4/29
May Day (Ireland, UK)
Minnie and Daisy are enjoying the first days of May.
May 01, 2003
LE 1200 $8.50
Exclusive to EPCOT
Pal Mickey LE 2000 Pin
Coming May 1
As you might know the Pal Mickey LE 2000
pin was mistakenly released at Poly last Tuesday. Have no fear May 1st this pin
will be released at these locations across WDW property
Port Orleans--Fulton's
Boardwalk Cart
Caribbean Beach
All Star Music
All Star Sports
All Star Movies
Contemporary
Polynesian
Wilderness Lodge cart
Coronado Springs Resort
DAK Lodge
Yacht Club
Beach Club
Old Key west
Grand Floridian
75 Years of Mickey #5 of 12
Here's #5 of 12 in the 75 Years of Mickey Series
May 01, 2003
LE 3000 $12.50
Thursday, May 1 - Disney-MGM Studios
The Backstage Pass Cast Pin Trading Tour
Cast Member ONLY
Belle makes some make up touch ups before going onstage!
4/29
2003 Magical Place to be- Heroes 2 of 3
Some of our favorite Disney heroes are displayed on this 2 of 3 pin
April 30, 2003
LE 3500 $10.50
4/27
Pal Mickey LE 2000 Pin Coming Soon
As you might know the Pal Mickey LE 2000
pin was mistakenly released at Poly last Tuesday. Have no fear May 1st this pin
will be released at these locations across WDW property
Port Orleans--Fulton's
Boardwalk Cart
Caribbean Beach
All Star Music
All Star Sports
All Star Movies
Contemporary
Polynesian
Wilderness Lodge cart
Coronado Springs Resort
DAK Lodge
Yacht Club
Beach Club
Old Key west
Grand Floridian
Pal Mickey The Doll
Pal Mickey is a 10.5-inch-tall plush toy concealing a cache of high-tech
gadgetry that enables him to be a wisecracking tour guide who informs guests
about parades, show times and the location of Disney characters.
Pal Mickey, powered by three AA batteries, is programmed with 700 lines of text.
The script totals about two hours, with each line lasting about 10 seconds.
Guests will be able to rent Pal Mickey for $8 a day or purchase the toy for $50.
4/25
"Where Magic Lives" nametag distribution coming soon
Distribution of the new "Where Magic
Lives" nametags will begin on April 25.
Theme park and resort Cast Members will receive the new nametags first, followed
by administrative and support area Cast Members.
On May 1, all Cast Members, Operating Participants, and Corporate Alliance
partners who have received their new nametags should begin wearing them.
4/25
Flower & Garden Box Set Price Change
The price for the Epcot Flower &
Garden LE 500 Box Set was changed the price was advertised as $40 but when it
went on sale it was sold for $35.00
4/24
Media Event #1
Expedition EVEREST to debut at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Expedition EVEREST: The Legend of the Forbidden Mountain will be the newest,
tallest and fastest attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom, as announced at the
theme park's fifth-anniversary press event on April 22.
Located in Asia, the new high-speed train adventure will explore the legend of
the yeti (known to some as the abominable snowman), an enormous creature that's
said to live in the Himalayan Mountains and guard the route to Mount Everest.
The adventure begins when guests board an old mountain railway destined for the
foot of the towering Mount Everest. The train rolls through thick bamboo
forests, past thundering waterfalls, along a shimmering glacier field and climbs
higher and higher through the snow-capped peaks.
Suddenly, the track ends in a gnarled mass of twisted metal. The thrills
intensify as the train races both forward and backward through mountain caverns
and icy canyons, careening down the mountain slopes as guests head for an
inevitable face-to-face showdown with the giant yeti.
The company announced the new project in grand Disney style, staging a
presentation in which a mountain rose from behind a stage near The Tree of Life,
snow fell from the sky and Goofy raised a flag emblazoned with "2006" from the
mountain's peak and asked onlookers, "Who'd you expect, the abominable snowman?"
Keeping with the Himalayan theme, Walt Disney World President Al Weiss took the
stage wearing a parka and expressed his enthusiasm for the new attraction.
"I can tell you that Expedition EVEREST will create an unmatched experience for
our guests when it opens in 2006," Al said. " ... We believe it's going to take
Disney's Animal Kingdom to many new levels. This family thrill ride will add
another dimension to Disney's Animal Kingdom, while staying true to the original
theme and vision of this great park."
Al then introduced Joe Rohde, executive designer at Walt Disney Imagineering and
lead designer for Disney's Animal Kingdom, who unveiled an artist rendering of
the attraction and discussed his personal experience with the Himalayas. (The
rendering Joe unveiled appears to the left of this story.)
"I have trekked, more than once, through the forests, valleys and impenetrably
thick, thick jungles ... where people believe this creature (the yeti) really
exists," Joe said. "And it is a real thrill to just stand in these places, where
you can't see more than 20 feet into the darkness of this forest, and to wonder
if these legends are true ... At Disney's Animal Kingdom, they will be." At
nearly 200 feet in height, Expedition EVEREST will be the tallest mountain in
Florida.
