Disney Flashback Friday

A new Disney annual tradition started for our family in 2009 with our first Mickey's Trick or Treat party! We dressed up as characters from Alice in Wonderland!

This particular year the party was held at Disney California Adventure. The kids scored gobs of treats (Disney is very generous with a combination of chocolate, assorted candies and healthy choices such as apple slices, baby carrots and craisins). The decorations were creepy fun -- a lot of projections of pumpkins, ghosts, spiders and webs on buildings. Costumed characters were out in full force, and a spooktacular dance party was happening in Sunshine Plaza!

If you haven't experience Mickey's Trick or Treat Party (now called Mickey's Halloween Party) we fully recommend it! It's good, wholesome, family fun for all ages! Tickets are still available online or for purchase at the park. For more information on Mickey's Halloween Party and other Halloween Time activities visit the Disneyland website.

FindingMickey.com's 3rd Big Thank You Giveaway is Underway!

As a thank you to loyal Twitter followers and Facebook fans, Finding Mickey is holding its 3rd Big Thank You Giveaway!

One lucky person drawn at random will win: Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore Pook-a-Looz, FindingMickey.com t-shirt, SDCC Phineas and Ferb promo drawstring backpack and SDCC exclusive Perry the Platypus (as Agent P) blind box figure!

Read Finding Mickey's Big Thank You Giveaway blog post on how to enter. Good luck! :)

Mickey's Halloween Party Tickets On Sale Now!

‘Tis the Season to be Spooky! Disneyland Resort Celebrates Halloween Time 2011 Sept. 16 Through Oct. 31

Separate-ticket ‘Mickey’s Halloween Party’ Offers Trick-or-Treating In Disneyland Park; Ticket Sales Begin July 1 

ANAHEIM, Calif. July 1, 2011 – The spirit of Halloween Time will invade Disneyland Resort this fall with Disney villains, Mickey Mouse and his friends in Halloween costumes, and the seasonal transformations of Haunted Mansion into Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort begins Friday, Sept. 16, and will continue through Halloween, Monday, Oct. 31.

The after-hours Mickey’s Halloween Party, a separate-ticket event* which has become an annual highlight of Halloween Time for trick-or-treating families, will take place in Disneyland park on 10 special Monday, Tuesday and Friday nights: Sept. 30 and Oct. 3,7,11,14,18,21, 25, 28 and 31. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 1, at Disneyland.com/halloween.

Mickey’s Halloween Party invites adults and children to dress up in costume and trick-or-treat at the resort. These party participants can also “mix in” with regular Disneyland guests for three hours prior to the start of Mickey’s private bash. Highlights of Mickey’s Halloween Party include:

• The special opportunity to play in Disneyland for three hours before the party starts
• Trick or Treating – candy and healthy treats – in the ultimate Disney neighborhood
• The “Halloween Screams” fireworks spectacular, hosted by “Master of Scare-omonies” Jack Skellington (presented exclusively for guests of Mickey’s Halloween Party)
• "Mickey’s Costume Party” cavalcade, performed twice nightly
• Character photo locations featuring favorite Disney and Pixar pals.
• An opportunity for everyone in the family to attend the park in costumes
• Specially themed dance parties
• Nearly all the favorite Disneyland rides and attractions

Tickets purchased in advance for Mickey’s Halloween Party are $49 most days, while tickets purchased on the event days are $59.  All tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party on Friday, Oct. 28, and Halloween Night, Monday, Oct. 31, are $64.

Favorite Disney characters, including Mickey himself, will dress up in fun, fall costumes.  It’s the ideal environment to eat special holiday treats, play interactive games, listen to “spirited” music and watch a nightly character cavalcade that celebrates the season.

For Halloween fun at Disneyland, guests will enjoy Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy in Tomorrowland. The experience begins as a typical Space Mountain adventure, but suddenly launches voyagers into a haunted section of the universe.  Ghosts appear out of the starry darkness and swirling galaxies of Space Mountain, reaching out as if to grab guests as they speed through space.  The exhilarating drops and curves of the journey are punctuated by piercing screams, creepy sound effects and haunting music.

