Should all character "autographs" be a stamp to save time?

[Shadowgate]

NO! The signiture is part of the interaction and without it become more impersonal and the point is this interaction is supposed to be a very personal experience with beloved characters! Otherwise just get a robot to do the stamping. I know it can me stressful or annoying to some to wait hours for a 1 minute or less interaction but that 1 minute likely will be remembered by most children forever.

My daughter first did a M&G at 4 and had never done Santa or the Easter bunny M&G due to fear but ran right up to Chip and Dale and hugged them given the chance and remembers that very well at 12.

My picture is from about 2 minutes after meeting Chip and Dale when she met Mickey for the first time...Think you can see how much it meant to her.

 

[Sully83]

My opinion on this is no on the stamps. However I would love to see Disney do some practical alterations to theirs costumes to make it easier on some of the characters in doing these enhanced show tasks. Characters like the princesses in all fairness have it easy for the most part in doing these extra tasks because their costumes don't normally effect these types of tasks. Other characters like buzz, it is much more difficult to see and handle a pen and paper. The first time I saw buzz, i remembered he took my disposable camera and tried to take a picture of my friends and I. He ended up dropping my camera and breaking the darn thing. I didn't really care because it was disposable and I had another one with me. I felt bad for him trying to do extra tasks like that though. Disney has some of the brightest people working in imagineering and in their costume design that I know they could come up with something in both the hand areas to help with gripping and in the head area to help with sight that also blends into the overall appearance of the costume so it does not look out of place. I am sure however changes like this are way more expensive and knowing disney, it means getting something like that is kind of like wishing upon a star. Just my opinion, but no on the stamps

 

[asianway]

It certainly is more efficient, but it seems less personal. I'm not sure how many go out of their way to personalize, or if they simply write their names, but I feel like a rubber stamp would somewhat trivialize the process.

Now from the storytelling standpoint, there is something to be said about using a stamp to ensure that all kids who get Tinkerbell's autograph, regardless of which park they go to or when they visit, would end up getting the exact same signature. But I think that's just me overthinking it all.

No persons signature is the same every time.

 

[SAV]

You may be on to something. There doesn't need to be precious time wasted on such a thing as character interaction. Same thing for rides/attractions and dining.

For the rides/attractions, If you have already been on it, you get to walk through the Previous Riders queue, sit in the ride vehicle(only 2 seconds now) and then get right out without actually moving. That would totally save time. Attractions/Movies, sit in the seat, get up and get out. Then at your own leisure, you could watch a YouTube video of the ride that you got to sit in for 2 seconds. That way you wouldn't take time away from anyone else to ride who may miss the ride before they have to leave. You could always have someone shake the chair or if it has wheels push you around the room.


As for dining, If you already ate somewhere that is notoriously full on a past trip, then you can only look at pictures of the food and maybe catch a whiff, but you can't eat. I mean you would be in the way of someone who hasn't eaten there and it wouldn't be fair if they can't eat before having to leave. They could convert the FastPass machines to a FastSmell machine where you are allowed to walk through to the real food, put your head down, take a whiff, and move on.

Imagine how short the lines would be...Genius I say!!!

 

[EOD K9]

.....

It's hard to do a comparison like that. Characters have to put up with a LOT. Kneeling up and down all day, dealing with being around little ones with TERRIBLE vision,..........

So just to make sure I have this, its the characters have terrible vision and not the children?

 

[joanna71985]

Do they have a character leave while people are still in line waiting? I'd guess they cut the line off and finsih the line rather than just say tough luck to the other people who had been waiting. Does anyone know?

For 99% of character locations, everyone who is in line will meet that character. They may have to step off for a moment, but they usually come right back (exception being where they have to go to the parade, or they are done for the night. Then the line should have the attendant at the back stating so). One reason a character wouldn't return right away would be in the example of someone like Peter Pan (as he has to fly back to Neverland to check on the Lost Boys, he has to go for a bit). In that example, he would be back at specific times.

However...there are a few examples where a line could be closed (but not have an attendant at the back) or where the characters change throughout the day. Examples include Mix and Mingle at MNSSHP (the characters are only out for a limited time, and the attendants do NOT close off the line. Instead, they will announce aprox how much longer the characters have), and many of the character lines for SWW (including the line for the VIPs, Anakin and co, and Luke and Leia's line to name a few)

 

[TubaGeek]

So just to make sure I have this, its the characters have terrible vision and not the children?

You, sir, receive one Internet Point.

 

[juniorthomas]

No persons signature is the same every time.

Yes. Obviously. What I'm talking about a significant variance in signature style. A stamp would erase that variance.

Again, I still feel a stamp would be the wrong way to go.

 

[asianway]

Yes. Obviously. What I'm talking about a significant variance in signature style. A stamp would erase that variance.

Again, I still feel a stamp would be the wrong way to go.

Performers are required to maintain the standard signature as part of their skills...

 

[BelleInWonderland]

No way. The personalized autographs are what make it fun for the kids...and the kids at heart like me.

That being said, it's understandable why some characters use the stamps, due to their costumes. And then there's the Beast, who just never learned to write...

 

[fireworksandfairytales]

Though I suppose it would save time, I don't think they should all be stamps. I think that takes away from the magic of it. I was disappointed the first time I remember meeting buzz and all he had was a stamp.
Now that I'm older I understand that certain costumes don't permit the character to hold a pen properly, but I think the one's that can should sign.
But I think the stamps are great for characters like buzz that cannot. I wish they would get stamps for wreck-it Ralph and the monsters, inc. characters too since they can't sign

 

[juniorthomas]

Performers are required to maintain the standard signature as part of their skills...

Sigh

 

[6laurac]

I vote for the real deal. I plan on comparing my autograph book with my daughter's after this trip to see if the characters are the "same"

 

[Princess Jemma]

NO - it diminishes the experience! It is a situation to interact with characters for a unique experience. A stamp is not an "autograph" - it is a blip...

 

[MightyMouse]

I love how the character's autographs are the same through out the parks and restaurants. These people must be evaluated or something before employment. I love how Disney take care of all the little things.
Anyway, I can only cast a vote based on my DD and for me witnessing first hand how she reacted to her autographs, anxiously awaiting with pen in hand, checking out the autographs after each was signed... It was priceless.

 

[MightyMouse]

Our DDs autograph book was made of differrnt coloured pages. It added to the excitement for our four year old as she got to choose that "special page" for each character as she waited in line, rather than just having standard white pages to sign.
To this day she will tell anyone looking at her book how she loves her Minnie page. Minnie wrote "pretty in pink" on her pink page and DD is soooo proud because she chose that page for her and Minnie acknowledged it. A simple stamp would not have brought on these memories

 

[TubaGeek]

No way. The personalized autographs are what make it fun for the kids...and the kids at heart like me.

That being said, it's understandable why some characters use the stamps, due to their costumes. And then there's the Beast, who just never learned to write...

If Belle is there to help hand him the pen and book the right way, Beast sometimes signs. Of course, now that they don't meet together ANYWHERE mad I don't know what the case is. I suppose the only way is to spend major time, effort, and money to get into BoG for dinner...