The Weebles have been a popular toy from Hasbro since 1971
Weebles are an egg-shaped toy that just will not fall over try and see !)
Just like an egg they just right themselves again.

There are several series of weebles - some look like animals,some like humans and some were sold with accessories like vehicles,buildings etc.

Among these is a Circus set which is very popular.

Weebleville is a whole town to collect which is based on the weebles together with a Barn Dance,houses,a tree house, school and lots of figures.

The most popular series was probably the Storybook World series of 2006 which
included Cinderella,Jack and Jill,Goldilocks and Hansel and Gretel among the series.

There are still weeble sets being produced and we also offer these

We offer earlier versions too from eBay:

In the 1960s Ingersoll became Timex which has grown to be a huge international company.
They produced both Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Watches in co-operation with Disney.

Mickey Mouse watches vary in price according to condition and as these were fairly inexpensive, many were given to children and have seen the ravages of time.

Minnie Mouse watches are now really popular and many movie stars have been seen wearing them.
I think that Minnie and Mickey Mouse watches will certainly be the desirable antiques of the future and wil of course be useful as timepieces in the meantime.

Pin Trading Terms

There are over 60 THOUSAND different Disney Trading Pins to collect.

The hobby has its own (often confusing) terminology.
There are specific terms for different kinds of Pins and for people who trade in them !

We hope this guide helps you .

Artist Proof -

An Artist Proof pin (or AP pins) is a Pin made to test out a new design before the main production run.

These are made to verify quality.There are very few made and these have a small AP on the back.
Although there are very few made they are not usually much more valuable than standard run pins.
There is however a secondary market in these as some collectors only collect AP Pins.
http://www.bestvintagemickey.com/disneypins/Artists-Proof

Back Stamp -
Every genuine Trading Pin has a back stamp with information about the pin and a copyright notice.
In the case of a Limited Edition Pin this can also inclued the edition number or size.

Build-A-Pin -
From 2002 to 2004 Guests could create their own pins with personalised bases and their own choice of characters.
These made unique pins and these are fairly scarce.The opportunity ended in 2004.

Christmas Pins - A Whole range of Disney Pins feature Mickey and all the other Disney Characters having a great time at Christmas.

http://www.bestvintagemickey.com/disneypins/christmas-pins

Cloisonné - A Cloisonne Pin derives from Orient enamel work where areas are divided by preciousmetal partitions.
Cloisonne is French for Partioned.Each color is in a separate partition.Sometimes the partitioned aread include swirls or glitter colors.

CTT Pin - Continuing the tradition Pins.Given to Guests in recognition of their positive Pin Trading
Guests may be awarded a Continuing The Pin Trading Tradition pin for demonstrating positive
Disney Pin Trading etiquette and promoting Disney Pin Trading. Give so that Cast Member cas recognise a Positive Pin Trader.

Dangle Pin - A Dangle Pin has a secon piece that is attached wth chain or loops below the main pin and may have a different design.
These are Dangle Pins :
http://www.bestvintagemickey.com/disneypins/dangle%20pins

Epoxy Coating - An Epoxy resin coating that usually protects the design. It dries to a glossy finish.

Fantasy Pin - A pin commissioned or produced by Disney pin collectors that contains similarities to Disney pins, but has not been created or endorsed by Disney.
These pins are not allowed to be traded with cast members, although collectors may trade for these pins amongst themselves. From time to time, Disney will produce a pin that is very similar to a fantasy pin.
Fantasy Pins :

Flocking - A Fuzzy area within the pin design..

FREE-D - Free-D stands for Fastened Rubber Element on a pin for Extra Dimension.
Pins that feature Free-D elements sometimes have discoloring issues and extra precautions
should be taken to make sure that the Free-D element is not dirtied.

GWP - A GWP (Gift with Purchase) pin is a bonus pin given to guests who buy at least $25 of pin merchandise in one transaction. The Disneyland Resort designates the first Sunday of every month GWP Sunday,
and has two collections each year of six pins each. The pins are often traded as lanyard fodder, and as a result they are not valuable initially.
Walt Disney World has promotions where GWPs are available for $1 each with a $30 purchase.
Their current promotion involves surplus Mystery Machine Pins .

