Grumpy isn't a mean dwarf, but he's a pessimist and has little patience

October 13, 2013 2:20 PM

Everything Is Terrible digs up a real find: highlights from a Disney suited character performer training tape from 1976!
posted by JHarris (24 comments total)

"Children are sometimes hard to understand!"
*punches Smee*
posted by scody at 2:30 PM on October 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

Unbelievably great find. I'm uh, 33, and took pictures this summer with tons of characters at WDW. I made my husband wait 15 minutes in sweltering 100 degree temperatures to get a picture with Mr. Smee. And it was well worth it.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:31 PM on October 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

'With your head in the honey pot, your vision is considerably impaired'
Indeed.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:31 PM on October 13, 2013 [7 favorites]

Between this and griphus' video I think I must have choked on a chicken bone at Brunch and this is hell.
posted by The Whelk at 2:31 PM on October 13, 2013

The Furries have found their Historical Documents.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:35 PM on October 13, 2013 [8 favorites]

No, Grumpy is mean to the core. Face the truth.
posted by thelonius at 2:36 PM on October 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

I found myself feeling involuntarily apprehensive when the characters were shown around the shelves of fragile merchandise. Memories sprang to mind, unbidden, of the Schlitz Malt-Liquor Bull.
posted by JHarris at 2:39 PM on October 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

Wait! Wait! Wait! Tigger's a woman?! WTF?!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:41 PM on October 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

My most vivid memory of my only visit to Disneyland as a toddler is being terrified of the costumed characters.
posted by trip and a half at 2:47 PM on October 13, 2013

Wait! Wait! Wait! Tigger's a woman?! WTF?!

That explains a lot.
posted by HuronBob at 2:49 PM on October 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

I have no idea what I meant by that.
posted by HuronBob at 2:49 PM on October 13, 2013 [6 favorites]

And, you know, the thing about Pooh... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes.
posted by JHarris at 2:49 PM on October 13, 2013 [10 favorites]

"And, you know, the thing about Pooh... he's got black eyes....."
You're in the wrong amusement park.
posted by HuronBob at 3:08 PM on October 13, 2013

Sounds too hard -- easier to just buy a second-hand costume and do it your way in Times Square. What could possibly go wrong?
posted by dhartung at 3:14 PM on October 13, 2013

"This is the only time you will be allowed to sit down". That is priceless. But I'm curious if the smoking ban applies to non-fursuit Disney characters as well. Might be jarring for a child to see Snow White smoking, but I think some of them would understand.

"DO NOT TALK."
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 3:46 PM on October 13, 2013

I know it was the 70's, but the lack of headpiece ventilation fans or ice vests, in those hot California and Florida summers, just makes me shudder.

Especially since vomiting is a potential symptom of severe heat stress.

And there was no vomiting exception for the "Costume headpiece removed anyplace other than backstage == instant termination" rule. (Still isn't one.)

Hell, even the "hang your whole costume up before eating or drinking" rule seems needlessly harsh. It may be hard to clean those types of suits, but surely a quick removal of the head to sip some water could have been allowed without risking getting things dirty or damaged.
posted by radwolf76 at 4:05 PM on October 13, 2013

I was a tour guide at Universal Studios back in the 70's. We had performers in costume walking around as classic Universal horror monsters (The Mummy, Frankenstein, Wolfman, etc). A standing order was to rescue their butts if they were besieged by unruly children...
posted by jim in austin at 4:43 PM on October 13, 2013

He's Grumpy because you're Dopey.
posted by eriko at 5:06 PM on October 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

note: you can buy at on a t-shirt.

at Disney World, no less.
posted by eriko at 5:06 PM on October 13, 2013

God I bet everyone wanted to play Sleepy
posted by wheelieman at 6:48 PM on October 13, 2013 [3 favorites]

The evil characters are the best.
posted by Troupe of trained rats at 7:58 PM on October 13, 2013 [5 favorites]

"Your audience will expect you to sound exactly like Snow White does in the film. You must imitate that voice as closely as possible."

I think this is exactly why I often have problems with cosplay. I've gotten into arguments with two friends who have cosplayed as Dr. Girlfriend without even ATTEMPTING to do the voice.

I mean come on, without the voice, you're pretty much dressing up AS Jackie O.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 10:37 AM on October 14, 2013 [2 favorites]

The last time I was at Disney World, my brother-in-law (it was a family trip!) decided to give Winnie-the-Pooh a hard time because he couldn't find any Rabbit merchandise anywhere.

BiL: "I want to know where Rabbit is!"
WtP: *does the "think-think-think gesture* *mimes digging with a shovel*

I don't know if the Winnie actor was coached to say Rabbit was too busy working in his garden to wander around the park, or if they thought of it on the spot, but I was impressed.
posted by Elementary Penguin at 5:27 AM on October 15, 2013

I don't know if the Winnie actor was coached to say Rabbit was too busy working in his garden to wander around the park, or if they thought of it on the spot, but I was impressed.

Oh, gardening. I would have immediately assumed Pooh was saying Rabbit had pulled a Goodfellas and was busy digging up Billy Batts.
posted by scody at 10:27 AM on October 15, 2013 [1 favorite]