Searching Disney with Steve

Hi there,

I"m Steve Barrett, the Hidden Mickey Guy!

When I have a large number of Hidden Mickey sightings to verify or photograph at WDW, I tend to go it alone and motor around at top speed. Talk about aerobic exercise, especially in the summer! But I have more fun when a friend or family accompanies me to help find the little gems. Like a few weeks ago, when I had the pleasure of joining up with Beci Mahnken and Annette Owens to scout out some Hidden Mickeys in the Magic Kingdom.

I think there may be a decent classic Mickey on the moon in Peter Pan's Flight. I can't seem to come by a good photo of it, so if anyone out there can get one to me, I'd really appreciate it!

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre)

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's)

I had a day off work and, naturally, I wanted to spend the day at WDW looking for Hidden Mickeys! The day was really special because I had a dinner meeting with my publisher, Kelly Monaghan, at Raglan Road in Pleasure Island at 6 pm.

I studied my file of Hidden Mickey posts that needed verifying and planned my day. I arrived to the Wilderness Lodge at about 1 pm and located a HM on the lamps on the upper floors. (It's a good one; I think it's the same lamp cover that's in the Beach Haus at Blizzard Beach.) I took a boat to the Magic Kingdom. There might be a decent tiny classic Mickey on the moon to your left on Peter Pan's Flight. But the FASTPASS return time was already after 5:30 pm.

So I headed over to the Carousel of Progress. Someone thought one of the Grandmas had a Mickey-shaped broach; I'll have to study my photos on that one. I walked over to the Contemporary Resort to get a cappuccino at the small coffee bar on the lobby level (as it turned out, a big mistake!).

I hopped a boat to Fort Wilderness. Someone thought that a few of the horses or ponies at the Tri-Circle D Ranch had classic Mickeys shaved into their coats. I didn't find any, and a cast member there told me they haven't maintained those Hidden Mickeys for a while.

It was after 5 pm by now, so I decided to walk the trail from FW to the Wilderness Lodge. Actually I walked and jogged the trail so I wouldn't be late to Raglan Road.

There's a common thread here that I haven't mentioned. It was a hot day. I was zipping around nonstop like I normally do when I'm on a mission to find HM's. I know where every water fountain is at WDW, and I usually stop frequently to drink. Today, I broke that rule. I didn't drink nearly enough.

By the time I walked up to Raglan Road, I was feeling lightheaded and queasy. I couldn't eat any food or even keep down liquids. I would have to excuse myself to the restroom every 10 minutes or so. Thankfully, Kelly was understanding. I returned to my car, slept about 90 minutes in my back seat, then somehow made the 40 minute drive home. I was able to put ice cubes in my mouth and begin to rehydrate myself.

I'm an ER doctor, and I frequently treat patients in Florida with heat exhaustion! I should know better! Anyway, this experience will stay with me a long time. When at WDW, drink before you're thirsty! (And cappuccino is not a thirst-quencher).

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre)

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's)

My sister, Donna McMurrey, stayed at Pop Century last week for one of her twice yearly visits to Disney World. Donna is an Assistant Principal at a Dallas area high school. When she visits, we plan days or evenings in the parks (depending on my work schedule); we look for Hidden Mickeys and generally have fun.

One evening, we had dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse. I had heard that the Yachtsman had a new Head Chef, and I wanted to try out the food. I ordered the sea bass, and Donna had filet mignon. We both cleaned our plates; the food was delicious!

On our way out, we paid homage to Minnie Moo (a photo of the famous cow with her Mickey Mouse marking is on the wall near the entrance podium).

We walked into Epcot to catch the next show of the Bee Gees tribute band. For the last few summers, WDW has scheduled tribute bands (i.e., not the original band but experienced musicians who mimic the real thing). Last summer, Donna and I enjoyed the Eagles tribute band (excellent!), and the Bee Gees tribute group was equally good. After numerous shows at WDW (three shows nightly for several nights at Epcot), the lead singer had to work hard to hit those HIGH notes ("Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive!"). Anyway, I was hoarse after singing along for just one show! I believe Disney is doing a great job with the music groups scheduled each year for the Flower & Garden and Food & Wine Festivals, and now for the last few years, the summer season. I'm lucky: I live near WDW and can enjoy these musical treats whenever I'm not working! Rock On!

P.S. You can also see a photo of Minnie Moo and her Hidden Mickey just inside the horse barn at Fort Wilderness. I'll post this Fort Wilderness photo on my website soon.