Hard Enamel - a Cloisonne type technique with a brass base to the Pin.The Pin is die struck and the areas filled with enamel.These are Hand Made and polished (sometimes called New Cloisonne)

HHG - The Hitchhiking Ghosts of The Haunted Mansion (popular collectible)

Holy Grail - A pin collectors most wanted pin or pins.
A typical example is the surprise pin Wet Paint, an LE 1,000 pin depicting the wet paint sign
used at Walt Disney World showing Donald Duck and his nephews running through spilt paint which typically sells for over $200 on sites like eBay.
Grails are not necessarily expensive or rare, and some grails are elusive OE pins.
The term originates from the Arthurian legend of the Holy Grail.
http://www.bestvintagemickey.com/disneypins/holygrail-pins

HM -HM denotes either a Haunted Mansion or Hidden Mickey pin depending on the context.

Jumbo Pins - Jumbo Pins are larger and often more intricately designed than a regular size pin;
as such, the pins cost between US$20 and US$35. Featured Artist (Jumbo) Pins are currently released
at DLR, while WDW is currently releasing monthly Jumbo Monorail Collection Pins for 2008.
Traditionally, Jumbo Pins were released monthly with an edition size of 750 and available for $25.
Recently, Jumbo Pins have been sold in editions of 1000 for US$20 or, at the Disneyland Resort, in editions of 500 for US$35.

These4 are current offers of Jumbo Pins
http://www.bestvintagemickey.com/disneypins/Jumbo-Pins

LE - Limited Edition Pin

Lenticular Pin A Pin with two or more images superimposed over each other.These chage according to
the angle you view them at.

Light-Up Pin - These have flashing lights when switched on. Difficult to replace and obtain batteries.
The batteries may corrode these pins if neglected.Getting scarce.

Mickeys Mystery Pin Machine - Debuting at Mouse Gear in Epcot at WDW in late 2007,
the machines were a modified Gravity Hill arcade machine that dispensed a pin regardless of outcome.
The pins were part of small collections consisting of five pins each.
Although the pins originally cost $5 and were distibuted randomly,
they are currently the WDW GWP pins and the Machines have now been desgnated as inactive and removed.
Name Pins - Name Pins are pins that have a name engraved on them, and may not be traded with cast members.

OE Pins - Open Edition Pins on general sale.

POH - A Piece of History pin (POH) from the 2005 set is considered to be one of the rarest series
in Disney Pin Trading. Each pin contains a minuscule piece of a prop from a WDW attraction.
The first pin in the series, the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea pin with a sliver of a porthole, occasionally sells for over $275 on eBay. The success of the series has led to a 2006 and 2008 set.

PTN - Pin Trading Nights are monthly meetings of Disney Pin Traders at DLR, WDW, or Disneyland Paris resorts.
The Pin Trading Team provides pin games and gives traders the opportunity to trade and socialize.
Often, an LE pin is released to commemorate the occasion.

Rack Pins - Rack pins, also called Open Edition (OE) or core pins, are pins introduced and sold until they are discontinued or retired.
These pins are re-ordered for up to several consecutive years.
The starting retail price for these pins is typically $6.95 (for a flat pin).
Depending upon the number of features on the pin (such as pin-on-pin),
the retail price will increase to either $8.95 or $10.95.
Some OE pins have a high secondary value, such as the Soda Pop Series pins
which each go in the $20 range.

RSP -The Random Selection Process is the method by which LE pins are distributed at the Pin Events.
Each guest submits a form which has slots for the Limited Edition merchandise items offered.
Each slot is filled in order based on pin availability. If 1000 forms were to be submitted
and 50 forms had an LE 25 framed set in their first slot, the first 25 forms would be given
the purchase, with the remaining 25 given the opportunity to purchase their second-slot pin.
Typically, there are three rounds of the RSP process with the smaller editions being unavailable
to purchase in subsequent round. RSP forms only allow a style of pin to appear once on each RSP form so that there is a better, fairer chance of each person getting one pin.

