Characters Real or Not - The Right Time to Tell?

[Brian McFan]

The magic is in the experience and the photo op. Whether they're real or not is relative. What I was led to believe is the magic of Disney World is that the cartoon characters we know so well, only come to life in Disney...

Disney's different from Santa. You believe then you don't because Santa is at football games, in parades, in every department store. Suspending belief is easy. Its too illogical. At Disney, you can only see these characters come to life. No where else. That's the difference.

[wiltsan]

This is wonderful feedback and I am enjoying reading everyone's stories and how we all have the magic in our hearts! When I think about it, I guess my daughter has never really asked me straight out for an answer but would discuss it. I really like the "Disney is where the characters come to life" all true and a great way to communicate this aspect of the World. Loving the dialogue, thanks!

[mouseketeer mom]

Ha Ha....this is funny because we were just talking about this recently. My kids are now all teenagers, (Four of Them!!!) and to this day, I will never tell them that I don't believe in characters, Santa, the Easter Bunny or anything else. It drives them crazy! They reminisce about when they figured things out, and to this day I still mess with them telling them that they are all real! We go to Disney every year, sometimes 2 - 3 times a year, and they definitely know, but I think just the fact that I play it up so much, makes it that much more fun for them. No need to tell, they figure it all out by themselves, and it's much more fun to mess with them!

Me TOO! I keep the magic going like its nobody's business!!! I play it up like crazy, and my kids are now almost 17, 15 and 11. The Easter Bunny will be visiting our house very soon, how bout yours?? Haaha!!

[buzznwoodysmom]

I agree with what a few others have said. Even though my kids both know that the characters aren't real we still do character meals, they still like to take their picture with characters and give hugs and whatnot. My youngest was about the age of OP's DD when he told me he knew "its a human in a costume mom, I saw a zipper". I even have a video of him being funny at Chef Mickey's saying "Pluto is a fraud, its a human in a dog suit". I asked "What about Mickey? Is he a fraud too?". And he answered "I don't know, I didn't figure that one out yet". Its such a cute video, and we still love watching it. Even though he had figured it out there was still so much innocence in that video. Like many other's even though my kids say certain things, I've never confirmed or denied any of it! Our trips are just as magical as they were when they were younger!

[K8screen]

They ARE real! They are Disney people in Disney costume at Disney World. That makes them as real as the drawings in Disney cartoons, the actors in Disney films, in fact as real as it is possible to be. People in borrowed or copied costumes at your local costume party are fakes, these are not.
Thats how we think of it anyway.

[#1donaldfan]

....they are not real ????

[Totodog]

Nothing unreal exists.

[whitney37354]

Our DD is 5 & she was talking the other day about "the people in the costumes at Disney World." She knows the truth & still loves to see them. I just agreed with whatever she was talking about. Later we talked about maybe roasting marshmallows with Chip & Dale at Fort Wilderness and she got all excited about it.

Just because I know that I am Santa's helper on Christmas Eve doesn't mean I don't still get more excited than DD does! It's part of the magic of Christmas & WDW---two of my favorite things!

[AnnetteFan]

I don't think you need to say anything to her, she seems to have figured it out on her own. Unless she specifically asks you if they're real or not. In which case I'd tell her that they're as real as she makes them.
But if closer to the trip and closer to actually seeing them in the parks she's still talking about them being people in costumes or actors, tell her not to mention it when she meets them, because they don't know they aren't real and if she tells them she'll hurt their feelings.

[garymacd]

Even though my kids both know that the characters aren't real we still do character meals, they still like to take their picture with characters and give hugs and whatnot.

Heck, my kids are in their 20's and still love getting their pictures taken with Eeyore and Tigger! Biggest grin on my eldest's face when she see's Eeyore!

[magicalmom]

We're a theater family, and we have two separate but parallel takes on the whole "real" thing.

When my girls first questioned, we discussed how Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Disney characters are all personifications of the spirits of giving, of love, of joy, of magic. Because they're spirits, we can't see them or talk to them, so they need actual people to help them out by representing them. The spirits hear what you say to the people, and help the people know what they want to say to you.

As my girls have gotten older, and begun to be performers themselves, they understand that an actor should never play a role that's not in her. So if we meet Ariel, or Mary Poppins, the actor owns some of the magic. And if we meet Cruella or the Queen of Hearts, she owns some of the mean! And we figure that's pretty "real," too.

[wiltsan]

I love hearing everyone's approaches to this question and it is also very clear that all of you have the magic in you one way or another. MagicalMom, very interesting take and I might just use some of that as we get closer. She hasn't not brought it up again but I am sure she will as the trip approaches. Very good point of one poster saying not to mention if she does not think they are real as it might not only hurt their feelings but spoil it for someone else. Interesting that she still believes in SC, TF, EB but is starting to doubt our beloved characters. I think it helps that she can't see the former. Thanks folks, enjoying all the stories!

[cmshelton1979]

MY 5 yo dd asked me this the other day...she asked are all the characters real? I told her, I asked her, what do you think??? She said I think they are, then I said...then they are....

[AnnetteFan]

Speaking as a friend of the characters, I honestly cried just about everytime a kid accused me of not being real. Mickey Mouse cries real tears! Which is where I got the suggestion of telling her that she doesn't want to hurt the characters feelings because they still believe they're real. I believe in the characters even more now than I did before.

[spoiled]

Well, I tell my DD (13) and DS(10) (they still believe) that it's one of there friends theres only one real one it's not always this one. I do the same with Santa & Easter Bunny Meeting.

[flipadeeflop]

When I was 8 and my cousin was 6 we both knew they were people in costumes and I
remember we tried to trick the characters into talking to us to prove it. We saw TweedleDee and TweedleDum and asked them to say who was who, knowing this wasn't a question they couldn't shrug away and they answered by lifting up their shirt collars which had their names embroidered!!! They couldn't be tricked!

I remember when I first realized Santa and such weren't real I felt really bad for my mom. I didn't mind that I didn't believe anymore, I just felt bad that it would disappoint my mom, so I never told her and probably still haven't really said those words. I'm not sure when she figured out that I knew since I never said anything. I'm 23 now, I wonder if she still doesn't know!

[Giselle]

My DD now 7, will be going in October. This is the first visit since she has realized that they cannot logically be "real" characters. I hope she still has all the magic and wonder, but it will admittedly different. I hate to see the "fantasy" disappear, so hopefully it will be replaced with a new kind of fun. I'm finding that DW is so diverse that there is something new to enjoy with every age. For example, she now realizes the characters are actors, but she can enjoy some bigger rides and marvel at the quality of the costumes and acting of the characters.

[Kathy Jetson]

Ds is 7 and loves to get his picture taken with characters no matter where we are. I think he has figured out they aren't real but he is not ready to let go yet. I just tell him that when we are at Disney anything you believe in is real. I believe in the characters when I'm there and I hope he keeps believing too.

[Stevadore]

I don't remember my DD's asking this question. If they had, I would have given them the old Pych question with a question ploy: "What do you think?" Then nod approvingly without any inflection.
IMHO, in our endevor to be good parents, we sometimes think our kid's issues are more important to them than they actually are .