Larger Version Here

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre)

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's)

I wish to let you know about a couple of Hidden Mickeys that I've been searching for (for years!). Thanks to great photography and better eyes than mine, I can describe them to you.

The first one is in the last scene of Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress in the Magic Kingdom. Other people have seen it and tried to describe it to me. But it took the excellent camera work of Tim Devine (www.themagicinpixels.com) and Shannon Hamilton's description for me to finally appreciate this Hidden Mickey.

As Shannon writes: On the last stage at the Carousel of Progress, one of the Christmas presents under the tree (near the grandfather's chair) is wrapped in red and white paper, but has a large classic Mickey head cut out of green paper glued to the side of the gift. The gift is partially hidden by another present, so you see the ears and part of the top of Mickey's head. The green Mickey ears are to the right of Grandpa's lower leg and behind the present with the silver bow. Check out Tim's photo, and you'll see why I had such a difficult time finding this one!

I'd been informed about this second Hidden Mickey by the Cast Members at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant. I'd never really spotted it, even when I was close to it and had studied it for long periods of time. The CM's told me that the lighting had to be just right. Well, finally a prolific Hidden Mickey spotter (Sharon Dale; you'll see her name all over my website) sent me a photo of the colorful tile mural inside at the rear of Sci-Fi that I think shows this amazing side profile Hidden Mickey. Mickey seems to be looking to the right (our right) side of the mural. I think I can see Mickey's jaw line curving to the front of his face, and his ears seem to be visible above his head. Let me know what you think! This Mickey is truly hidden!

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre)

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's)

What's more fun at Disney than a birthday party? Well, maybe staying in the Cinderella Castle Suite? No, Beci's Birthday Party had to be even more fun.

Recently, my wife Vickie and I were honored to be invited to a surprise birthday party for Beci Mahnken. Many of you know her as the head cheese (I mean, President and CEO) of a successful travel company: MEI-Travel & Mouse Fan Travel. Vickie and I showed up on time at the marina for the Grand 1 Yacht at the Grand Floridian Resort. Our group also included Colleen from MEI and several terrific Disney Cast Members.

We floated over to the Polynesian Resort, where Annette escorted Beci onto the yacht. She was definitely surprised! Annette and Colleen had camouflaged the event very well. We puttered around Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake for almost 2 hours, enjoying the scenery on the shores, including the monorail resorts, Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, and the Magic Kingdom.

We raised our glasses (whether we drank or not!) and toasted the occasion (I think Beci said it was her 30th, although I wouldn't swear to it. You know, 20-something and 30-something sound kind of alike if you say it fast.) Beci was all smiles as she opened her (mostly Disney-themed) gifts. Our Disney friends were perfect hosts, and we could've partied on the elegant yacht into the Extra Magic Hours. But, alas, no EMH for this yacht! No matter, the party was pure fun, and there's nothing better than celebrating at Disney with good friends.

There was one "hitch". At one point, our festive yacht passed by the "shoe tree". Many of you know about the "shoe tree," that tree in Bay Lake onto which retiring watercraft cast members toss their shoes. (I've heard it called the "Disney Navy," but our yacht captain referred to his team as "Disney's Watercraft Fleet"). Anyway, watercraft CM's that are leaving the fleet tie their shoestrings together and toss the shoes onto the branches of the shoe tree. Any decent boat tour into Bay Lake includes a pass by this unique tree, covered with shoes. Imagine our surprise and dismay when we espied the shoe tree without any shoes! Our yacht captain informed us that someone in Upper Management decided that the shoes had to be removed! The tree, bereft of its badges of honor, looked as sad as we felt. Maybe if we all complain, the shoe tree tradition will return someday. (Or maybe there's a good reason or two for dismantling the shoe tree. We may never know.)

I thought I'd talk about what I do to verify Hidden Mickey sightings that folks send me.

As many of you know, I like to use fairly stringent criteria for the "classic" (three-circle) Mickey.

The highest order criterion is if an Imagineer or Disney artist tells me directly that he or she placed a Hidden Mickey image. That's a no-brainer, but that's happened only twice. An Imagineer took me to a classic Mickey image in the interactive area at the exit of Mission: SPACE.

A Disney artist e-mailed me a few months ago that I have all the Hidden Mickeys he knows of in Conservation Station at Disney's Animal Kingdom (he painted most of them in the entrance mural). That made me feel great!

One other instance that didn't involve me directly is when a graphic artist posted on a website that he'd painted a Hidden Mickey on the rotating earth (the "O" of Epcot) on the Tip Board in Innoventions Plaza. He made Australia appear as a classic Mickey, and he had to tell someone since nobody had discovered it!