Guests as short as 42 inches will be able to experience this adventure.
Expedition EVEREST will feature Disney's FASTPASS Service, and it's scheduled to
open in 2006.
Media Event #2
Al Weiss announces
opening dates for Mission: SPACE and Disney's Pop Century Resort
Walt Disney World President Al
Weiss announced on April 22 that Mission: SPACE at Epcot will debut in a
soft-opening phase on Aug. 15 and celebrate its grand opening in October. The
attraction will launch Epcot guests on a simulated space adventure, where
they'll play active roles in a space mission.
Al also announced that phase one of Disney's Pop Century Resort will open on
Dec. 14, and that guests can make reservations now.
The new value-priced resort will celebrate the fads, dance crazes, catch
phrases, toys, technology and breakthroughs that defined each decade of the 20th
century. Larger-than-life icons, themed pool areas and more will support the
resort's retro theme.
Phase one of the resort is called the Classic Years and highlights pop culture
from the 1950s-1990s. Phase two, the Legendary Years, highlighting the
1900s-1940s, will open at a date to be determined.
Look for more details about Mission: SPACE and Disney's Pop Century Resort in
the May 1 issue of Eyes & Ears, and watch future issues of Eyes & Ears and the
Eyes & Ears module on the Walt Disney World Cast Portal for continuing coverage
of these projects.
4/24
WDW Has 2 New
Passholder Pins
April 25th WDW Passholders will
find not 1 but 2 new passholder pins. One will be the 1st of 3 Flower & Garden
Festival passholder exclusive pins.
The second will be another in the 75 years of Mickey series pins. This one is an
open stock with Mickey holding the golden key to the Magic of Disney.
4/23
New Varsity Walt Disney Build a Pin
$8.50
4/22
Administrative Professionals Day
Goofy is hard at work at his desk to meet his deadline.
April 23, 2003
LE 2500 $8.50
4/21
Open Edition Mission Space Pin Released
The first Mission Space pin was found at
Epcot today.
This pin is an open edition pin..
In May, June, July you will find Mission Space Under Construction LE pins
appearing.
4/1
Dates for upcoming Cast Pin Events:
Thursday, May 1 - Disney-MGM Studios
Belle makes some make up touch ups before going onstage!
Thursday, June 19 - Disney's Animal Kingdom
Goofy gets his costume on and gets ready for the show!
Thursday, July 31 - MAGIC KINGDOM (Property Control)
Thursday, September 4 - Epcot
Earth Day
Celebrate the Earth with this Earth Day pin
April 22, 2003
LE 3000 $8.50
Earth Day Festivities at WDW
Click to see them
Dak 5th Logo Pin #1
DAK celebrates it's 5th anniversary with this 5th anniversary Logo Pin #1
April 22, 2003
LE 3000 $10.50
Disney Wildlife
Conservation Fund Pin
Forty percent of the retail
purchase price of this pin will benefit animals by supporting research and
habitat protection around the world. This pin is available for purchase at
Disney's Animal Kingdom and Vero Beach Resort.
$6.50
Has been delayed, but should be here by the end of the week
4/21
Elvis Stitch Has Been Spotted At WDW
The Elvis Stitch is appearing at
many pin locations across WDW property. This pin has been seen at DPT, Emporium.
4/18
The Easter Parade of Pins 2003 at WDW
Donald-Epcot,
Goofy-Animal Kingdom,
Mickey Magic Kingdom, Minnie- MGM, Nephews-DPT,
Pluto- Caribbean Beach
Easter Parade 2003 Pins
Wait till you see the
whole gang join the Parade.
April 19, 2003
LE 1500 $8.50
Cast Member Exclusive- Company D
Map given at DPT ONLY with the purchase of the Nephews Easter pin
Chip
& Dale Happy Easter 2003
Happy Easter from the Walt Disney World Resort
April 19, 2003
LE 3500 $10.50
Tigger & Eeyore Happy Easter 2003
Happy Easter from the Walt Disney World Resort and Tigger too!
April 19, 2003
LE 3500 $10.50
4/18
Meet Disney's newest tour guide
By Chris Cobbs | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 18, 2003
When sisters Kailynne and Riley Tangeman visited the Magic Kingdom recently,
they didn't need to bug their parents with a lot of questions about the park.
After all, the girls from Marysville, Ohio, had their own tour guide -- Pal
Mickey, an interactive digital doll that embodies the fabled Disney mix of
technology and magic.
"He's soooo cool," said Kailynne, 10, who along with her 8-year-old sister
lucked into an informal testing of the doll one morning earlier this month.
Pal Mickey is a 10.5-inch-tall plush toy concealing a cache of high-tech
gadgetry that enables him to be a wisecracking tour guide who informs guests
about parades, show times and the location of Disney characters.
This 21st-century version of Mickey Mouse, targeted at youngsters 5 to 10 years
old, is totally huggable on the outside.
