FROM: The 626 Published Fridays

Hidden Mickeys

What makes hidden Mickeys so perennially popular? I think it's our hard-wired prehistoric past: we were all hunter-gatherers at some point and now, instead of mastodons, we hunt Mickeys. Jeff Heimbuch, fortunately, makes better sense of it.

- by Jeff Heimbuch, June 3, 2011

One of the things we haven't touched upon yet in this column is a favorite activity of mine while in the parks: finding hidden Mickeys!

Chances are, you've seen them for yourself. But if not: just what is a hidden Mickey?

Slip Me a (Hidden) Mickey

It started as an inside joke among the Imagineers, who would hide images of everyone's favorite Mouse in the design of attractions, resorts, restaurants, etc. Originally, just the silhouette of Mickey's ears and head were hidden, and so these images became known as the 'classic hidden Mickey'. But nowadays, hidden Mickeys take on many forms, including side profiles, full bodied views, and more.

Disney didn't 'officially' acknowledge the existence of hidden Mickeys until 1989, when Arlen Miller wrote an article about them for Walt Disney World's Cast Member magazine, Eyes And Ears. Her article started a whirlwind, and guests began looking more carefully at their surroundings to try and spot the Mickeys.

Of course, Mickey isn't the only one to get in on the fun. Imagineers have also been known to throw in other hidden Disney characters over the years, and it's not that uncommon to come across a hidden Donald, Goofy, or Minnie!

Disney has also never kept an official list of these hidden gems. Though they are pretty well documented online and in books, it's possible that some have not yet been discovered due to exceptionally clever Imagineers. Of course, attractions, hotels, and restaurants change over the years, and so some Hidden Mickeys may be forever lost to time.

Jeff's Favorite (Found) Mickeys

I'd like to share a few of my favorite hidden Mickeys. Some you may know, some may take you by surprise.

My absolutely favorite hidden Mickey is one that you can't really see when you're standing in the parks. The best view is from above - high above, in an airplane! Though it's now much harder to see this Mickey due to recent construction, Disney's Hollywood Studios was once home to the world's largest hidden Mickey. Imagineers cleverly hid this enormous Mickey image into the layout of the park's center square.

Mickey's head is formed by the circular square area. The right ear is made up of the lake that contains Min and Bill's Dockside Diner. The other ear is made up of a portion of the roof of the Brown Derby and continues around. The nose is the off-center large round planter, and the eyes are formed by the two darker concrete areas with the surrounding hedges as the eyebrows.

When the park first opened in 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios, it did not include a recreation of the famous Sunset Blvd. When that addition was added on a few years later, along with a few other ones that followed (namely, the giant Sorcerer Mickey hat!), the hidden Mickey became a little harder to see. However, if you look carefully, you'll still be able to see it.

Another favorite can be found in the ballroom scene at the Haunted Mansion. On the banquet table is a large plate flanked by two smaller ones, creating a classic hidden Mickey. What's interesting about this one is that, until recently, it was never an 'official' hidden Mickey. Cast Members would often place it there for guests to see, and it would frequently disappear when cleaning crews came in. But since the Mansion refurb, it has stayed for all to see!

Maelstrom has one of the greatest hidden Mickeys. Just before boarding your long boat, be sure to check out the mural in front of you. It depicts scenes of Norway, but one in particular stands out. Look at the Viking longboat on the mural. One of the Vikings has a very unusual hat that any Disney fan would be sure to recognize - and quite possibly be wearing themselves!

Over at Disney's Animal Kingdom, in Rafiki's Planet Watch, there are over 25 hidden Mickeys to spot. One of my favorites is in the mural, on the tree trunks. It's a clear, full-bodied silhouette of Mickey Mouse, a great surprise for anyone who finds him.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin also has some Mickeys hidden in its queue, but I recently heard that they've been painted over. In any event, on one of the 'view screens', in Sector 1, there is a very Earth-like planet that has a very Mickey shaped land mass!

Finding Mickeys

Those are just a few of the hundreds of hidden Mickeys populating the Disney resorts all over the world. If you're really interested in this sport, pick up Steven Barrett's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide To Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets. He has over 800 of them listed, and it's a great resource to help you find them all.

So, next time you're in the parks, be on the lookout for some hidden Mickeys - maybe you'll find one that hasn't been discovered yet!

In the meantime, I'd love to hear about some of your favorites. Feel free to list them in the comments below.

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