MouseStation 89 – Hidden Mickeys with Steve Barrett
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Featured Topic – Hidden Mickeys with Steve Barrett
In this week’s feature, Mike and Mark talk with Steve Barrett, Hidden Mickey
hunter extraordinaire and author of the Hidden Mickey guidebooks to Walt Disney
World and Disneyland.
Mark ran into Steve last month while Steve was trying to verify some Hidden
Mickeys around World Showcase at Epcot. Mark joined Steve, Steve’s wife Vicki,
Byron, Byron’s wife and Pat in trying to verify a Mickey on a column at Italy
and wandered to Mexico with them before taking his leave. The Hidden Mickey
at Italy was somewhat inconclusive, so it may be voted upon at Steve’s Hidden
Mickeys at Epcot meet during MouseFest.
Steve uses the Hidden Mickey Hunts to share some interesting Hidden Mickeys
and also to get some help in determining whether some questionable Mickeys
are valid or if they’re just wishful thinking.
Steve’s backstory
Steve had been living in Oklahoma and came to a medical conference in Orlando
in 1989. His wife had bought a couple of guidebooks, and handed him The Unofficial
Guide on the plane, and Steve read the book on the plane and immediately fell
in love with Walt Disney World before he even got off of the plane. He was
excited that it wasn’t a generic theme park like he was accustomed to from
the Midwest.
Steve started going to Walt Disney World twice a year starting in 1989, and
finally moved to the Orlando area in 1998 when a job opened up in emergency
medicine near Orlando, and he’s been enjoying it ever since.
Steve always enjoyed writing, and after he started acquiring loads of notes
from his regular trips to the park, he turned them into The Hassle-Free Guide
to Walt Disney World, which has just released its 2008
edition. Steve views the guide as a book that could be picked up on the
way to the park and be used with touring plans with a minimum of skimming
beforehand. It’s aimed at people who haven’t been to Walt Disney World that
much, if at all, or someone who just needs a quick opening to a touring plan
for a specific park.
After the book was released, his publisher wanted more ideas for Disney-related
books, and Steve suggested a book about Hidden Mickeys (which he had already
been collecting), and the original Hidden Mickeys Guide was published in 2003.
(The Third
Edition has just been released, as well as the First
Edition of the Disneyland Hidden Mickeys Guide, both of which will be
reviewed on the MousePlanet web site by Mark tomorrow.) Steve now works every
day on the books and his web
site, so it’s a year-round hobby for him.
Moving forward
The third edition of the book includes all remaining Hidden Mickeys from
the first two editions, as well as including all new confirmed Hidden Mickeys,
for a total of over 700 in this edition.
Steve’s favorite Hidden Mickey, which is one of Mark’s favorites, has been
removed. The “Broccoli Mickey” and, in fact, the entire Body Wars
mural at the Wonders of Life pavilion, has been replaced by a beige facade.
Steve hasn’t actually made it over there, but ark was very depressed to see
it gone.
Steve related some anecdotes about cast member dedication to some Hidden
Mickeys.
He then gave some of the history of the tracking of Hidden Mickeys on the
web. first, there was the old Stetson University Hidden Mickeys web site,
which was where he first learned about Hidden Mickeys. Next came the Spacecoast
Hidden Mickeys site, and the rest is history.
Steve then started describing what Hidden Mickeys are and how to find them.
Touring with the book
Steve uses some of the tricks the he learned in the Hassle-Free guide to
map the Hidden Mickey Hungs in the park to serve as a guidebook and touring
plan in the parks.
Mark asked about the small number of Hidden Mickeys in the guide for Disneyland.
Steve mentioned that he’s working on an already-long list of additional reported
Mickeys to include in the next edition of the book.
Steve could not find Mickey in the parking lot of the Animal Kingdom Lodge,
that was reported by Mike, though Steve’s sister did find it.
Steve is doing a Hidden Mickeys cruise with Deb Wills next fall. He doesn’t
know if there are enough for a separate book yet, but there probably will
be by the time that the two new ships are launched.
To report a Hidden Mickey, go to Steve’s Hidden Mickey’s Guide web
site.
So what are your favorite Hidden Mickeys?. Let us know by sending an email
or calling our toll-free feedback line (1-866-939-2278) and let us know what
your favorites are!
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