Many of us grew up visiting Disney world and visiting Mickey Mouse at his house in Toontown. In recent years, he hasn’t been in that area because it no longer exists. Where can you meet Mickey Mouse at Walt Disney World?
Mickey’s Toontown Fair got its start back in 1988 when it originally opened as Mickey’s Birthday Land.
By 1990, it had turned to Mickey’s Starland and then 1996 saw it with the better-known name, Mickey’s Toontown Fair. In 2011, Mickey’s Toontown Fair was permanently closed to give more room for Fantasyland to expand.
Many people consider Disney to be about the magic but others consider it to be about the Mouse. It is actually a combination of the two, with a lot of nostalgia thrown in for many of us who visited when we were children.
This is confusing to many people who visit Walt Disney World and expect to see Mickey Mouse without any problem.
Now that Mickey Mouse doesn’t have a central location where he is at home in the park, what can you do to see him? Is it also possible to see other characters?
The pandemic has really affected the way that we see characters. In fact, there were a couple of years when you couldn’t get up close and personal with the characters due to social distancing guidelines and they couldn’t even sign any autographs.
In 2022, they decided to open things up again and they are getting closer and closer to being back to where they were in the pre-pandemic era.
You can now get close to the characters, even giving them a hug in some cases, and enjoy spending some up close and personal time while you get your picture taken.
One of the ways in which you can see characters, and it is becoming increasingly popular, is to go for a character meal. There are even character meals with Mickey Mouse available, but you better get some advanced seating because those seats go quickly.
When you go to a character meal, you can sit down to eat your food and the characters will come to see you as they walk around the room. This could include Mickey Mouse, in places such as Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort or Hollywood & Vine at Hollywood studios.
Even if you aren’t expecting Mickey Mouse to show up at one of these character meals, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he won’t show. Many times, they may have a parade of characters that come through and you just may get a surprise every now and then.
If you are just interested in seeing Mickey Mouse, you can always try to find him in the Town Square Theater.
That theater is right in front of you as you enter the Magic Kingdom park and pass under the railway tracks. Why not stop and see if Mickey is there?
You may have to stand in a queue, but it’s a great way to see Florida’s most famous mouse. You can also use Genie + to reserve to meet Mickey Mouse
Why Did They Get Rid Of Mickey’s House?
When Disney’s Toontown was closed in 2011, Mickey’s house was closed along with it. The park lost something that was important to many people during the Fantasyland expansion.
Many of the other parts of Mickey’s Toontown Fair were demolished at that time when the park was making renovations. When Fantasyland was expanded into that area, it became known as it is today as Storybook Circus.
Where Are All The Characters In Disney World?
It isn’t difficult to find characters at Disney if you know where to look. How can you find them and do so without wasting all of your time searching?
The easiest way to find where characters are at Disney World is to use the My Disney Experience app. The app can be used for many things throughout the park and if you have a smartphone or other device with you, you can use it to locate the characters.
The great thing about the app is that it is updated constantly so you know where the characters are and where they will be visiting. It can even help you to plan out your day so that as you are going from attraction to attraction, you can include some character attractions in there as well.
Since the app gives you the time and location where you will find the character, it makes it easy to line things up.
It never hurts to show up a little early, because the wait time can be brutal when you have so much else to see at the parks.
To use the app, find the icon near the bottom that is the locator. When you select it, a menu will come up and you can choose characters. Filter the characters that you want and other options, including the park you are visiting so that you can make the most of it.
It’s always amazing when you meet characters out of the blue and they just show up where you are. That doesn’t always happen and you can’t count on it, but it is part of the Disney magical experience.
Why Are No Characters Out At Disney?
Some people have complained that the characters are no longer out and they can’t seem to find them. Is that true?
Walt Disney World did go through a period of time when the characters were not out as frequently. Because of COVID guidelines, those characters had to maintain social distance and in many cases, they wouldn’t even come out at the park.
That changed on April 18, 2022. As of that date, the characters are back out again and you can even go up and give them a hug and get an autograph if you like. It may not be 100% back to the pre-pandemic experience, but it’s getting closer.
Keep an eye out for Winnie The Pooh catching butterflies near the Imagination Pavillon at Epcot!