Inside, however, he's equipped with computer chips that enable him to home in on
wireless signals sent out from electronic beacons concealed throughout the park.
Officials would not say how much it cost to develop Pal Mickey, but members of
the Disney Imagineering team and other divisions worked five years to create the
doll.
Pal Mickey will go public on a limited scale later this month before becoming
broadly available in the four theme parks in mid-May. He will be available in
Spanish later in the summer. And depending on Pal Mickey's success here, he may
be available later at other Disney theme parks.
Visitors will be able to rent Pal Mickey for $8 a day or purchase the toy for
$50.
"Pal Mickey helps bring the park to life," said Linda Conrad, director of
Merchandise Technology Initiatives.
"He points out things you might miss, the hidden treasures in the park. The kids
carry it and share the information with family members. The jokes are meant to
be fun for the whole family."
The 13-ounce toy has four missions in life:
Deliver fun facts and trivia based on the location.
Introduce the gang of Disney characters and help guests find a character.
Make jokes and provide games to lessen the boredom of waiting in line.
Provide park tips, show times and information on park attractions, such as
height restrictions.
Pal Mickey, powered by three AA batteries, is programmed with 700 lines of text.
The script totals about two hours, with each line lasting about 10 seconds, said
Kyle Poor, a member of the development team.
"When Pal Mickey picks up a signal and is ready to talk, he begins to giggle and
jiggle," he said. "There are buttons in his hands and tummy that you press to
get him to speak. He will repeat his line if you press again within 15 seconds."
When taken out of a theme park to a hotel or home, Pal Mickey can play three
games and tell a variety of jokes, but he no longer talks about Disney World
attractions.
The doll is big enough to be cuddly, but not too big to be cumbersome, said
Leslie Hartog, project and business manager for Pal Mickey.
His remarks are carefully scripted to provide a combination of useful
information and a touch of humor.
"We tested each line extensively with guests," Hartog said. "We wanted to know
if a guest thought a line was funny.
"We learned guests wanted the doll to help them find characters and remind them
when a show starts. Guests also wanted him to entertain kids while waiting in
lines."
Pal Mickey's shtick is geared to his surroundings in the park. For instance, if
guests are waiting in line at the entrance to the Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM
Studios, he says:
"A long time ago, on a dark, stormy night, they say five hotel guests
disappeared sorta mysteriously while ridin' the elevator here. That won't happen
to us, right? 'Cause we're not goin' on the elevator. Are we, pal?"
At the Magic Kingdom, Pal Mickey gave Kailynne and Riley a helpful tip for the
ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter in Tomorrowland:
"I hear this Alien Encounter is pretty scary. To see it, you gotta be 44 inches
tall. Lucky for me, I'm too small."
Lucky for Kailynne and Riley, they were tall enough.
A lot of technical wizardry was incorporated into Pal Mickey to make him a cute
little techno wunderkind.
"We've never offered a toy talking guide like this," Poor said.
"The evolution of microelectronics made it possible and practical. We think of
him as a small attraction in himself."
There may be more characters like Pal Mickey, officials hinted without going
into specifics.
"We're always striving to create magic," Conrad said.
"We think this harkens back to Walt's vision: lots of technology behind the
experience, but it's all magic to the guests."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
So will they have a Pal Mickey Pin ?
4/5
EXPEDITION EVEREST
LEGEND OF THE FORBIDDEN MOUNTAIN
TM
At a recent stock holders meeting Michael
Eisner announces by mistake a new attraction titled Expedition Everest,
construction has been started. It is said the same company that did the Rock 'n
Roller Coaster at MGM Studios will develop this one.
Mr. Eisner describes it as the biggest and best attraction in the park and
called it an amazing trip through the Himalayas.
Sources say the Mount Everest replica should be about 200 feet tall, with a look
similar to the Mysterious Island volcano at Tokyo's Disney Sea Park or a modern
Matterhorn from Disneyland
The Official announcement is expected to be done on April 22 the 5th anniversary
of Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Picture is actual picture of Mt.
Everest
use your imagination
4/2
Disney's Animal Kingdom Reaches Milestone: Five Years of
Adventure and Magic
Disney's 500-acre Animal Kingdom theme
park celebrates its fifth anniversary April 22 with one amazing adventure after
another. At Walt Disney World's fourth theme park, the worlds of wild and
whimsical come together in lavish stage shows, thrilling attractions, an
authentic African safari, an exotic journey through Asia and encounters with
favorite Disney characters.
New since opening day: In DinoLand U.S.A., DINOSAUR thrill ride, Theater in the
Wild featuring the "Tarzan Rocks!" stage show, and Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama!
mini-land featuring Primeval Whirl and TriceraTop Spin; and Asia, a new "land"
featuring the Kali River Rapids white-water raft adventure and Maharajah Jungle
Trek with tigers, gibbons, Komodo dragons and other creatures. Future expansion
will offer even more discoveries for Disney's Animal Kingdom guests.
You might hear another announcement on the 22nd