Scrappers - Most Disney Pins are now made in China.The makers sometimes keep or sell the pin dies and run on many more pins at a huge profit.
Disney keenly tries to stop this.Scrappers are sold by dealers who buy them by the 100 and resell them. To see if your pin is a scrapper
check the sellers feedback on ebay. If he/she has sold 50 or more of a rare Pin then he/she may sell Scrappers.
Scrappers can also be reject Didey Pins that shoud have been destroyed.Recent Hidden Mickey pins, DLR pins especially, have flooded the market months before
their initial introductions.
Scrappers are usually sold at much lower than market price and traded
onto lanyards

Secondary Market - Welcome to the Secondary Market !
This is a term used for stores or auctions/website who resell Disney Pins.Values change often
Some pins become valuable and desirable.Warning - some pins become very expensive when released and then may drop according to demand.
Most pins retain or increase in value.These may also be rejects for color or design faults.The greatest appreciation is the WET PAINT Pin which was originally $8.50 and now fetches over $200.

Shark - A person is considered a pin shark if they trade less valuable pins for more valuable pins,
taking advantage unsuspecting or new pin traders,
primarily for monetary gain. Use of this term has caused some controversy in the pin trading and collecting community since the value of pins on the secondary market can fluctuate widely and the value of most pins is highly subjective. Sharks are also known to buy highly anticipated pins with
groups of up to 20 people at multiple locations to bypass fair-trading protocols.

Slider Pin - A Pin with a movable piece that slides back and forth across the base of the main Pin.

Spinner Pin - A Pin with a spinning mechanism that moves a piece of the pin 360 degrees.

Soft Enamel - A sort of cheaper version of Cloisonne.The Design is stamped into the base metal.There are no metal wire compartments.The design is filled with enamel colors and baked.An Epoxy coat is given to protect the Pin. It is usually thinner than Cloisonne.

Surprise or Mystery Pins - These pins usually feature a low-Limited Edition size.
Typically, the back stamp will included the words SURPRISE PIN.
The release of this pin happens randomly at various merchandise locations within the Disney Theme Parks and Resorts. Although Surprise pins have continued at the Disneyland Resort (as evidenced by their current Resort Sign set), WDW releases Surprise pins at PTNs very rarely.

Much of the information on this page was obtained from Wikipedia.com and we thank them for the details.
We hpe the Pin Trading terms will be useful to you in your pin collecting.
This is the main link to our Disney Pins :
http://www.bestvintagemickey.com/Store/disneypins

From our UK STORE :
Jumbo Pins
http://www.vintagemickey.co.uk/Store/jumbo-pins

Home Page : http://www.bestvintagemickey.com/

Mickey Mouse Guides

Here are Mickey Mouse Guides on various subjects.

We hope you enjoy them

 

Buying a Collectible Bradley Disney Watch

 

Buying Disney Pins at Disneyland Resort

 

Christmas Mickey

Collectible Character Watches Lorus Disney Watches

Disney 14kt Gold Mickey Mouse Watches

Disney 2008 DVDs Guide

Disney Antenna Top Balls

Disney DVDs Asian Import Guide

Disney Fans Bid on What you Really Want

Disney Games for Gameboy Fans

Disney Magic Artist Webcam

Disney Magic Memories Figurines Guide

Disney Seiko Mickey Mouse Watches

Disneyworld Guide for a magic vacation

Fossil Mickey Mouse Watches

FREE TRANSPORT from Orlando Airport to WDW

Guide to Out of Print Disney DVD Titles

Guide to Disney Jigsaw Puzzles

Guide to Knockoff Mickey Mouse Watches

Guide to Planning & Enjoying Disney MGM Studios

HiddenTruths about Disney Pins

How to Buy Disney Fine Art

Know your Character - Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse CLubhouse Toys and Show

Mickey Mouse Coin Gradings

Mickey Mouse Disneyland Cast Member Watches

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Watches

Nintendo Disney Games

Official Disney Pin Buying Guide for Beginners

Walt Disney Art Classics Collection Guide

Watch Out Illegal Cross Stitch Kits

Mickey Mouse Snowglobes

 

Meet Disney Characters
Meeting the Characters at Disneyworld is a large part of the fun of Disneyworld.
Here are some of the places you are likely to meet Mickey and his Friends
How to meet Mickey and his friends
Where is the Best Place to meet Characters ?
The simple answer is that you are likely to meet Disney Characters anywhere in Disneyworld.

