Saturday, February 14, 2009

Saturday Selection

Having your photo taken with one of the many Disney characters wandering the park (with giant rubber heads) is a popular pastime for many Disneyland visitors. In fact, these days the Disney company milks the characters for all their worth, with "character lunches" and so on. It kind of surprises me that some people are so into it... we all know that it is just a person in a costume! And yet, somehow, they still bring a lot of happiness to a lot of people.


There's nothing especially notable about this picture looking down Main Street, but that's OK, I like it anyway!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Two Little Pigs thing that's an innocent Granny 'tween 'em. But have they wondered where Pig #3 is? Last seen at the Red Wagon Inn 'fore breakfast mwuhuh

I like the Main St. pic too. It's casual and feels like you're standing there, just peering out of the Tardis, looking for Rose...

oops wrong fandom. hehe

Anonymous said...

Could that possibly be Trinidad on the right side of Main Street in that second photo?

Anonymous said...

Looks like Trindad, for sure.

What I find particularly notable is how folks in 1963 crowded the sidewalks, and would only use the street to cross.

These days the vehicles have to lean on their horns to get the masses to budge, and get the heck out of the way.

Nancy said...

the burning question remains....

do the pipple inside the costume heads smile when someone is taking their picture??

inquiring minds want to know!

Smee said...

The pigs look a bit like something from Roswell. Kinda scary, is this some kind of abduction?

Major Pepperidge said...

I'll bet that the pipple inside the costumes do smile, it seems like it would almost be an unconscious thing.

And that might be Trinidad... there were other "white wings" of course. I have a photo that is definitely him, coming up someday!

Bill Cotter said...

I played a number of characters and I can assure you that it's natural to smile at first. After a while you realize that's sor of dumb, and you also realize you need to close your eyes before any flash goes off. The costumes are hard enough to see out without being blinded.

It's funny but we were just at Disneyland and someone who knew I had played a character asked about the smiling part. There were a few of us there and we all agreed to doing it. Human nature I guess.

Anonymous said...

Why do people get so excited about the characters when they're just people in costumes? Why do people like the Muppets (everyone knows they're not alive)? It's in the fun of a great costume (okay, those pigs are a bad example) combined with a good performance. And, the characters at Disneyland usually do a fantastic job of staying in character. When they appear, a jolt of unpredictability, spontaneity and good humor jazzes up the area. No one's ever too old to suspend disbelief for a moment or two. :)

(If you haven't seen it yet, Youtube "Pluto Chases Brat" for a look at a cast member falling hilariously out of character).