Character Autographs

I don't know about all of you, but I spend a good deal of my time with characters when I go to Disney World. After characters, comes pin trading. Oh! And don't forget Behind The Scenes Tours. When it comes down to it, there are a few rides I love, but I find more to do than simply rides. And would you believe I have yet to go to the water park??

Let's talk about characters. I admit, I'm a big kid. But keeping that inner child alive and happy is very important to one's health and sanity in today's world. The average time spent with a character is right around a minute. Hard to believe, but true. You wait in line.. when it is your turn, you go up, hand the character your autograph book, get your picture taken.. and move on. Wow. Have you missed some fun opportunities. The characters are great with little kids and will do their best to have some interactions. But older kids and adults.. wake up!! You can interact with those characters, too!

One of my fondest memories of our last trip to Disney was watching my Chrissy "bust a move" with Prince Naveen. I had no idea what was up her sleeve or I would have had video recording ready and waiting. They both ended up giggling and laughing, and doubling over for air before it was over. I admit, I did play with Dug. It was very amusing to turn my head and point and yell, SQUIRREL! 

While we're talking about autographs, let me toss a couple of ideas your way. Take sharpie pens for the characters to use. They make great signatures and are super easy to scan when you get back home. (We'll get to that part later, I promise.) We buy a box of sharpies to take with us just in case one (or two) get lost along the way. And we always have extras on hand with us right at the park. Be considerate of those real furry characters with big paws and hands. Invest in one of those large barrel, long autograph pens the parks sell. (Watch ebay for good deals before your trip.) They will super appreciate having an implement they can actually use.

I have a couple of trips where I bought Disney Journals to use for collecting autographs. Always present your book with an open page to your character. And tell them if you have a preference where you want them to sign. I would hand the book folded to them with the page I wanted their signature on. Which was always the right hand side. It's easy with a spiral bound journal to do this, not so easy with some of those permanent bound autograph books. I liked the journals because I knew I could place a photo in them without worrying about fit. When I got home, I would go through my photos. Find the perfect one for that character, and place it on the left page. I left the very first page blank for dates of the trip. Those were my first autograph books.

Next, Chrissy and I decided to use those Pic Folio Albums and the mat packs. We took the mat packs with us to Disney, small clipboards, and our Sharpies. I also kept a regular ball point pen to write the date and location on the back of a signed paper. So now, we can slip in the signature on a colorful paper mat with the photo(s) in another pocket. (Are you starting to get a feel for how important my autographs are yet?)

Now.. I have a better idea!! Digi-scrapping opens a whole new world!! And Connie just keeps on feeding my need. This week, she has released new Brag Book Templates! The perfect size at 5" x 7". What better to brag about than Disney? And how awesome is it to add that character signature to a photo!! So let me share with you a couple of the Brag Book templates I created this afternoon. (Hubby just called and I told him I was still working on my blog post. He said, "How long can it take for a blog post?" LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.. little does he know!)

 

So this is Fairy Godmother. And she told me I would get to go back to Disney again. WOOT! I believe what Fairy Godmother says.   I took her autograph, and extracted it using PSE, turned it into a PNG and voila!  I have an autographed brag book page!

And Pluto. Are you starting to see the possibilities with all those lovely elements, word bits and word art available??  

Perfect size for framing a single memory. Or, do enough for a book and have it printed.  What a keepsake that would make!  Sure, it will take a little time investment to get those signatures turning into PNG files, but you will find it so very rewarding in the end.

The next time you happen to see Lady Tremaine,  ask her how much hair spray it took to  hold her hair up that way.  :)   Better yet!  Tell Donald you've been enjoying him on the AFLAC commercials!!   Have some fun with those characters.  It will make your trip more memorable!

So.. before I leave you this week...  let's have a little trivia question. Of course it's about Disney.  Maleficent as a dragon is featured in what Disney World Show???  You have until Friday, July 19th at 5:00 PM EDT to leave your answer in a comment below. One random person (with the correct answer) will be chosen to receive a $3 coupon at Connie Prince's personal store.  Please be sure to include a way I can email you if you win! 

Until next week......