At City Hall you can find a full listing for each day where popular characters like Mickey and Minnie are likely to be.
There is a daily show just in front of Cinderellas Castle and this is usually hosted by Mickey .
I have found that in the town square just after opening time is the best place to meet the most popular characters as later on it is more difficult to get to meet them due to crowds of fans.
For younger guests I advise looking in the Town Square first.
At Mickeys Country House you may well get to meet Mickey .
Mickeys Toontown Fair is another place you could get to shake hands with him.
(No ice cream on his gloves though please ..)
The guaranteed way to meet characters is in Character Dining .
These opportunities take place in various restaurants and reservations are usually necessary.
Minnie is often to be found in the Toontown Hall of Fame and that is quite a good place to meet her.
In Fantasyland at the Character Festival you will see almost all of your favourite characters.And you also get to meet the Disney Characters.
Because of the large number of guests though you may not be able to get close to them.

When you arrive in Disneyworld you will see Main Street ahead of you and this is FULL of great stores selling just about everything Disney .
There are also cafes and candy stores and often a balloon seller.

Not All Attractions or Rides may be available all the time.
Disney are very diligent about keeping their rides and attractions in great condition and they may have to close a ride sometimes for maintenance.
Some rides and attractions have height restrictions and these are adhered to strongly for safety reasons.
On some rides you may get wet. It is sensible to put cameras videos etc into ziploc bags to keep them dry.

Extra Magic Hours.
To visit Disneyworld for the Extra Magic Hours you need a valid theme park ticket plus for evening visits a Wrist Bandwhich is available at City Hall .
For Morning Extra Magic hours you do not require a wristband and not so many rides and attractions are open then.

Not all rides and attractions are open during Extra Magic Hours and to visit Disneyworld from another Disney Theme Park you will need the Park Hopper option.

Home Page : http://www.bestvintagemickey.com/

Disneyland Hong Kong

If you are visiting Hong Kong and find yourself with a spare day (not shopping !)
You should really visit Disneyland Hong Kong.

It has all those Favourites :
Adventureland
Tomorrowland
Fantasyland
and Main Street USA
Sleeping Beauty Castle and all the usual Rides and Attractions.

You can view all of the attraction with videos on http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com

You will of course meet all your favourite Disney Characters and get the opportunity
to do some great Disney shopping with Disney Hong Kong logos
The Best place to meet characters is definitely in Main Street and that is (like the other Disney Properties) the hub f Hong Kong Disneyworld.

All your favourite Rides are there like
Space Mountain,Jungle RIver Cruise and Its a Small World.

Pins are of course the favourite purchase as these can be traded when you get home and they are fairly light to carry too.
When you get hungry the Royal Banquet Hall will serve you delicious Oriental and other foods from its Four Kitchens

and these offer such treats as Dim Sum (snack type dishes)Sushi and Tempura and grills
Clopins Festival of Foods is a Hunchback of Notre Dame inspired food court
offering all kinds of yummy Chinese Food from North West China.

As a Hint to travellers please do check the Disney website for Typhoon warnings
Entry is restricted during the typhoons that sometimes happen in Hong Kong.

There is an animated Park Map here :
http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/en_US/general/popup?name=ExplorerParkMapPage
and this shows all the things you want to know about this theme park.
There is a Podium just as you enter at the beginning of Main Street and that also a good place to meet the Characters.
There is a Muppet Mobile Lab,street entertainment and loads of things to see and do in Hong Kong Disneyland.

It is also rumoured that you can get an exclusive Mickey Mouse MP3 Player and that would be a great souvenier.

Mickey Mouse Fun - The Story

Lovable Mickey has been around for 80 years and is as well appreciated by modern children as he was back then
Friendly and fun, Mickey Mouse became the main symbol for Walt Disney and his company.
Mickey was not the earliest of Walts creations and Mickey was in fact originally a replacement for Oswald the lucky Rabbit (who faded into obscurity long ago)

This followed a dispute between Walt and Universal Studios and he was inspired
to create Mickey by a little mouse from his farm.
Although Walt originally called Mickey Mortimer mouse, this wife talked him out of it and they settled on Mickey.

