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By Janine

Learn All About Disney World’s Hidden Mickeys

Filed Under: BLOG, Disney, lists, Vacation Tagged With: Disney, Fun Disney World Family Activity, Hidden Mickeys, lists, Tips, Walt Disney World

*Confessions of A Mommyaholic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

So less than a month out from our next Disney World vacation here. Therefore, getting excited and thought what better time than to gear up for our this trip’s family quest for Hidden Mickeys.

See when you look closely at the art and attractions in Walt Disney World, you’ll no doubt see a familiar sight. Scattered throughout the park are lots of hidden pictures of Mickey Mouse’s famous silhouette. Yes, these hidden Mickeys can be hard to spot at first. But, after a little initial sleuthing, finding Mickey’s hiding places really gets addicting.

Are you interested in hunting for hidden Mickeys on your next trip to Disney World? 

A family member recently gifted us this book. It helped us to take our Hidden Mickey game up a notch on our last trip. We plan on using this book once again this time out.

The Hidden Mickeys of Walt Disney World

But still for more help on this, keep reading. See here are some tips on starting your own search. Plus some history behind this fun Disney tradition.

All About Hidden Mickeys at Walt Disney World

The History of Hidden Mickeys

The origin of hidden Mickeys dates back to the 1970s. This was during the design phase of EPCOT center. At the time, a decision was made that EPCOT would cater more toward adults. This included the availability of alcoholic beverages.

Us at Epcot in Summer 2017

Because of the policy, Disney execs didn’t want to display their family-friendly characters in a park that served alcohol. So, they decided against using them when designing and decorating the park.

Disney imagineers (a.k.a. designers) saw this ban on using Disney characters as a challenge. As a result, they started slipping hidden images of the classic Mickey head and ears into the design.

Club Cool Coca Cola at Disney World Epcot

After the park had been open for a while, the restriction on using the characters was lifted. This was due to comments from park guests. So, they were now allowed to openly use the characters. Still, imagineers continued hiding them in their designs for fun.

Epcot Disney Meet and Greet with Disney Characters Mickey Mouse

Hidden Mickeys in Movies

You don’t have to be at a Disney park in order to hunt for hidden Mickeys.  For years, Disney animators have scattered hidden Mickeys throughout feature-length Disney movies and TV shows. So get your kids excited about searching for hidden Mickeys, just turn on a Disney movie or even the Disney Channel. You’ll be amazed at how many Mickeys you can actually find.

At Disney's Epcot in Mexico with Donald Duck

Starting Your Search

Once you’re inside a Disney park, start looking for hidden Mickeys. You can do this by paying attention to your surroundings. Make sure to carefully examine the details of each decoration. This is especially true in areas where park-goers are lining up for attractions. Some hidden Mickeys are easy to spot. But still others are hidden very well. However, if you look closely (and use a bit of imagination) you’ll be spotting Mickeys all over the place.

Hidden Mickey found in Walt Disney World's Polynesian Resort Gift Shop

Officially, Disney hasn’t said anything about hidden Mickeys. In fact, Disney officials haven’t even acknowledged publicly that they exist. But this secrecy is simply part of the fun. Plus, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t willing to lend a hand to aspiring hidden Mickey hunters. If you ask for advice from staff at the park or even from other park-goers, they’re sure to point you in the right direction.

Hidden Mickeys by Steven Barrett

You can also buy a hidden Mickey field guide in the Disney store written by famous hidden Mickey hunter Steven Barrett. Barrett has been seeking out and keeping track of Hidden Mickeys, since he found his first one in the 1990s. His book offer the locations of over 1,000 hidden Mickeys. Plus, it also includes several fun hidden Mickeys scavenger hunts.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Going to Disney World? Learn all about finding Mickeys that are hidden throughout Disney.” quote=”Going to Disney World? Learn all about finding Mickeys that are hidden throughout Disney.” theme=”style1″]

Sharing Your Sightings

Looking for a way to share your hidden Mickeys sightings with others after your vacation?

