantastic job of it! I'm sure it is well within their abilities to create a Disney language friendly list of tips for meeting characters. Then when you get your confirmation email for a character breakfast, it could have a link to it, with something like, "For the best possible experience meeting Mickey and his friends, check out these tips!" Obviously not everyone would read them, but someone like myself absolutely would and an uncomfortable situation could've been avoided. There could also be something like that on the app that gives all the Disney info. Again not everyone would read it, but some would. For characters like Doug, where touching his ears seems pretty natural (he's a dog after all), there could be a sign saying something like, "Doug loves hugs, but ask before ear scratches!" I'm sure the actual Disney staff could come up with way better wording than anything I'm suggesting, but there are most definitely ways to do it.

I think something like that although useful could infringe on the "character magic", they are strict on what characters can and can't do, I doubt it would be allowed.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Thank you for bringing common sense back to the table! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! That's really all i'm looking for with all of this. For it being such a big deal for the characters, I'm surprised that people don't know about it. (Well, apparently lots of people here do, but yeah...lol). I'm grateful to finally have a solid understanding of what caused the reaction, so at least I can know for next time!

I apologize if I came across a little harsh initially, I guess all of us are different, some more demonstrative then others. It just never crossed my mind that I should touch anybody that I didn't know for any reason. (and I know that those costumes did include a human in them) So my reaction might have been unreasonable. To be honest, I still don't understand why anyone would just naturally do that, especially in today's world, but, it was obviously accidental and the reactions of Mickey have been very well explained so it is time to just let it go. Hopefully, many have realized that they shouldn't be doing that and there are also records of guests complaining that a character touched them in appropriately and didn't account for the fact that in those costumes their vision and depth perception is compromised.

 

[Riverbird]

I apologize if I came across a little harsh initially, I guess all of us are different, some more demonstrative then others. It just never crossed my mind that I should touch anybody that I didn't know for any reason. (and I know that those costumes did include a human in them) So my reaction might have been unreasonable. To be honest, I still don't understand why anyone would just naturally do that, especially in today's world, but, it was obviously accidental and the reactions of Mickey have been very well explained so it is time to just let it go. Hopefully, many have realized that they shouldn't be doing that and there are also records of guests complaining that a character touched them in appropriately and didn't account for the fact that in those costumes their vision and depth perception is compromised.

I appreciate your apology. I'm not upset, just surprised by some of the strong reactions. I'm not much of a hugger or a toucher in my regular life, but as I said Disney blurs those lines a lot. You're seeing magical characters you feel like you've known your whole life approaching you with open arms awaiting a hug. I am aware of the person inside, and without the costume there's no way I'd give them a hug the first time I ever saw them. But the costume changes some of those typical social graces, creating a confusing middle ground. I appreciate the information I've received here, I was just surprised at the rather intense reaction to genuine confusion. But as you said, time to make like Frozen and let it go.