Most of the time, I check out submissions by myself. I work faster and more intensively if I'm alone. I observe images from different angles, reading the descriptions several times over, as I try to re-create what the submitter saw.

One recent day, I was at Animal Kingdom with my bag of papers. The sky was cloudy, but it didn't rain. The temperature was comfortable and the crowds were moderate. My first stop was the Spoonbill area, just to the left as you walk onto Discovery Island from the Oasis bridge. Some rocks suggested a classic Mickey image. I understand the poster's idea, but the rocks are not proportioned quite right and are a bit too distorted for me, especially the "ear" to our left.

Next stop was the "Creature Comforts" shop. Close to a large decorative giraffe inside the store is a beetle with a classic Mickey marking. The photo shows this image, which is acceptable to me, as the "head" circle is larger than the "ears," which touch the head but not each other. (Jesse Kline sent me this image).

Near the bridge to DinoLand, I enjoyed a group playing South American music (from Peru, Ecuador, etc.); excellent performance!

Inside Pizzafari Restaurant, I revisited a classic Mickey in the trees in the first room to the right as you leave the food order area. The three highest circles form a sideways Mickey, and they seem somewhat proportionate. I like it, and the MouseFest, 2007 Hidden Mickey Hunt group liked it, too! (Thanks to Sharon Dale for this image).

I checked out many more sightings, some I liked and some I didn't like. As usual, I ran out of time before I could finish. No matter, this was a satisfying day of research, the kind of day I live for!

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre)

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's)

The weather in central Florida has been a bit cool lately. I've worn my windbreaker several times this winter already, but this day in Epcot did not quite require a jacket. It was a short sleeves day.

Early March is typically a great time to visit Walt Disney World, since the bulk of the Spring Break crowds hasn't materialized just yet.

In the early afternoon, I spotted fewer than ten guests in the walkway up to the entrance to Spaceship Earth, so I hopped in line for a minimal or no wait. As you may know, this attraction has been a work in progress for the last few months. I wanted to check out the most recent changes and look around inside for new Hidden Mickey images.

In the ride vehicles, each guest faces an interactive computer monitor. After some initial questions posed on the touch screen, your photograph is snapped. During your descent back to earth near the end of the ride, your smiling mug appears on the interactive touch screen as you make choices that determine your future. (This future choice addition is reminiscent of the retired Horizons pavilion.)

I want to ask for opinions about two images along the ride.

Kim Lamb reports: "on the right side of the ride vehicle, in the section with classic black and white movies playing, a chalkboard marquee has listings of upcoming features. One of the features is "The Band Concert", not an image of Mickey, but a reference to him." Does this qualify as a Hidden Mickey? (Yellow arrows were added to the photo).

Another image in the same section of the ride, across from the chalkboard marquee on the left side of the vehicle, is a radio announcer. His microphone flag has the letters "WDI". Tim Devine suggests that these letters are a tribute to Walt Disney Imagineering. It's a cool image, but I don't think this qualifies as a Hidden Mickey. Let me know if you disagree.

The exhibit area at the exit of Spaceship Earth has been remodeled several times recently. Now you can spot your face photo on a large overhead screen, and you can e-mail your photo to someone from one of several computer monitors that face the screen. (I didn't have a chance to try this out, but I believe that's what guests were doing at these monitors).

Anyway, this new overhead screen replaced other screens that contained a cool classic Hidden Mickey made of star clusters. Alas, this now Lost Hidden Mickey was short-lived indeed!

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre)

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's)

Recently, I met up with neighbors and friends for dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse in the Yacht Club Resort.

Bob and Rita Ondercik are long-time Disney fans and have been DVC members since the beginning of DVC (when awesome benefits were added for joining). Bob and Rita also volunteer at Give Kids The World, a resort near WDW that is a retreat for children with medical problems.

Paul and Gretchen Gregg are Disney fans, though not as rabid as the Onderciks and me. (However, I think we've stimulated their interest!). Of course, we all had to pay tribute to Minnie Moo. Rita and Bob are on the left side of the photo, and Paul and Gretchen are on the right.

I like the Yachtsman Steakhouse; I usually order fish or chicken, and my wife Vickie assures me that the steak is decent and worth a trip for dinner.

Before the meal, Vickie and I explored the Yacht Club for Hidden Mickeys. We found a cool one made of coiled rope in a display window of the Fittings & Fairings shop; it's in the closest display window to the main lobby. Display window Hidden Mickeys at WDW tend to come and go, as the displays change from time to time.

