A Sprinkle of Magic

    Disney is a fan favorite all across the glove. The Disney Parks that reside all over the globe are Walt Disney World Resort (Florida), Disneyland Resort (California), Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and Shanghai Disney Resort (1). Fans travel from all over the world to experience the magic at these different parks. A common phrase that fans refer Disney World to is the phrase, "the magical place on Earth." Along with the theme parks, there have been 494 Disney films produced (5). Disney fans obsess over them. Some of the most iconic Disney figures that we all know and love are Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Snow White, Bambi, Cinderella, and so many more. The Disney fans claim, "extraordinary fan activities that Disney fans participate in, such as pin trading, theme days, and runDisney marathons" (6). Disney fans love Disney for ample amounts of reasons. 

    Fans view Disney parks to be a site of pilgrimage and a place of ritual (6). Like previously mentioned,

fans can interact with Disney at their various parks. Thousands of people attend the different parks every single day. Disney lovers purchase Disney merchandize at the many stores located in the different parks. A very popular thing that fans commonly purchase is Mickey Mouse ears. Fans also buy Disney-themed food and beverages. Who wouldn't want a Mickey Mouse shaped pretzel? Some Disney fans are extremely interested in the history behind the Disney parks. When designing the parks, architects focused heavily on keeping history within them and promote folklore (6). This gives history lovers an opportunity to have their own adventure at the parks. Those who have not attended one of the Disney parks can show their love in other ways. 

    Disney lovers dress up in many different ways to express their love for Disney. It can be seen all throughout the year at various events. Young children, usually girls, having a Disney-themed birthday party is a quite common thing. I remember attending many princess-themed birthday parties when I was younger. A lot of people dress up as Disney characters too. The most popular Disney Halloween costumes of 2023 include: Tinker Bell, Jesse from Toy Story, Russell from Up, and others (2). On a not-so-glamours side, Disney fans have dressed up as the unique trashcans from the Disney parks. That's right, at the theme parks, each individual land has trash cans specifically designed based off of the land's theme (7). For example, the trashcans have medieval-looking patterns on them at Fantasyland. In Frontierland, they have been designed to look like rough-hem wood. Fans have become fascinated by the many different creatively painted trash cans. Seen on the picture to the right, it is clear that fans have an obsession with Disney's trashcans as there are many individuals who dressed up for them for Halloween. They went viral on Tiktok for their creative Halloween costume idea and landed themselves a spot at the Oogie Boogie Pre Parade. Day drinkers at Epcot at Disney World have named a specific trashcan "Binny" who they have declared to be their unofficial club mascot (7). Disney fans have come up with some very creative ways to convey their love. 

    Fan art is a huge part of the Disney fandom. Many people express their creative abilities through

creating Disney pieces and uploading them to online platforms. This Instagram account displays bunches of Disney artwork created by Helen Morgun. The account consists of numerous pages of artwork, including all different kinds of Disney characters. People can upload their artwork or merchandise to a website called Etsy and it will allow them to make a profit. The fan art on Etsy ranges from sweatshirts to mugs to posters. This website puts their Disney artwork up for sale. The paintings are extremely detailed and represent various Disney characters. The artist offers plenty of different art types, such as paintings, wood artwork, pencil sketches, etc. 

    The love for Disney spreads further than just Mickey mouse sweatshirts and Princess Jasmine mugs. Disney competition TV shows have also been created. The TV show "Best in Snow" is hosted by Tituss Burgess (8). Disney fans from all around the world come to a place known as "Snowdome" where they will compete in teams to create the best Disney ice sculpture (8). The ice sculptures are inspired by Walt Disney Studios, leaving competitors with a variety of options. Another Disney-inspired TV show has been released but this time it is a Disney-themed baking show. Contestants on "Disney's Bake Off" will be required to create a Disney-themed cake while racing against the clock (4). Disney fans have gone far ends to express their joy for Disney. Along with going to the parks and participating in TV shows, fans also have created online fan clubs. 

    There is an official Disney fan club page on the internet. The fan club is known as "The Official Disney Fan Club" (3). This fan page offers newsletters, videos, recipes, podcasts, and much more. In order to access these amenities, a membership is required. There are two types of memberships: Gold plan and General plan (3). Gold plan allows for access to more features on the website. Gold plan members even get a shiny silver membership card in which they can chose from one of four designs. The fan club also provides dates for events that they are holding along with links to hotels around the area of the event. A member gets access to limited time merchandise. The website even allows members to enter to win "magical prizes" (3). Additionally, the Disney fan club gives members the chance to attend virtual or in-person events all throughout the year (3). The fan club cites and groups give fans a great opportunity to stay informed. 

    Disney fans express their love towards Disney in so many other ways that were not discussed. From costumes to creative fan art, Disney fans find unique ways to support Disney. Fans can be found all over the world as Disney is spread worldwide. The love for Disney ranges from all ages, someone is never too young to love Disney. 

Sources 

(1) "All The Disney Parks In The World Ranked." Mouse Hacking, 1 May 2023. https://www.mousehacking.com/blog/ranking-every-disney-park Accessed 26 November 2023 

(2) Coulson, Josh. "Best Disney Halloween Costumes in 2023." TheGamer, 29 October 2023. https://www.thegamer.com/best-disney-halloween-costumes/ Accessed 26 November 2023. 

(3) "D23." The Official Disney Fan Club. n.d. https://d23.com/ Accessed 25 November 2023. 

(4) Grobar, Matt. "Disney Channel Sets Baking Competition Series 'Disney's magic Bake-Off; Dara Renée & Issac Ryan Brown To Host." Deadline, 27 April 2021. https://deadline.com/2021/04/disney-channel-   partners-with-tastemade-disneys-magic-bake-off-competition-series-issac-ryan-brown-dara-renee-1234745484/ Accessed 26 November 2023. 

(5) Jessy, Ben. "How Many Disney Movies Are There." TheGamer, 1 November 2023. https://www.thegamer.com/disney-movies-how-many-are there/#:~:text=There%20are%20494%20Disney%20movies,Disney%20made%20them%2C%20they%20count. Accessed 28 November 2023. 

(6) Oliveros, Kelly. "According to Science, Here's What Being A Disney Fan Really Means." The Disney Food Blog, n.d. https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/01/09/according-to-science-heres-what-being-a-disney-fan-really-means/ Accessed 26 November 2023. 

(7) Tremaine, Julie. "This May Be Disneyland Fans' Weirdest Obsession Yet." SFGATE, 29 October 2023. https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/disneyland-fans-weird-obsession-trash-cans-18443170.php Accessed 26 November 2023. 

(8) Singh, Paul. "Best in Snow 2022: Everything To Know About Disney+'s New Competition Series." SK POP, 10 November 2022. https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/best-snow-2022-everything-know-disney-s-new-competition-series Accessed 26 November 2023.