Jack Skellington also returns to take over the Haunted Mansion and bring back Haunted Mansion Holiday to New Orleans Square in Disneyland.  Transformed to a mix of Halloween spookiness and Christmas tradition, Haunted Mansion Holiday is inspired by the classic animated film “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.” Jack’s return to the Haunted Mansion includes the traditional Halloween/Christmas gingerbread house in the Mansion Ballroom, with some special spooky surprises in this year’s design.

Halloween Time offers frightfully delightful fun for children and adults.

• For spine-tingling fun, drop in at The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure park, where a “supernatural” event happened on Halloween evening, 1939, forever haunting the building.
• Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland is transformed for the Pumpkin Festival. More than 300 pumpkins will be on display and none of them are the same!
• Visitors to Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland will find ranch animals, pumpkin carvers, Halloween décor and activities for youngsters.
• Meeting Disney characters will be easier than ever as Disney villains gather to plot Halloween mischief at “it’s a small world” Mall in Disneyland, while other characters in spooky attire greet guests in Town Square, Main Street, U.S.A.
• Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland will honor Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead with traditional skeleton figures on display Sept. 16 through Nov. 2.
• Special Halloween treats will be available in Disneyland, including menu items such as Zero’s Ghostly Ghoulash, served in a dog dish in honor of Zero.

For more information about Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort, see www.disneyland.com/halloween.  This site will be updated with frightfully fun details.

[official press release]

Disney FamilyFun Magazine Available on iPad

Subscriptions to Disney FamilyFun Magazine Now Available on iPad 

Disney FamilyFun Readers Now Have the Ability for One-Click Subscriptions or Single Issue Downloads

NEW YORK, NY— JUNE 23, 2011— Beginning with the June/July issue, readers can now experience the great content and features of Disney FamilyFun magazine on iPad by purchasing an annual subscription through In-App Purchase on the App Store. Using the new subscription service, a 12-month subscription of FamilyFun costs just $7.99. Single issues will continue to be available for $2.99 through In-App Purchase, and current print subscribers will have access to the iPad edition for free.

"We wanted to make our Disney FamilyFun content available to our readers in the most convenient ways," said Aparna Pande, vice president and general manager, Disney FamilyFun. "With the Disney FamilyFun App, we are able to offer a high quality experience to moms who want to make one of our crafts or create a FamilyFun meal whenever they want and wherever they are."

The Disney FamilyFun App brings content to life on iPad through interactive features, including videos showing projects in action, slide shows offering an in-depth look at how crafts and recipes come together, and features allowing the user to search for, save, and share pages with friends through Facebook and Twitter. Several brands, including launch sponsor Nissan, have signed on to support FamilyFun through digital sponsorships.

"We conducted research among users who downloaded the Disney FamilyFun App and engaged with it during the launch issue. The initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive," said Pande. "Nearly all of those surveyed said they'd recommend the app to a friend, and more than two-thirds planned to use the app more than once a week. Most importantly, over half said they would be interested in subscribing to the Disney FamilyFun iPad app, and now we are able to bring this option to our readers."

The Disney FamilyFun App is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore. A 12-month subscription is available for $7.99, and single issues are available for $2.99 each, through In-App Purchase.To learn more about FamilyFun, visit FamilyFun.com and Facebook.com/DisneyFamilyFun, or follow @FamilyFun on Twitter.

About FamilyFun Magazine

Published by Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney FamilyFun magazine, which targets families with children under 12, has a rate base of 2.1 million and a total audience of 5.5 million (Source: 2010 Fall MRI). A trusted source for families, FamilyFundelivers real ideas for — and from — real families. FamilyFun magazine's lively and informative content focuses on making the most of family time together through cooking, crafts, celebrations, volunteering, travel, and other family activities. The Disney FamilyFun brands include FamilyFun.com, FamilyFun books, craft kits, mobile apps and special interest publications.

