Some people just seem to exude Disney from the inside out… (shoutout to Cranium Command and that DNA chain outside the defunct Wonders of Life!) Here’s a list of 10 telltale signs that may help confirm your Disney DNA:
1) The Brady Disney Bunch
It’s mysterious how the subconscious mind works sometimes. Since your previous Disney vacation, all kids and pets born into your family have strikingly familiar names: Ariel, Peter, Mary, Belle, Lilo, Elsa, Christopher, Evangeline, Bianca, Leota, Jake, or Alice, just to name a few. Whether you’ve realized it yet or not, you’ve simply been preparing these mini mouseketeers to make a pilgrimage to the land of their namesake.
Meet Cuppy and Lilo!
2) Hidden Mickeys Everywhere
Maybe you’re making Saturday morning pancakes, watching the clouds float by while stopped at a traffic light on the way to work, observing some bubbles in your bathtub or beverage, looking for some fresh produce at the local grocery store, or taking the kids or grandkids to soccer practice. If your subliminal mind is seeing Hidden Mickeys at random wherever you go, well… Mama did always tell you something would happen if you sat and stared so close at that TV screen when you were little…
3) Foreign Country References Distract You
Whenever a foreign country is mentioned in media or local conversation, your mind instantly gets sidetracked: Which Disney movie was that country or culture referenced in again? How is this country represented at EPCOT’s World Showcase, if at all? Do they have a Disney theme park in that country? Are there Disney cruises or Adventures by Disney there? The questions just keep nagging at you until you finally go online and get lost in Disney vacation search results.
4) Your Social World is Plugged Into Disney, 24/7
Seemingly every Facebook or Instagram post on your feed serves as a reminder that at least half the people you know are currently on some type of Disney vacation. They say to keep your friends close, and enemies closer. Well, you keep in contact with all of them on social media (even your great aunt Alice, who has recently branched out into online life, incidentally taking it upon herself to involuntarily enter you into her Facebook fitness group along with the rest of her entire Thursday Jazzercise group… but, I digress.) Suddenly, you realize that it’s not just a crazy coincidence. At least half of your friends, family, and everyone in between are constantly on some type of Disney vacation loop. It’s like clockwork. From recent snaps of freshly-chilled Dole Whips, 2AM video clip uploads from Tokyo DisneySea’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, to a string of perfectly-timed Mine Train selfies, a Disney vacation seems to be calling your name everywhere you turn.
5) “No Sweetie, We’ve Got the Disney Vault at Home”
- Disney+ subscription on top of an already vast Disney VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray library? Check.
- Collection of Disney storybooks, biographies, and other literature? Yep.
- YouTube Channel subscriptions including multiple Disney channels…”for the kiddies”? At the ready.
- Theme park, movie, and other various Disney soundtrack records / cassette tapes / CD collection, and live streaming links to Disney music straight from the parks? You bet.
- Multiple Disney apps on your phone? All set.
They say people are a product of their environment. Maybe it’s no coincidence then that you find yourself whistling Hi-Ho randomly at your desk at work, or humming When You Wish Upon a Star while taking your nightly walk around the neighborhood.
6) We Got the Beat
Whenever you knock on a door or window to get someone’s attention, the rhythm of your knock makes you soon start crooning the lyrics to the old Mickey Mouse Club song, or one of a million other melodic Disney alternatives you currently have streaming in the background of your house, car, office, or others that sunk in during your last Disney vacation. Come to think of it, breakfast has recently changed at your house. Just the other day, you noticed your toaster had developed a melodious penchant for the Mickey Mouse Club theme, too. Well, that and popping up slightly-charred Mickey toast.
7) Life is a Highway
Even your vehicles are somehow part of the Disney family. From Herbie, to the AstroOrbiter, to Lightning McQueen (or some Disney meme or play on words in-between), your car has officially been dubbed and/or resembles some kind of Disney theme. I mean, how else would you want to get to your next Disney vacation? Hey, that’s just how you roll…
8) Disney Mania Decor
It may be subtle… or simply in your face. (Or in your skin, as in tattoos!) But when you look around your living spaces, wherever they may be, you notice that other decorating themes have eventually given way to what may best be described as “Disney Mania”. This may include a subtle fairytale theme in the bedroom at home, or a vast collection of Disneyana spread throughout the house or office. The latter may include (but is certainly not limited to): Figurines of all shapes and sizes, hats with ears, limited-edition castle sculptures, Michael Eisner autographs, theme park attraction prints and posters, throw blankets, Mickey pillows, cork boards full of Disney pins, special edition steins or mugs, seasonally out-of-season Christmas ornaments, and much, much more. (Psst, if you’re ever looking for more niche vintage Disney goodies, check out my weekly Treasure Tuesday series!)
9) Your Next Disney Vacation (or 4) Are Already Planned
After multiple morning, afternoon, and (come on, be honest…) way too many late night sessions, you have slowly yet surely constructed multiple trips to various Disney theme parks, all based on multiple scenarios. It’s all here: The extended weekend with your significant other at Disneyland, the fall break week with the whole family at Disney World, or the random 3-day best friend getaway to Disneyland Paris. Or how about that Toyko Disney / Hong Kong Disneyland / Shanghai Disney trip on your bucket list? Let’s just say that when the opportunity presents itself, you will be ready and willing to make your visit.
10) You’re Technically/Virtually/Really In Disney Parks Around the World Every Day
Though you might not physically be in Disney World at this very moment, your mind might as well be. You spend all of your free time listening to Disney-themed podcasts or playlists, in between recent vlog updates from multiple Disney resorts and parks on YouTube, all while reading and posting on the DISboards… Sounds like you need a vacation! Anyone want to join in the fun?
