Summary of my job 2011-2012: An event from my life which I will never forget.
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| Autograph: signed by my 'friend' Mickey Mouse |
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| Autograph: signed by my 'friend' Minnie Mouse |
I remember the first few days of training where I had to learn how to sign exactly like my 'friends'. Each character in Disney has their own signature and it is one of the guests' main joys to personally get their books signed by their favourite Disney celebrities. Practising to sign like my fellow 'friends' was one of the biggest challenges. I remember going home and learning to sign with three pairs of socks on my hands just to perfect my autographs. This is because every characters' hands are very large and takes practice to be able to sign perfectly with a human hand-sized pen. Now that I have perfected my autographs, I can bring up this skill whenever I want. I see this as a memory stored in my brain. I can retrieve the skill whenever I like and it does not seem I will forget it. This shows a permanent memory. Even if I do forget, I have hand-signed diaries which will help me to remember that I was once able to sign my 'friends' autographs. Like the two autographs above, I have scanned the actual hard copies of autographs which I have signed. I have stored it both digitally and analogue.
In my diary, I mention myself being 'friends' with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, because one of the most important rules in Disney is to 'keep it magical' maintain the characters from Disney stories to be real.
In my diary, I mention myself being 'friends' with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, because one of the most important rules in Disney is to 'keep it magical' maintain the characters from Disney stories to be real.
Before I forget the amazing moments that I wished to cherish, I kept a diary of photos of the special encounters I have had with my guests. This included the photos taken with my 'friends' and their guests and gifts or drawings which little kids decided to give to Mickey or Minnie.
After working at this job for a year, I encountered numerous memories of how happy I made a child or how I was able to make a child's dream come true. Therefore to remember some of these moments, I kept a good number of photographs to remind me of how precious my job was.
Here a few photos of me being 'friends' with Mickey and Minnie Mouse and interacting and posing with little guests who have come to visit:
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| Minnie Mouse giving her guest a big, big hug |
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| Minnie Mouse loved seeing the little girl wear ears just like hers and carrying a Minnie Mouse purse |
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| Mickey and Minnie posing for a Christmas Card photo |
Below are scans of actual drawings which little kids gave to my 'friends' Mickey and Minnie:
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| A 'thank you' note to Mickey and Minnie from a guest after a day at the Disney Parks |
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| A drawing by a guest who came to visit Mickey and Minnie |
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| A simple sketch by a 5 year old girl |
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| Simple and honest drawing-the little girl called it a portrait of Minnie Mouse |
Knowing that a child would put a large amount of effort into a piece of artwork to give to their favourite characters means a lot. I remember the first time I received a drawing from a guest, I had literally cried because I couldn't stand how sweet and thoughtful it was for a 4 year old to believe in so much magic. I was also touched by how much love they were able to show to their favourite characters. This job is something that most people will never experience. Which is why it was so important for me to keep as many memories as I could. Even a tiny scribble from a one year old on a napkin was documented in my dairy. The storing of these actual drawings shows how much I value them. Unlike digital photos which I see as ephemeral and thrown in and mixed with a thousand other photos, these analogue memories are able to be kept forever, filed in a special place and not mingling with a million other memories to devalue them.
To ensure I don't forget the memories, I write down how and why a certain drawing was given to Mickey or Minnie. I note something like this, at the back of each drawing. I also date it so I know what time of the year (during my work event) it was given to me.
However, it did seem to be a problem when I forgot to date it or take notes at the back of the drawings. When I turn back to these memories now, I can only remember them as something special given to my 'friends'. But I have forgotten what date or place (restaurants, meet and greet areas, special events) I was given it.
Below is an example of a dated drawing: this allows me to remember clearly the moment I shared with this guest.
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| After work, I write down exactly how I encountered the experience so I can recall it in the future when I pull it out and look at it again |
