I haven’t been to Disney World in a long time, so maybe I’m out of touch here–but I just learned about Pal Mickey, a $60 electronic doll you’re supposed to tote around the park. He apparently uses wireless technology to tell jokes, spout factoids about attractions, and say things like “Say, ‘Fantasmic!’ will be starting in about an hour–If ya wanna see it, now’s a good time to go grab a seat!”
I have the feeling I’d want to chuck the little guy into a lagoon pretty quickly–unless his factoids included, say, the truth about Walt and Ub’s relationship. (Hey, Mickey was there.) But I still find the idea fascinating. And I like the above publicity photo, in which Minnie seems surprisingly placid upon discovering that someone has shrunk her boyfriend.
For more on Pal Mickey, check out this site.
(Link via Andrew Leal)
Harry,
Considering my last visit to the Magic Kingdom over last New Year’s weekend culminated in an emergency room visit, you can see why I all but blocked out the memory of seeing Pal Mickey in every gift shop on the property.
I do remember an annoying tape loop hawking this product running in one of the gift shops and having to sit through innumerable iterations of same while waiting for souvenir photos to come out of the toaster.
But, Pal Mickey… excellent concept, but one with practical applications as well. Imagine this concept being applied to the Smithsonian Institution, or the Museum of Modern Art, acting as a virtual tourguide. “You’re just minutes away from ‘Guernica’, a masterpiece by Pablo Picasso. But how about stopping by for some churros at the snack bar first?”