“Former Disney Cast Members of Reddit, What are Some of Your Craziest/Creepiest/Best Stories?”
1) simplybenny wrote this:
“This was a while ago now, but it still makes me smiley and nostalgic.
“Character performers, such as myself, are only out during specific timeslots during the day for pictures. When those times end, usually guests aren’t allowed to enter the queue anymore, and we finish up taking photos with those remaining. Unfortunately, this day was particularly hot and fur characters had been experiencing issues (i.e. fainting) due to the heat, so they were packing us up rather quickly at the end of shifts. Dale and I (Chip) were waving our goodbyes to the guests when we heard this child absolutely WAILING her lungs out over not being able to meet us — she wasn’t being bratty, she sounded genuinely upset.
“My attendant is the best. The crowd dispersed a bit, and she was able to catch up with the parents. She found out they would be returning tomorrow, and since we all had shifts the following day, we pulled some strings to set up a small meeting. Here’s how it went down:
“The parents, as instructed to, brought her to Critter Country a while before the first meet and greet of the day. I crept up behind her and gently put my paws over her eyes, and pulled them back to reveal Dale striking this wonderfully heroic pose in front of her. I still remember how she screamed in excitement when she realized her favorite Disney characters had come out just to spend some time with her. We gave her autographs and did photos, then spent the rest of the time playing tag. :)”
2) bibbityboppityburner wrote this:
“I’m surprised no one has mentioned Towel Baby. Most people who worked at WDW-MK in the early 2000s heard of or met Towel Baby. It’s a rather sad story, so I’ll try to tell it respectfully.
“Several times a week a couple with annual passes came to the Magic Kingdom with what appeared to be a swaddled infant. However, if you looked closely, the woman was carrying a rolled-up towel wrapped in a hospital newborn blanket. The man was always very gentle, leading his wife through security and into the park. I’m not certain if they went on rides, but I know for sure that they always asked for a table for three at restaurants. They came through my turnstile a few times and while the woman rarely made eye contact, they were always soft spoken and respectful. The story / legend was that the couple had lost an infant years prior and the woman fell into a deep depression and became delusional. The only thing that kept her somewhat functional was fussing over this towel and coming to the Magic Kingdom.
“Observing them navigate the park was a master class in compassion, not only watching the husband care for his wife, but seeing every single cast member treat them both with respect and kindness. I remember managers telling us not to make fun of them (obviously) but also not to fuss over them — they’re just another family enjoying the park.”
3) ThePoetPrinceofWass wrote this:
“Whenever a Disney story thread comes up, this one from u/Ihaveanotheridentity is always the best:
“I have one moment that stands out above all the rest. I was waiting for someone to ask me this question. It’s the reason I left a good job as a VIP Tourguide and moved to the Character Department.
“I was working City Hall one day when two guests came in with two little girls. One was in a wheelchair and the other one looked like she had just seen death. Both were cut and bruised and the one in the wheelchair had her arm in a cast. The two women were actually nurses from a hospital and were asking for a refund on the girls’ tickets, something we avoided doing at all costs. When I asked why, they told me the story. The two girls were with their mom and dad at Epcot, and on the way home they got into a horrible car accident. The mother was beheaded right in front of them. The father eventually died, too, but the two girls didn’t know that yet. They were from overseas and had no money and no contact information for anyone they knew. They were bringing the tickets back to get the girls some much-needed money to help get them back home. My heart absolutely sunk. If you had seen these girls, you’d know why. They were truly traumatized. I refunded their tickets and got permission to be their private tour guide for the rest of the day (which they were not expecting). I walked them to the VIP viewing area for the parade, which was as far as I could walk them in the costume we used to wear at City Hall. I had to leave them there while I put on my VIP costume. On the way down, I pulled out every kid joke I could think of. I was a REALLY good tour guide (I helped write part of it), and I knew how to make kids smile. Nothing worked. These girls were too far gone for that. I left them at the bridge to go change, walked backstage and bawled my eyes out. I just had never seen something so horrible. I was truly affected and it was a terrible feeling of powerlessness not being able to fix the situation. When I came back, I brought them to get ice cream, take them on rides and stuff, but they never smiled, not once. The nurses were loving it and were trying to get them into it, but it just wasn’t working. We went back to the bridge to watch the parade. It was there that I honestly saw true magic. Real magic, not bullshit. I had called the parade department to let them know what was going on and set up a private meet and greet after the parade. As the parade was coming around Liberty Square, I told the girls that I had called Mickey and told him all about them. I told them that Mickey asked to meet them after the parade.
“The little girl in the wheelchair smiled.
“‘Really?’ she asked. My heart skipped. ‘Yes, really! He told me to tell you to look out for him in the parade and to follow the float back to City Hall.’
“The other girl smiled.
“‘You mean right now?’ she asked.
“It had worked. They were talking. Not laughing, but talking. It was the first time I had heard them speak. Every single parade performer came up to them on the bridge and told them to look out for Mickey. Every one of them told them that. When Mickey’s float came up, Mickey (who was attached to a pole at the top of the float) managed to turn her body sideways, look down at the girls and point towards Main Street. That was all it took. The girls were excited now. They had forgotten about death. They were lost in a magical world, and I couldn’t believe I was watching it unfold in front of my eyes. We followed that float all the way back to City Hall, singing ‘Mickey Mania’ the whole way. Back then, City Hall used to have a VIP lounge behind the desk that was for privacy during difficult situations or to host celebrities. I took them in and showed them the book where all of the autographs were. They were eating it up.
“The girl who was Mickey that day got down off her float and without even taking her head off walked up to me backstage and said ‘Let’s go.’ I walked in with Mickey behind me, so I got to see the exact moment the girls met their new friend. They got shy but Mickey was in control now. Those girls met the REAL Mickey Mouse that day. Every single parade character stayed dressed to meet those girls. One by one they’d come in and play a bit then leave. We were in that lounge for over an hour. Mickey stayed in costume the entire time (which is hard to do after a parade). When Mickey finally said goodbye, I had two excited girls on my hands who couldn’t stop smiling. They talked and talked and talked. We had a wonderful day after that, but what I remember most is when we walked by the rose garden, the older one said, ‘Oh, my mommy loves roses! I mean…’ and she stopped. I held out my hand and walked her to the gate, picked her up and put her on the other side and said, ‘Pick one!’ She looked happy as she picked out her favorite rose. She didn’t say anything more and she didn’t need to. I said goodbye to the wonderful nurses and the wonderful girls then walked backstage behind the train station. This time I didn’t cry. It felt so good to be a part of that. I realized that as much as I liked helping guests at City Hall, the true magic of Disney was in the character department. I auditioned, transferred, and never looked back. Thanks for letting me relive this. It was a special day for me.”
Source: siamesedream81, “Former Disney Cast Members of Reddit, what are some of your craziest/creepiest/best stories?” AskReddit. 10 March 2018
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