Taking your kids to Walt Disney World is supposed to be a trip that will leave you with all sorts of wonderful memories. But you can’t actually control what kids do, which results in sometimes those moments that were supposed to be special becoming something else. One family recently learned this, and their experience is now going viral on Instagram.
The video's caption is "'take your kids to a character dining.’ they said. ‘It will be fun,’ they said.” Spoiler alert: it was not that much fun for one kid as the video in question shows a small child absolutely losing her mind in terror at Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The kid is up on a chair and screaming as the costumed characters get close to her. Maybe it was the fact that Mickey and Minnie were dressed for Halloween, they do look scarier than usual. We can only hope this kid doesn’t make a lasting memory of this moment, though her parents probably have. Check it out.
While this is certainly an unfortunate reaction, it is by no means an uncommon one. Many little kids absolutely love Mickey and Minnie and all the rest, but the costumes and oversized heads can cause children to have very different reactions. Many don't want to get close to them, and in this case, the characters are walking up to them and scaring the hell out of them. Somehow even though the look on Mickey's face is static you can read that he’s really sorry he’s causing this. Being a Disney World costumed character is a tougher job than many people realize.
It can be a little frustrating as a parent if only because, let’s be honest, Disney World character dining, while fun, isn’t cheap. So the family dropped some decent money to take everybody out to an expensive breakfast specifically so that they could see characters, and this one probably wasn’t interested in eating much after this experience.
My own daughter, while she has never reacted quite like this, is not at all interested in the masked characters at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. She is well aware they are just “people in costumes” and thus won’t give them the time of day. She feels very differently about face characters, like the princes and princesses, whom she adores. Maybe we need to get the kid in this clip a visit with Cinderella stat.
It’s weird, but while many kids do love character dining, it may actually be more successful among adults. A five-foot mouse with a giant head is only scary if you actually believe that’s what you’re looking at. Once you realize the truth and suspend disbelief, giving Mickey Mouse a hug can be an emotional experience. Perhaps when this kid is a little older, or maybe a lot older, she’ll love Mickey and Minnie a bit more.