Part of the character of Mickey was taken from the idea of the little tramp portrayed by Charlie Chaplin as a vaguely wistful character battling against adversity and somehow winning through.
This was the beginning of the Mickey Mouse Fun.
It is probably the battle of the little guy against harder forces that makes Mickey such a lovable (if sometimes a bit of a likeable rogue)Character.

Minnie was created very soon after and she made her debut in the cartoon Plane Crazy in 1928

Naughty Mickey kept trying to kiss Minnie and she eventually parachuted out of the open plane and Mickey Crashed instead of landing.

Steamboat Willie was the most famous early cartoon featuring Mickey and this had a soundtrack which was very popular.

As the cartoon grew,so did Mickeys popularity.

He was usually seen in those early days wearing white gloves (so that his hands would show up against his black body).

As children many of us used to go to the childrens club at the local cinema
and sat entranced at the antics of Mickey and his pals.

The cartoons nearly always had a moral ending and it may be a great idea to rent some dvds and hold a mickey mouse fun party for your child and their friends.

I think you will surprised at their positive reactions.

Mickey is definitely a force for good.

Home Page : http://www.bestvintagemickey.com/

The Haunted Mansion
This is one of the most popular rides in Disneyland and Disneyworld.
It’s a Dark Ride where after you queue to get in you are shown into the Library by the Butler (who looks more like an Undertaker ! )
Something really strange happens in the Library but I will not spoil the surprise..

This is called a Dark Ride because you are taken through the ride ina car and this is unlight.…
You will then see and meet a series of Disney Characters including
The Bride
She haunts the attic of the Mansion and is generally considered to be one of the spookiest characters in the Haunted Mansion.
The bride is now a Digital projection and looks quite scary !
In Tokyo The Bride was a dark face with glowing eyes and the sound of her beating heart quite fills the attic. Her heart can be seen glowing through her chest..
The very Scary Black Widow Bride – alleged to have married and murdered her five husbands for their money, while she mutters ghastly wedding vows a gleaming hatchet suddenly appears in her hand.
Your Ghostly Host – his creepy voice is actually all you get to hear of him as he comments throughout all of the ride. He is supposed to have hanged himself in the Attic..He greets you with the sentence –
Welcome Foolish Mortals.
Master Gracey – a heartbroken young man after his lover Elizabeth Killed herself.
Henry Ravenswood – a mine owner who hanged the unwanted groom to be of his daughter on her wedding day. His whole family died during an earthquake in 1860.
Madame Leota – one of the most famous characters you should see on the ride.
She is a gypy lady who is a fortune teller trapped inside a crystal ball.
You will pass through her chamber in which you will see a seance in progress with floating musical instruments and other paraphenalia. She was supposed to have killed the wives of Master Gracey but was entrapped into the crystal ball magically when she tried to kill him.
A number of Disney Characters appear in various guises throughout the ride including Mickey, Minnie and Goofy (who plays the organ – badly !)

All of them are available as collectors Pins.
You will see Floating Candelabras held by an invisible ghost who wanders the halls.
A very scary part of the ride is the Corpse who is trying to break free from a large coffin – complete with cries for help.

The few living creatures in the Haunted Mansion includes the Raven –
The Raven appears several times during the ride and is the symbol of Death
More Ghosts –
Pickwick - based on the Charles Dickens Character he swings from the chandelier by his cane.
Also on the chandelier are the ghosts of Marc Antony and Cleopatra for a little love interest.

In the Ballroom (a really scary place ) – you will see The Organist playing a huge pipe organ at the far end of the room. Ghosts ooze out of the pipes during the music.

He is supposed to have come over from Ireland and his fingers were crushed by the organ.- he then committed suicide as he put his music before his life.
One group of ghosts you will definitely see are the Hitchhiking Ghosts..
They are hugely popular and there is lots of merchandise including pins for them.
They are :
Ezra – a voyeur with an obsession for overweight ladies – came to a sad and sticky end under the Mayors Daughter.
Phineas Queeg – a Snake Oil Salesman with a nasty sense of humor – his remedies made all ailments worse ! Committed to the Salem Insane Asylum after selling Youth Elixir to the chief of Police.. Died of lead poisoning
GUS – A deviant killer of people and animals – wears a ball and chain.
The three of them hang around looking for someone they would like to follow home.. could it be you ?

