Interactive mickey mouse doll for theme parks

Just read about a new toy for disneys theme parks. Its a interactive mickey mouse that knows when its in the parks and has a bunch of info on parks, here is the link to story.

http://www.mouseplanet.com/wdwupdate/wdw030617avp.htm

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Army Rangers lead the way
*** This post was edited by supermandl34 8/3/2003 12:38:51 PM ***

Pal Mickey is a pretty good idea. It has jokes, games, and comments about various rides around the park. There are alot of mysterious things that pal mickeys are supposed to do. Its a pretty good idea to have one because of the information and everthing else.

Some people think that Disney made this as a way to track people with this toy

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Join Rideworld, and tell them that coaster-freak sent you!!!

That is exactly what they did. Soon you will have your picture taken as you stroll down Main Street from cameras mounted in light poles. This will happen all over the park. When you get home an email from Disney will await you with your photo album which you can purchase online.

Leave your pal Mickey in the living room and he will perk up to remind you what is on ESPN or ABC for the night. He might perk up during a Disney commercial to tell you about a theme park vacation package.

Big Mickey is coming.

It sounds like a cool idea, but it also sounds like perhaps they should have used RF instead of IR for the communications (Bluetooth, anyone?).

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

coaster-freak said:

Some people think that Disney made this as a way to track people with this toy

I'm one of those people. I don't have any weird conspiracy or privacy issues, in fact I think it's brilliant on Disney's part. Make people buy a toy that in the long run gives you priceless information on what guests do at your park. One of the most interesting stories I've read on the subject is:

http://www.jimhillmedia.com/articles/06162003.1.htm

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www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park Visits in 2003: 15

That kinda gives me the willies. I've known about this project for a long time, even have talked with one of the guys on the development team, but I never even thought that this sort of data collection would be part of the project. It really is an ingenious thought on the part of Disney - no more guessing by ride lines or food sales numbers what the flow of guests or their favorite rides are. But it seems like Empire Disney is expanding even further - as if I didn't already have enough reason to loathe them, this just makes it worse.

And I agree with the woman in Gonchar's linked article that they need to hold off on using this data to immediately make changes to the parks. I may not like (read: hate) Disney, but I do respect that they are one of the leaders of this industry and if they jump the gun with this and screw it up, it might have ripple effects on the thrill parks too.

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Give me launched or give me ... uh ... more launched!!
--Brett

"Hee hee hee hee...I know your Visa number!"

Child's Play 5 - Mickey's Revenge!

That thing sounds pretty cool, I'll wait till next year and get the Goofy version, haha.

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"This time I think ... I think it's ... it's going to work!" - Dr.Bruce Banner

I got a Pal Mickey when they first came out in April. I was far more impressed with it in theory than in application. You have to hold him up to your ear in most crowded park situations if you want to hear what he has to say (he'll let you know when).

However, he's pretty much a drag outside of the park. Maybe I got a defective Mickey but he is not very responsive during the games (i.e. - he makes mistakes). He will also repeat the same joke something like five times in a row, which wore thin even on my kids (who eventually decided it wasn't worth it to bring him back when we returned last month).

You may get a kick out of this funny, and presumably fictionarl Pal Mickey trip report.

Here is the best review of Pal Mickey i have ever seen. It answers anyone's questoin about disney's new way to milk every dollar and see how you do it in the meantime. Also it talks about the true possibilies of pal mickey.

http://www.mouseplanet.com/wdwupdate/wdw030617avp.htm
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Join Rideworld, and tell them that coaster-freak sent you!!!

RideMan said:
It sounds like a cool idea, but it also sounds like perhaps they should have used RF instead of IR for the communications (Bluetooth, anyone?).

While I agree that Bluetooth would have been a much more better (tm, Strong Bad) way of doing things I can't help but wonder if they're doubling up on using the equipment that's already in place for the "smart pins" that were sold during the 100 Years of Magic celebration.

For the folks not familar with the smart pins, the pins light up in certain places in the park, during certain scenes during shows, and on rides.

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- John
I snap flyers.

edit: bad "quote" tag placement
*** This post was edited by Michael Darling 8/5/2003 12:51:18 AM ***