I show people videos on my cell phone of Molly taking photos or at restaurants with Minnie Mouse and she won't let her go. We first discovered this at Goofy's Kitchen when she was about ten months old. After her loving visit with Minnie she discovered the character was still in the restaurant but circulating at...OTHER TABLES. She started yelling across the whole place for Minnie to come back.
We took her back when she turned one. The addiction only grew and because she was starting to walk, she could stand on her own, which meant she went after her own long hugs. LOOOONG hugs.
Now she is almost 14 months. And people don't believe me until I pull out ANYTHING with Minnie on it (her bottle, her shoes, her dress, her bed set, lets just say I always have at least one option within arm's reach) and she instantly gives it a kiss and starts to talk with her. I probably have close to a hundred photos of Molly and Minnie together now.
Why I am telling you this? Because I think good characters matter. They make us happy. They teach us things. Disneyland without Minnie Mouse (and to be fair, Chip, Dale, Pooh, Tigger and Mickey are all in the superhero class, but Minnie is the queen) is fun, but not the same experience. I love to use characters while teaching. The simple addition of a lovable character makes the lesson feel so much more important, more fun, and more real. They are the proverbial "spoonful of sugar." Or as one of my favorite authors Ron Clark writes, "If students love your classroom they will enjoy the content you are teaching." I think Ron Clark has become a "character" in his own right. I keep trying to pick my own favorite Disney character. For now it is Mickey Mouse, because he started it all. He is the legacy.
I love that Pixar is full of life size sculptures of their film characters. They are "real" to me the same way they are real to my baby. They are important. Maybe her addiction is my fault. If it is, I am certainly not going to try to cure her any time soon.
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