Mouse Extra

There is a new character featured prominently throughout the parks (although mostly Epcot) nowadays. It’s a giant stuffed teddy bear who goes by the name Duffy. The backstory to him is this: Mickey was going away by himself and his girlfriend Minnie did not want him to be lonely so she made him a teddy bear for him to take along on his journey.

Duffy the Disney bear was a huge hit in the Japanese parks. So, Disney execs brought him over to the American parks in full force about a year ago. Many guests still have no idea what the bear is supposed to be, but kids seem to fall in love with him fast. You can count my daughter into the growing group of kids who are fans of the bear.

Whether you like Duffy or not, Disney has a potential marketing goldmine here. They can tap into the popular Build-A-Bear market. All over Epcot are different outfits for the bear. You can have a french Duffy, a Buzz Duffy, a pirate Duffy and more. There is an outfit for every World Showcase pavillion and for various holidays. I bought a whole mess of these outfits during our last trip. At World Showcase, there is a pavillion where one can meet Duffy, and it’s quite popular. The Duffy bear is also featured prominently in the Kidcot activities. There are different sizes of the bear himself. The outfits (which cost around $18) are for one size.

So what do you think of Duffy the Disney Bear? Is he a cheap marketing ploy aimed at young kids or a fun new character added to the Disney family?

Today’s article is written by Brooke and Mike

I have noticed that one topic that never seems to die on message boards is the refillable mug. And yes, I too fondly look back on the days of resort specific mugs. I still have my Caribbean Beach mug from my honeymoon in 98. I have Boardwalk ones and even Epcot and MGM Studio ones. But those days are gone forever. In its place are the generic refillable mugs that are the same at every resort, usually reflecting the current promotional event.

It seems the generic long unchanged mugs did do one thing. People who go back during the same event brought their mugs back and continued to use them.

Yes, its bad form but there was no way for Disney to do anything about it. For several weeks now, Disney has tested a new machine at the All Star Sports resorts. Your mug will come with an RFID chip. This means several things. One, the chip shuts off the day you leave so no more bringing back the mug. Two, you have to wait 5 minutes before refilling it.  Three, you get one minute to refill. These last two things make it more difficult to get one soda and split it by continually refilling.

I have to admit, that I have never brought the mug back with me for a trip. And I have always gotten a mug for everyone. So this really does not effect me. Disney is currently indicating that this is just a test, but since they have signed a long term deal with the company who provides these chip I expect this to be fully operational at all resorts in the not too distant future.

 Today’s article is from Mike

Recently Disney has previewed some of the pins that will be released in the hoopla surrounding the opening of the refurbed Star Tours. The story was first posted by WDW News Today.

 We already knew about Tatooine (heck it was in the preview film) and, of course, Coruscant the city planet (yes, I am a star wars geek, sorry).

So what other destinations will you have a chance to see? Well, if the pins mean anything, you might get a chance to see Geonosis (from Attack of the Clones) which is likely where you would encounter Boba Fett. Kashyyyk, forest planet of the wookies so you can bet Chewbacca will be there for that. Hoth, the frozen planet from the beginning of the Empire Strikes Back, and Bespin, the cloud city of Billy Dee Williams fame have pins.  Naboo, where much of Episode One took place, has a pin so we may not have seen the last of JarJar Binks. There is also a pin of a Death Star where guests will likely encounter Darth Vader and newly created skytroopers.

Disney has NOT officially annouced these as possible destinations on your tour, but the ride vechile appears in the scene leading to the belief.

There are 2 notable missing planets: Dagobah and Alderaan. Both are likely destinations, as well. We know that the attraction takes place between episodes 3 and 4. We know both Yoda and Leia will be in the attraction. Yoda was stranded on Dagobah at that time. And Leia was a teenaged princess in Alderaan.

See, I told ya I was a star wars geek.

Today’s posting is from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra

Many of us are still Christmas shopping with 10 days left. For those of you with Disney fans still left on your list, may I recommened Celebrations Magazine. It is without any question a must for anyone who loves Disney, especially Walt Disney World.

Every magazine comes packed with amazing photographs in and around the parks. Every issue does a feature article on a WDW resort, attraction and a Disney film. The most recent issue features articles on Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Coronado Springs and Beauty & the Beast, with fun and little known facts about each.

Celebrations Magazine is a must

The most recent issue is also a Holidays issue (the magazine is bimonthly) and has articles on holiday decor, Epic Mickey for the Wii, parks from around the world and more. There is also a host of games for kids and kids at heart.

 This is easily the best magazine ever published on Walt Disney World. Its a must for anyone who loves the park, which is probably anyone reading this blog.

Today’s posting is from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra

For today’s article, we are going to focus on the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. But not that particular text, instead we want to draw your attention to its sister book, The Unofficial Guide’s Color Companion to Walt Disney World by Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa.  The original book, the Unofficial Guide, is a great book. Its the book that all other guides are judged against. And they all come up short.

The only complaints against the UG are that the text for the most part gets repeated with every edition and there are no photos. Obviously, the latter has been addressed just by reading the title. The photos are generally great comparing favorably with Julie Neal’s Complete Walt Disney Guides and surpassing with ease the official Birnbaum’s book. Virtually every attraction and resort has a few photos in the book.

But what about the text you ask? Well, thats where this book leaps ahead of the rest. Its humor is the right tone of irreverance, yet clearly, the authors love old Walt and his Florida park. I particularly enjoyed the write up for the fake Seven Dwarves Mine Resort. And the two pages dedicated to the jumbo smoked Turkey legs. And the Special Treats Menu for each park.

Any Disney World fan should have this book. Even if you belong to Touringplans.com or have the step-by-step tours from the UG memorized.

For today’s article, we go with an item for those kids who love the Disney Theme Parks. Pictured below, is the Lego’s Pirates of the Caribbean theme park exclusive set. I believe these are no longer available in many places. However, you can still get them at amazon.com and such.

They are a fun toy for the kid who loves Disney Parks. You can build mini versions of Cinderella’s Castle, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Jungle Cruise and the aforementioned Pirates. All of them come with a disney character usually in a ride vechile. I know there are a lot of young kids who just can’t get enough legos. This is a great gift for them, especially if you plan on going to a Disney Park this hoiliday period or soon thereafter.

Its a great way to get in the Disney Mood

Today’s posting is from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra