Whether it’s your first trip Disney or your tenth you know your kids need something for the characters to autograph. While Disney has a wide variety of autograph books ranging from the Fab Five to Princesses, I found myself trying to think of something different so we didn’t have a shelf devoted to them. So like most Moms I went to my two favorite sites: Etsy and Pinterest and here are few ideas we’ve personally tried!
First, is a picture frame mat I purchased at our local Hobby Lobby. Because it is stiff the characters had no problem holding and signing it, just make sure you get a wider edge that way you have more room for signatures. I found an 11 x 14 mat that holds a 4 x 6 picture, shown below, works the best . In order to keep the frame clean and dry during our trips around the park I purchased some XXL Ziploc bags and I also bought fine point Sharpie’s in primary and bright colors. I also put our name and phone number on the back on the chance we might accidently loose the mats.
Secondly, we’ve done pillowcases that I picked up at our local Wal-Mart and had embroidered before leaving. These turned out so cute, but are a bit tricky to handle while getting signatures. I initially tried a clipboard with binder clips, but it was a LOT of trouble and a cast member finally suggested just stretching it out while the characters signed it and that worked best.
You could even put some thick paper inside the pillowcase to ensure no bleed through, but I didn’t really have this problem. It does take two people to stretch the pillowcase and most cast members will be willing to help and there is always one with each character.
Lastly, I have two ideas that are on the smaller side. If your child is a sports fan, Disney has small basketballs for purchase that are usually dated or you could bring one from home. For a gift one year we purchased the basketball and had just The Fab Five sign it. The basketballs are miniature so you will be limited in space for the amount of characters to be able to sign. Also because of the texture you may have to retrace the signature to make sure it’s clear. For a special Birthday gift to bring home one trip, I bought a stuffed Minnie and had her sign the bottom of the shoes.
If you are on limited time or maybe won’t be doing a lot of character dining, you can stop by Guest Relations in the morning and ask to leave an item and then return that evening and magically you will have your item mostly completed, please know this not a guarantee and will strongly depend on how busy the park is. However, this is may result in getting some of the rare characters like the Fairy Godmother, Dopey, Lilo, Stitch, Sebastian and Marie.
If you have other ideas, please feel free to share them with me and don’t forget to send a picture too! If you are looking to book your first or next trip to Disney contact me for your quote at Courtney@travelwiththemagic.com as always my services are always free!
Courtney Burnside
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