Are there REAL GHOSTS in the Haunted Mansion ?
Well perhaps there are – like calls to like after all.
Rumours include
THE CRYING BOY whose ashes were spread at night by his mother inside the Mansion.
Teenager who were supposed to have died getting off the ride at the Séance Circle and feel to their deaths.
The Man with a cane – supposedly the pilot of a light plane who crashed into the lake nearby.
Mysterious Lights in the Mansion at night… unexplained glowing balls of light that can be seen in the windows after dark – no-one knows what they are ….

Thanks to Wikipedia for much of the information about the Haunted Mansion -and to Disney for a really Fun Ride

Fake Disney Pins

Fake Disney Pins are big business.
They are sometimes auctioned on ebay as real Disney Pins.
Here are some of the ways to tell a fake.

Where do they come from ?
How to tell Fake Disney Pins ?
What are the most Faked pins ?

95 percent of the vendors on eBay sell real Disney Pins.
We are proud to offer their pins.

Regrettably there do exist both fake,unreal and copy pins.
Cast Lanyard Pins are favourites for the fakers.
Copy Pins - these are the most dangerous as they are made in China using the original Disney Moulds and are usually of very desirable cast members and limited editions.
In Pin Collecting terms these are called Scrapper Pins .

Disney are working on trying to stop this practice.

Copies from Moulds are often indistinguishable from genuine Disney Pins.
These copies are known as Disney Scrappers.

(The manufacturer runs on a quantity for himself after producing real ones for Disney)

Check if the vendor has sold many of the same pin recently (pins are often sold to vendors in batches of 50 or more) It is unlikely that any vendor will have many of exactly the same rare pin for sale. Check that with the advanced search module in ebay.
It is quite difficult to tell Fake Disney Pins from originals.
Limited Editiions MUST have the edition number on the back of the pin.

Fake pins - these look attractive but were never issued by Disney. These include rude or even pornographic pins of Disney Characters - which would never be made by Disney or licensed.
Known pins of this kind include Jessica Rabbit and Tinker Bell and several others.
Other fakes are of McDonalds and Coca Cola pins or sets that were never issued (Although there really ARE some real McDonalds and Coca-Cola pins available)

Disney has never issued Breast Awareness Pins..

The Mouse Club is an exception as they have produced their own Pins but these are real fan pins rather than bootleg copies. Original and Different designs from Disney.
Here is a helpful article on Collecting Disney Pins

For more information on Unauthorised Disney Pins try here :
http://www.ebay.com

ebay Reviews and Guides by chip_and_dale who has an excellent series of informative guides about Disney Pins
The following are REAL DISNEY MICKEY MOUSE PINS of course.

DIZpins has excellent information about Disney Pins and is well worth visiting
http://www.dizpins.com/

They have illustrations of real and fake pins and a list of unauthorised pins.

The OFFICIAL Disney Pin Trading Site is HERE :

http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/index
and you can buy pins at Normal Disney Prices there.

PINPICS has more information on unauthorised Disneyesque Pins

http://www.pinpics.com/

Home Page : http://www.bestvintagemickey.com/
The pin in the picture is actually REAL !

Mickey Mouse and the superb iPhone - what a great combination !
Now the Apple iPhone has dropped so rapidly in price it is really affordable and a number of makers have brought out lovely iPhone 3G Covers and Skins to protect your iphone and beautify it.

Mickey has been associated with phones for many years now and was formerly features as a cell phone stand,a cordless talking phone and was on a number of cellphone cases.

iPhone Bargains

The iphone Covers are available in Blue,Black and a few other colours including rubberized versions for added protection and all of these are at really low prices.Some of the covers feature a charming cartoon of Mickey Mouse.

Child Safety at Disneyland

In Todays troubled world it is up to us to look after our children.Child Safety at Theme parks is a top priority and major theme parks take this very seriously.This is how to make sure YOUR child has a great safe day out.

Theme Parks are a Honeypot for all children.

All of these comments and notes apply to every theme park in the World.
Many are not as good at security as DisneyWorld and your children are definitely safer at Disney Theme Parks than anywhere else.

Child safety at Disneyland (and all Disney Properties) is of course of the utmost importance to Disney employees and they are well trained in how to look after lost children.