Leaving Walt Disney World's Polynesian Resort

Make sure you have a camera with you while you’re looking for hidden Mickeys. So you can take pictures of each one you find. Then, pick up a photo album at the souvenir shop. This way you can print out pictures of the trickier Mickeys that you find. This will give you a lasting reminder of your search. Plus you can add even more pictures on your next trip to a Disney park.

Have you looked for Hidden Mickey Mouse images at Disney World?

Let me know in the comments…

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About Janine

Janine is a published author of the books, The Mother of All Meltdowns and Only Trollops Shave Above the Knee. She has been featured on The Huffington Post, Mamapedia, Today Parenting Team and SheKnows. She also runs her own graphic design company at J9 Designs.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meredith Spidel says

    October 19, 2017 at 8:06 am

    We never did this, but maybe on our next trip! Looks so fun!

    • Janine says

      October 19, 2017 at 8:15 am

      Meredith, my kids had a blast doing this and would highly recommend when you return to try it with your gang, too πŸ™‚

  2. Dara says

    October 19, 2017 at 8:22 am

    We love finding hidden mickeys!

    • Janine says

      October 19, 2017 at 9:19 am

      I know, so much fun, Dara!! πŸ™‚

  3. Kelly says

    October 19, 2017 at 9:01 am

    We haven’t been since knowing about the hidden mickeys, so we like to look for them in Disney movies!

    • Janine says

      October 19, 2017 at 9:19 am

      We love looking for them in the Disney movies, too when we aren’t in Disney, too πŸ™‚

  4. Jen says

    October 19, 2017 at 9:36 am

    This is so cool! I didn’t know anything about the whole hidden Mickey’s story. Thanks for sharing!

    • Janine says

      October 19, 2017 at 10:08 am

      Aw, so happy to share with you, too Jen πŸ™‚

  5. William Holland says

    October 19, 2017 at 9:36 am

    There is a big world out there I know nothing about. Sigh! I guess I’ll just write about it instead of actually seeing it. I love my home so much I can’t imagine leaving on too many vacations. Of course, when I was your age, I traveled a great deal. My favorite words were ROAD TRIP!!!

    Have a great Thursday, Janine!

    • Janine says

      October 19, 2017 at 10:09 am

      Loved road trips, too in my younger years!! Happy Thursday right back at you, too Bill πŸ™‚

  6. AnnMarie John says

    October 19, 2017 at 11:36 am

    We purchased that book a few years ago and we’ve found quite a lot. It’s something that I look forward to doing when we go. We’ll be there in a week and our journey will once again continue.

  7. Aunt Gloria says

    October 19, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    Finding Mickey looks like fun! I’m sure you’ll all have a good time on your next trip…..soon to happen. I know how much you all love Disney! xxoo

    • Janine says

      October 19, 2017 at 10:00 pm

      Aw, thanks so much Aunt Gloria xoxo πŸ˜‰

  8. Kristi Campbell says

    October 19, 2017 at 11:17 pm

    OMG this is so cool. I had no idea about hidden Mickeys. We just got back from a day at Universal and then a week at an island in the gulf there, and Universal was awesome. BUT you know your Disney stuff, my friend, and WOW, thank you for sharing!

    • Janine says

      October 20, 2017 at 6:54 am

      Kristi, I truly don’t know much about Universal. So, if we decide to go at some point may need to pick your brain. But Disney I know like the back of my hand and so happy to always share with you, too πŸ™‚

  9. Tamara says

    October 24, 2017 at 4:27 pm

    I can’t believe we have never done this! This will be the vacation we change that. What a fun post! My kids are getting psyched because we’re at the pre-booking stage.

    • Janine says

      October 24, 2017 at 4:50 pm

      Aw, so exciting and hope you do this now in January. My kids are seriously ecstatic as we are about 20 days out now. So am I though, too as I am just as bad as them πŸ˜‰

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