Schmoofy
07-17-2006, 10:55 PM
Hidden Mickeys started out as inside jokes among the Walt Disney Imagineers. A Hidden Mickey is an image of Mickey Mouse concealed in the design of a Disney attraction (ride, resort, etc...). Originally, it took the shape of a head and ears silhouette, i.e. one large circle with two smaller circled on top in the appropriate place, but Hidden Mickeys can take on many forms.
In designing, constructing or adding the final touches to an attraction, Imagineers subtly "hide" Mickey Mouse silhouettes in plain sight. Soon, it became a tradition, and as the word spread, Disney fans everywhere went on the search for Hidden Mickeys in Disney movies and theme parks.
The first published sighting of a Hidden Mickey was made by Arlen Miller. Arlen wrote an article back in 1989 on Hidden Mickeys for WDW's Eyes and Ears (Cast Member weekly publication) in the parks. This was the first time it was made publically known and then months later the author was contacted by Disney News for more infomation for an article on Hidden Mickeys.
Today, the Hidden Mickey has taken on many forms: the classic tri-circle head with ears, such as the stone Mickey in Disneyland Toontown, Mickey-on-the-boots at Walt Disney World's All Star Music Resort or the alien symbols on The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter in the Magic Kingdom; a silhouette or profile of the loveable Mouse; an actual animated face with features, such as Mickey appearing in the rock concert scene in A Goofy Movie; his full figure in either shadow form, silhouette, or detailed drawing, for instance, the mural Mickey in Disneyland's Frontierland and the "broccoli Mickey" in the Body Wars mural in Epcot; a Mickeyesque feature such as one of his white gloves or his clumpy yellow shoes, such as in the shoes in Disney Studio's The Great Movie Ride and the shoes in Tummy Trouble; his initials, such as in Maraglyphics in Disneyland's Indiana Jones; a three-dimensional Mickey such as a stuffed doll hidden within a Disney amusement park ride or movie, such as the plush in the Tower of Terror at the Disney Studios or even a pair of Mouse ears on someone or something else of Mickey where it isn't normally expected, such as the Viking in the Maelstrom's loading area mural in Epcot.
Additionally, some Cast Members slip them in for fun such as the Mickey in the warehouse on The Great Movie Ride, on "Bones" in Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure and at Typhoon Lagoon. Also, there are some serendipitous Mickeys that just happened and were not planned at all.
Since the Walt Disney Company has never compiled a complete list of all the "known" or "deliberate" (Imagineer- or Cast Member-created) Mickeys, there is no way to confirm or disprove every single Mickey sighting, but here are some guidelines to use when searching:
First of all, any Mickey that seems very large and elaborate or very intricate, such as the formations of a cave or even the shapes of the parks themselves, is probably not an honest-to-goodness Hidden Mickey. There are exceptions, of course, but few and far between.
Second, a Mickey should be proportioned correctly; while there is no "set" or "official" measurement for a Hidden Mickey, if the ears seem too small or too close together, like the padlocks in all the parks, or if each circle is a different size and not in perspective, it is most likely not a Hidden Mickey. (While Hidden Mickeys don't require the circles to be connected to one another, use good sense -- if they're very far apart like on the Big Thunder Gear, it's probably not convincing enough.) Also, be careful when looking that you aren't simply finding a group of circles. A Hidden Mickey should be unique to its surroundings; if there are bunches of balloons in a hand or round shapes on a light fixture, you are bound to see something that could qualify, but is most likely not an intentional Hidden Mickey. Of course, there are always exceptions, but they are rare.
Lastly, a true Hidden Mickey should not have to rely too much on imagination, such as the Matterhorn Mickey. If you must squint your eyes, tilt your head, and have a certain amount of lighting at a certain angle, it's probably not a Mickey. A Mickey may be upside down or sideways, but when pointed out, should be relatively clear, and not stretched out or partially obliterated like the Star Tours blast.
Remember, Disney didn't create water, so water (H2O) that looks like a Hidden Mickey, is not one. The same goes for other reported "Hidden Mickeys", such as the ones reported in Death Valley and the one in the movie Independence Day. Not associated with Disney; not a a Hidden Mickey.
In addition, your viewpoint and age has a lot to do with it, too. On the side of the Disneyland Star Trader building, there are neon signs of Mickey Mouse in a space suit. They blink off and on, in a form that shows Mickey Mouse flying along the side of the building. Well, to a four year old, when the lights go on, the Mickey is not hidden. When the lights go off... it's a Hidden Mickey! (Where did he go? He must be hidden somewhere!)
Similar to Hidden Mickeys are Decor or Deliberate Mickeys. These are in plain view, such as Mickey-shaped corn chips or butter, Mickey appearing in a Disney Logo, a Mickey cut-out on the back of a high chair, Mickey ears on the Earful Tower at Disney Studios, a Character Totem Pole Mickey at Wilderness Lodge, etc. These are annotated as Mickeys in the list.
Happy hunting!
As said above, Hidden Mickeys take form everywhere. I didn't write that, but thought it would be a nice start to this thread. There's hundreds, maybe thousands of hidden mickeys all of WDW, DLR, HKDL, DLP, TDL, and even the water parks and other Disney places!