Kids love the rides ,the cute characters and the whole ambiance of a great theme park.
Regrettably though there are nowadays a few people with evil intent towards children - maybe even YOUR children.
Disney makes every possible effort to weed these unpleasant characters out of course.
Disneyland has an excellent policy on theme park safety.

They do not permit entry to people wearing offensive t-shirts or with unpleasant tattoos that might upset people and that is understandable.

Regrettably not all theme parks are as good at this screening.
A few years ago I saw a group of young men searched at the entrance to another theme park (not Disney) and the security officers removed guns knives and blackjacks ! And they still let them in...

Paedophiles are probably the major possible threat to your children.
They are often quite clever and opportunist by nature and this is what they will
possibly be looking for :

* Young Children on their own
Do not let your child go on any rides without an adult other than those designed for very young children

* Lost Children - make sure your child has a safe place to go to where you can quickly find them Disney has specific spots for children to go to where they will be safe - make sure your child knows them and will actually remember them.

A Child Identity bracelet could help reunite you with your child quickly

 

* Ice Cream and Candy Stores are places generally regarded as safe by parents but not by those who prey on the innocent.

* Toilets/Washrooms - It is advisable to ALWAYS accompany your child to a toilet.
It is the place where your child will be most vulnerable .

* Fireworks Displays or Parades - or any other crowds.
Children are more vulnerable to assault in a crowd where the attacker can hide.

* Car Parks - an easy place for children to get lost

Do not assume that a child snatcher is male - often paedophiles work as couples and in the UK there have been a number of couples recently attempting to snatch children from their own front gardens.
Regrettably there are also female attackers.

The profile of an average paedophile is quite well known to security departments and they know what signs to look for.
There is no single profile though and in Europe Judges,Magistrates and even Police officers have been charged with offences involving children.

Disney are particularly good at child security but the main problem they have is YOU !
Many people seem to just abandon care at Disney (well it is a Great Atmosphere!)
Fortunately a fair number of the Disney cleaners,cast members and servers are actually security officers keeping an eye out to look after you and your family.

A well disguised Closed Circuit TV system constantly tracks suspicious guests.
Disney have done everything they possibly can to protect you and as a result your children are definitely safer at their theme parks than at your local shopping mall.
It is your responsibility to look after your child while they are having fun.

Please also be careful with your valuable belongings.
Do not flash large amounts of money around - even at Disney !
Do not let this article scare you into thinking that theme parks are full of kiddie attackers and thieves - That simply is not true.
Here are things that YOU can do to keep your child safe:
* Show him/her at the theme park which are the people they can trust - security,police,information,attendants at rides

* Make a SAFE WORD for your family - evil doers ask kids to help them with various things - like that you are ill or they need help with a pet - make sure your child ONLY goes anywhere with an adult who knows your family SAFE WORD.

* Young children should always be on these twirly cords that keep them with you.They wrap around your wrist and theirs.

* Take a current Photo of each of your children with you at all times.This can really speed up finding your child.

* Write down what your children are wearing - theme parks are full of kids and you want yours back if it gets lost !

* Do not let your child on an adult ride without you. Sit beside them and you can then stop them standing up or trying to jump off.This is PARTICULARLY important on rides like rollercoasters or ones that go high like the ET ride.

A great idea is to change the money you would normally give each child into Disney Dollars - and tell them that is all they are getting .
This will help you when each child decides they cannot be without a specific Disney Character.

* Pin a Poly bag or something else with your name, cellphone number inside your childs pocket or even inside their jacket you should also have your address on this paper
(Your hotel address of course !)

* Before you go it might be a wise idea to take your childs fingerprints.Your local police will probably help or make useful suggestions.

* If your child does get lost then do not get upset with them - praise them for getting proper help instead or next time they get lost they will panic even more.

* Remember that YOU are the most stable thing in their life.Without you they panic. Make a list of things they should do and put it in their poly bag in their jacket.

99.9 % of all theme park visitors are just there for a fun day out.
Society has changed though and we as responsible adults must change to protect our own.
Remember to keep your child in sight at all times
Do not allow other adults to talk to your children unless you are with them.
It is very difficult for children to realse the difference between talking to a cast member or character and a member of the public...try to explain it to them gently.

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