The next day, I joined Bob and Rita at Epcot. We flew on Soarin' several times, and I snapped a somewhat decent photo of the classic Mickey made of rocks in the snow. It's at the top center of the photo, which is a difficult photo to get right! This Mickey image is more convincing when you first spot it, as you're soaring up to it. (Thanks to Jen T, Beci Mahnken, and Annette Owens for first alerting me to this classic Mickey).

Rita found a Hidden Mickey in the House of Innoventions (the House of Tomorrow) inside Innoventions East, on the rear wall of the bedroom. It's an upside-down Mickey made of ad buttons. You have to queue up and wait for a tour of this futuristic house, but it's worth a short wait, especially to find Rita's classic Mickey!

Before we called it a day, I snapped a photo of Bob and Rita in front of the upside-down waterfall at the Imagination Pavilion. A day at WDW can be quite refreshing!

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre)

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's)

I had the good fortune recently to meet up with some old friends from Texas. Vickie and I joined Ed, Karen and their daughters Abigail (Abby) and Caroline for dinner at the California Grill. Ed was in Orlando for a business meeting, and they spent their first few days at Universal Studios. On the evening in question, we had originally planned to meet at Emeril's Restaurant at City Walk. However, I received an e-mail from them that they wanted to cut their Universal stay short and get into Disney! So, California Grill it was!

After an enjoyable meal, we drove over to Epcot for IllumiNations. Ed and family hadn't seen the fireworks show for 4 years or so. We watched from the Morocco Pavilion area. As usual, it was moving and spectacular, and the large crowd around us applauded at the finale. We then walked to the France pavilion to check on a classic Mickey on a book. It's in the room where characters appear for photos and autographs. In the photo, Abby (the taller girl) and Caroline are pointing to the Hidden Mickey.

We ambled over to the Yacht Club and stood in the lobby as a Cast Member snapped a picture. Ed, Vickie, Abby and Caroline, Karen and I are posed left to right in the photo.

We had a terrific few hours together. I think they'll return someday, hopefully soon!

A few days later, my son Steven and I took in a baseball Spring Training game at Disney's Wide World of Sports. The Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros 4-2. (I've been an Astros fan for many years!).

A classic Mickey image is planted in the center of the outfield. I've known about this image for a while, but I'd considered it a decorative image and not hidden. I'm not so sure now as it seems more faded and not as obvious as I remember. I'll put it on my website in the Questionable section to let the voters decide!

Steven and I wandered to the Milk House (the Field House) where an amateur basketball tournament was in progress. I wanted to check out the Hidden Mickey high in the rafters. Thank goodness, it's still there! He's above a hanging photo of Jason Kidd.

Steven and I completed the evening with dinner at the House of Blues: decent fare and decent service. Since he was a child, I'm happy that Steven and I have enjoyed many visits together to WDW. If you plan your trip right, WDW is a great place to bond and create memories as a family!

(P.S. In a previous blog, I spoke about the new computer monitors at the exit of Spaceship Earth. I want to confirm that from these monitors, you can indeed send e-mail postcards with your photo from the ride).

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre)

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's)

Recently, I stayed in a cabin at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. The best way to research Hidden Mickeys is to stay in the middle of the magic! I like the cabins; they're spacious and well-maintained, and you can park your car right in front of your cabin.

Disney has been placing more and more Hidden Mickeys in guest rooms at their on-property resorts, in the carpets, wallpaper, wall paintings, curtains, and elsewhere.

Here are two Hidden Mickeys I found in my cabin:

One on the Bedspread

One on the Door Curtain

Guests can enjoy many activities at Fort Wilderness, including

Carriage Rides

Pony Rides for the Kids

and Trail Rides on Larger Horses

Now for some Mickey images.

Many of the classic Mickey forms at the Tri-Circle-D Ranch are decorative, in my opinion, and not hidden. The sign for the Trail Rides in the photo above has decorative Mickeys.

These images on the fences and gates in the pony ride area are too obvious to qualify as Hidden Mickeys, as is the three-circle logo under the sign for the Tri-Circle-D Farm (where the pony rides take place).

However, this sign for the Blacksmith Shop has a hidden classic Mickey between the "L" and "A" of Blacksmith. If you're not actively hunting for Mickey, it's easy to overlook this image.

In the evening, I enjoyed Chip 'n Dale's campfire program near the Meadow Trading Post in the middle of Fort Wilderness.