This thread is to keep track of hidden mickeys, as VMKForum members find them. Take a picture next trip you take to Disney, upload it to the gallery, and tell us where it is.
There's not a real point to this thread, I just know many people like hunting for hidden mickeys.
In designing, constructing or adding the final touches to an attraction, Imagineers subtly "hide" Mickey Mouse silhouettes in plain sight. Soon, it became a tradition, and as the word spread, Disney fans everywhere went on the search for Hidden Mickeys in Disney movies and theme parks.
The first published sighting of a Hidden Mickey was made by Arlen Miller. Arlen wrote an article back in 1989 on Hidden Mickeys for WDW's Eyes and Ears (Cast Member weekly publication) in the parks. This was the first time it was made publically known and then months later the author was contacted by Disney News for more infomation for an article on Hidden Mickeys.
Today, the Hidden Mickey has taken on many forms: the classic tri-circle head with ears, such as the stone Mickey in Disneyland Toontown, Mickey-on-the-boots at Walt Disney World's All Star Music Resort or the alien symbols on The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter in the Magic Kingdom; a silhouette or profile of the loveable Mouse; an actual animated face with features, such as Mickey appearing in the rock concert scene in A Goofy Movie; his full figure in either shadow form, silhouette, or detailed drawing, for instance, the mural Mickey in Disneyland's Frontierland and the "broccoli Mickey" in the Body Wars mural in Epcot; a Mickeyesque feature such as one of his white gloves or his clumpy yellow shoes, such as in the shoes in Disney Studio's The Great Movie Ride and the shoes in Tummy Trouble; his initials, such as in Maraglyphics in Disneyland's Indiana Jones; a three-dimensional Mickey such as a stuffed doll hidden within a Disney amusement park ride or movie, such as the plush in the Tower of Terror at the Disney Studios or even a pair of Mouse ears on someone or something else of Mickey where it isn't normally expected, such as the Viking in the Maelstrom's loading area mural in Epcot.
Additionally, some Cast Members slip them in for fun such as the Mickey in the warehouse on The Great Movie Ride, on "Bones" in Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure and at Typhoon Lagoon. Also, there are some serendipitous Mickeys that just happened and were not planned at all.
Since the Walt Disney Company has never compiled a complete list of all the "known" or "deliberate" (Imagineer- or Cast Member-created) Mickeys, there is no way to confirm or disprove every single Mickey sighting, but here are some guidelines to use when searching:
First of all, any Mickey that seems very large and elaborate or very intricate, such as the formations of a cave or even the shapes of the parks themselves, is probably not an honest-to-goodness Hidden Mickey. There are exceptions, of course, but few and far between.
Second, a Mickey should be proportioned correctly; while there is no "set" or "official" measurement for a Hidden Mickey, if the ears seem too small or too close together, like the padlocks in all the parks, or if each circle is a different size and not in perspective, it is most likely not a Hidden Mickey. (While Hidden Mickeys don't require the circles to be connected to one another, use good sense -- if they're very far apart like on the Big Thunder Gear, it's probably not convincing enough.) Also, be careful when looking that you aren't simply finding a group of circles. A Hidden Mickey should be unique to its surroundings; if there are bunches of balloons in a hand or round shapes on a light fixture, you are bound to see something that could qualify, but is most likely not an intentional Hidden Mickey. Of course, there are always exceptions, but they are rare.
Lastly, a true Hidden Mickey should not have to rely too much on imagination, such as the Matterhorn Mickey. If you must squint your eyes, tilt your head, and have a certain amount of lighting at a certain angle, it's probably not a Mickey. A Mickey may be upside down or sideways, but when pointed out, should be relatively clear, and not stretched out or partially obliterated like the Star Tours blast.
Remember, Disney didn't create water, so water (H2O) that looks like a Hidden Mickey, is not one. The same goes for other reported "Hidden Mickeys", such as the ones reported in Death Valley and the one in the movie Independence Day. Not associated with Disney; not a a Hidden Mickey.
In addition, your viewpoint and age has a lot to do with it, too. On the side of the Disneyland Star Trader building, there are neon signs of Mickey Mouse in a space suit. They blink off and on, in a form that shows Mickey Mouse flying along the side of the building. Well, to a four year old, when the lights go on, the Mickey is not hidden. When the lights go off... it's a Hidden Mickey! (Where did he go? He must be hidden somewhere!)
Similar to Hidden Mickeys are Decor or Deliberate Mickeys. These are in plain view, such as Mickey-shaped corn chips or butter, Mickey appearing in a Disney Logo, a Mickey cut-out on the back of a high chair, Mickey ears on the Earful Tower at Disney Studios, a Character Totem Pole Mickey at Wilderness Lodge, etc. These are annotated as Mickeys in the list.
Happy hunting!
As said above, Hidden Mickeys take form everywhere. I didn't write that, but thought it would be a nice start to this thread. There's hundreds, maybe thousands of hidden mickeys all of WDW, DLR, HKDL, DLP, TDL, and even the water parks and other Disney places!
This thread is to keep track of hidden mickeys, as VMKForum members find them. Take a picture next trip you take to Disney, upload it to the gallery, and tell us where it is.
There's not a real point to this thread, I just know many people like hunting for hidden mickeys.