"Are they real?"

[rg35]

They're real and they're spectacular.

 

[tlmadden73]

Sometimes it doesn't matter -- and that's okay. Having it "feel" real is part of the Magic we ALL enjoy.

My son knows Storm Troopers aren't "real" .. but when they are marching down the street and look and sound threatening .. that is real enough for him to run in the other direction!

Because of this, knowing my son, he hasn't been on Haunted Mansion or Pirates, because .. no matter what we tell him .. it will "feel" real to him and scare him and give him nightmares. (He will probably get mad at us "Why did you take me in there??!")

 

[MomOTwins]

We've explained to the kids that on the rides, they are seeing animatronics (so they are not scared of HM, the Yeti on EE etc.). But we do maintain that the the characters they meet outside of the rides are real. One of our twins has turned to a bit of a skeptic while the other still really believes and loves to believe, so we kind of reframe the question a bit to dodge the issue. E.g., Skeptic kid - Cinderella isn't real. Me: Really? Then how come I can see her castle right there? Skeptic Kid - That's not tinkerbell (flying from the castle for the night fireworks) because fairies are imaginary. Me: So is the money the tooth fairy gave you imaginary too?

 

[dhardawa]

This all reminds me of when my son announced that he knew the Easter Bunny was just a person in a costume. For a second I was sad realizing the magic was over. Then, he said, “And I know who’s in that costume. Santa Claus.”

 

[DodgerGirl]

I'll never forget the time we were eating at Goofy's Kitchen during a character breakfast once and my mother asked "Is that really Goofy then how come he don't talk?" And I told my mother that this is really one of Disney's magical secrets that few people know about and she laughed like crazy. I believe that in a child's eyes the characters are real to them and they really can understand that they are truly meeting the real Disney characters every time they go on a Disney vacation? I think Disney Parks do an amazing job with the actors bringing the characters to life and they really do the job so well to perfection. But the princesses are done really wonderful too and some of the princesses are done really well like Tiana and Belle. But to kids there's really nothing better than meeting the characters and the characters really have a way of connecting with the kids and have awesome interactions and conversations with them. And to me that really makes a child feel special at Disney when meeting their favorite characters and you have that same feeling when you meet a celebrity for the very first time in person

 

[tinkerjo]

Out of 4 kids, they never asked!! Not one. And we went every couple years. I am pretty sure they knew they weren’t real. They were always ready to meet the characters and get autographs and still feel the magic. Heck I get all excited when I see the characters and I am 52 years old!! We also used the “Santa’s helper” at Christmas and used the “what do you think” answer when they asked if Santa was real. We never gave Santa a lot of credit at our house, he only filled stockings, so nobody was too disappointed when they figured it out. I’m selfish, I wanted the credit for the good presents!!! I don’t think there is a bad answer to your question. I would never outright lie, especially if they are asking. If they are asking, they probably have already figured it out. You can always skirt it and turn it back on them. Sometimes I think kids even pretend to still believe because they think it makes us happy or for younger siblings.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

My daughter is nearly 6, and she still believes that the characters are real. Or at least, that's what she wants to believe. She loves the "magic" of it all, and I would hate to destroy that for her. I was maybe 6 when a friend told me that the Disney characters were just people in costumes, and I remember arguing with her that no, they were REAL. Because I WANTED them to be real. I think my daughter is much the same.

She has asked why the face characters don't look like the cartoons in the movies, and we've told her it's because those are animated movies BASED on real people. And that the princesses and face characters you meet in the parks are the actual people those movies are based on. It also helps explain why Idina Menzel sounds like Elsa. We can truthfully say that Idina Menzel is just the singer/actress who voices Elsa in the movie, but that the REAL original Elsa who the movie is based on, is the Elsa you meet in Epcot.

As far as the fur characters, that's a little trickier. I think she's already figured that out, but she wants to play along. We've always just told her that the Mickey is Mickey because Disney is magic, and just like Santa, we don't always understand how magic works - just that it does. She has asked many times though why the fur characters don't talk, and I honestly never know how to explain that one.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

This all reminds me of when my son announced that he knew the Easter Bunny was just a person in a costume. For a second I was sad realizing the magic was over. Then, he said, “And I know who’s in that costume. Santa Claus.”

This just made my day.

 

[Magical2017]

When the kids were younger, I told them the Santa in the mall was just Santa's helper, because the real Santa was busy getting things ready at the North Pole. As they got older and asked if Santa and the Easter Bunny were real, I asked them what they believed. Now they are teens. I still do a Santa gift and Easter basket for them. We do Elf on the Shelf because it's fun. Those traditions can continue, tongue in cheek.

 

[TinkerPan]

I think most kids know at some level these characters are not really real, particularly if they are asking. Kids are trying to figure out the world, what's real and what's not. They want to trust that those adults closest to them will be truthful. When my granddaughter asks me if the characters are real, I've said they are "pretending". She knows that concept as she pretends all the time. So, when everyone goes along with the interactions as if they are real, she does too, and thinks it's great fun. I think she's comfortable with this answer, and it hasn't spoiled any character interactions.

 

[mmbm1720]

Trying to tightrope between the scary things cant get to you and it being "real enough" to make the Disney magic work is difficult for sure

 

[PollyannaMom]

because Santa is a magical part of the Christmas experience, besides which at her age, there would be every possibility that she would end up telling other children that Santa wasn't real and we weren't comfortable with that possibility either. Also we are ALL Santa's helpers if you really think about it

I love the concept that we're all Santa, and that's how we put it to my DS as he got older as well. - We explained that Santa is the very real spirit of love and generosity that we all create for each other at Christmas, and that because really little kids aren't great with abstract ideas like that, we use the character to embody that concept until they are old enough to understand and it more.

The tongue emoji doesn't convey joking to me. I read that emoji as I'm sticking out my tongue at you because I'm disappointed in you or don't like what you're doing.

I was actually told by a teen (and we all know they are the vanguard of internet slang) never to use tongue-out emojis...I'm assuming they have alternate meanings, but I didn't press the issue.


As for characters, I agree with asking what the child thinks and following their lead. DS believed on his first trip, but, I think, suspected on his second - and still had a great time playing along.