About Disney Publishing Worldwide

Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the world's largest publisher of children's books and magazines, with over 250 million children's books and over 400 million children's magazines sold each year. Disney Publishing Worldwide consists of an extensive worldwide licensing structure as well as vertically integrated publishing imprints including Disney Book Group in the U.S., Disney Libri in Italy and Disney Libros in Spain. DPW publishes a range of children's magazines globally includingTopolino, Le Journal de Mickey, and Donald Duck, as well as family titles in the U.S. which include Disney FamilyFun andPhineas and Ferb. Disney English is DPW's English language learning business which includes Disney English schools in China and a worldwide retail licensing program. DPW's digital products include bestselling eBook titles as well as original apps. Headquartered in White Plains, NY, Disney Publishing Worldwide publishes books, magazines, and digital products in 85 countries in 75 languages. For more information visit www.disneypublishing.com.

[official press release]

Pull-Ups Disney Character Calls and Giveaway!

Is it time to potty train? Try Huggies® Pull-Ups training pants available at Target! They come in fun Disney Princess designs for girls and Disney•Pixar Cars designs for boys.

Pull-Ups and Disney have teamed up to make the potty training process just a little bit easier with Disney Character Calls! When your child needs a boost of encouragement or to be congratulated sign up to have a Disney Princess or Disney•Pixar Cars character give your Big Kid® a call at bigkidcalls.com.

My two boys, Noah and Nathaneal, are in the process of potty training, and they love their Pull-Ups training pants and the new Disney Character calls! Look at the smiles on their faces!

Now it's your chance to win a $25 Target gift card and try Pull-Ups training pants and the new Disney Character Calls for yourself! All you have to do is comment on this blog post with your first name, email address and short note about your potty training goals. One entry per person. Entries must be received by July 8, 2011. I will draw a winner using random.org. The winner will be contacted via email. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I was given a Target gift card to buy and review Huggies® Pull-Ups training pants and Disney Character Calls. These are my own opinions. I was already using Pull-Ups training pants before this review, and I recommend them 100%! :)

Disney Store Earth Day Event 2011

Tomorrow is Earth Day 2011, and Disney Store is giving away reusable shopping bags when you bring in 5 plastic shopping bags to recycle! Limit one bag per guest, while supplies last.

Here is a short list of other Earth Day freebies being offered by various companies:

Bring a reusable mug or tumbler into any Starbucks and get FREE coffee -- your choice of brew, hot or iced! Click HERE for the official page.

Trade in your current skin care product (full or empty) at any Origins counter or store and receive a FREE full-size Origins Cleanser! You'll also need to print, fill out and bring THIS form in with you.

Lowe's is giving away a million trees! Visit your local Lowe's to get a FREE seedling! Click HERE for the official page.

All 394 national parks have FREE entrance! Read more about it HERE.

IRL #UBP11

In internet-speak IRL means In Real Life.

IRL I am a full time wife, mommy and federal employee. I also run three internet stores and try (keyword... try) to keep up writing on several different Disney blogs.

Six years ago I created our main site FindingMickey.com - The Hidden Mickeys and Details of Disneyland Resort. My husband jumped on board and now puts in more hours than I do! Our website is family run and something we love doing together. Our boys (ages 2 and 4) always look forward to our next trip to Disneyland Resort!

I would like to mommy blog more frequently, but I'm too busy picking up Legos or working on the next project. IRL I'm just like you, a busy parent with too much on my plate. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about me, and I hope you will make us your Disneyland destination on the web! Thank you for visiting! ºoº

DisneylandMom.com | Twitter @DLmomblog | DisneylandMom.com on facebook

Many thanks to 5minutesformom.com for hosting Ultimate Blog Party 2011. Please visit them to join #UBP11 or visit the many other wonderful mommy (& daddy) blogs listed!