Folks roasted marshmallows over the campfire as a guitarist serenaded the guests with sing-a-long songs and Chip and Dale wandered around greeting everyone. A Disney movie was then displayed on a large screen.

This evening program has been a staple at Fort Wilderness for many years, and I hope it sticks around for many more!

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre)

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's)

Recently, I visited Rafiki's Planet Watch at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

This area is a real treasure trove of Hidden Mickeys; you could easily spend several hours here searching for the little gems. On the order of 42 Hidden Mickeys live here, and a few more undiscovered ones may be waiting for us to find them.

One of the best side profile Mickeys anywhere is just past the entrance doors to Conservation Station, on the chin of a hippopotamus. It's the fifth animal from the left along the bottom of the entrance mural on the left wall. A side profile of Mickey Mouse is on its lower jaw, under the middle tooth. One of my favorites!

Now for some new images.

Sharon Dale alerted me to three circles arranged correctly on the ground in a mosaic just before the entrance doors to Conservation Station. This Mickey is below and between the elephant tusks and above the second "T" in "STATION". It's not a perfect image, but it's close enough for me!

Sonali showed me a new image in the main lobby of Conservation Station. It's formed from holes in the tree leaves overhead, directly above the first left entrance (as you enter the lobby) to the Song of the Rainforest area. It seems a bit distorted to me, so I put it in the Questionable section of my website for folks to vote on it. What do you think?

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre)

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's)

Now and then, I'm enlightened about an awesome new Hidden Mickey. At least, new to me.

Kelly McAdams wrote to me about a classic Mickey image in Tony's Town Square Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. I'll admit, I get really excited when folks direct me to any new Hidden Mickey images. However, some images are more intriguing than others.

This one in Tony's is spectacular! It's a tiny imprint on a black tile on the floor in front of the bureau to the immediate right as you enter the restaurant. Look to the lower right corner of the tile as you face the bureau. I have no idea how long this Hidden Mickey has been there; it may have been placed recently. It's a perfect classic Mickey, and it's likely to remain for a long time.

A cast member in Tony's told me that the roses in the rear left of the restaurant formed a Hidden Mickey. The photo shows that the roses are all about the same size. As you know, I have trouble accepting three same-size circles as classic Mickeys. Mickey's head is larger than his ears! However, I understand the CM's dilemma: how can you tell an excited child that a three-circle image is not a Hidden Mickey?

Christina Santoro wrote me about an image in the Crystal Arts Shop on Main Street. It's in the upper section of the left rear wall of the store. It's a "positional" Mickey, in that you must stand right below it to spot the classic Mickey relationship.

I've been told that the CM's in the shop made this arrangement of articles on purpose to form a Hidden Mickey image. I'm normally not fond of positional images, but I'll put these photos on my website soon, in the Questionable section, to let the voters decide. Let me know what you think.

I tend to wait a while to see if missing Hidden Mickeys reappear.

Alas, I think that the classic Mickey on the rose stem in the display window of the Uptown Jewelers Store is gone for good. Display window Hidden Mickeys are especially vulnerable, as displays are constantly changing. Find this image in the Lost section of my website.

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets

New Hidden Mickeys can appear anywhere on Disney property at any time. Your best bet is to check out a refurbished area or a new attraction.

Toy Story Midway Mania, a new attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios, doesn't disappoint!

A compelling new classic Mickey image is near the end of the Standby queue (the attraction also has FASTPASS and Single Rider queues).

It's on the wall past the large map of the U.S.A. below a green dinosaur and a red fish, near the floor and behind the handrails on the left side of the queue. So far, 14 folks have written to me about this cool image, but Matt Hochberg, Jesse Kline, and Jennifer Bogdan described it to me first.

Orlando Attractions Magazine and Jake Thompson wrote to me about another Hidden Mickey on the ride.

Look for the words "Circus Fun!" on the wall to your right as you rotate into position for the last screen stop. The dot below the exclamation point is a decent classic Mickey.

I was on the ride with Amy from Massachusetts when we spotted this Hidden Mickey, and she was in position to snap the photo for me. Thanks, Amy!

You can see this third image at loading and unloading, and you can study it as you take the exit walkway. Three ovals encircle Toy Story characters on the wall to the left of the ride vehicles.

Matt Hochberg, Alexis, and Frank Marando described this image to me, and it seems close for a classic Mickey image. Let me know what you think!

The walls, ceiling and floor inside Toy Story Midway Mania are blanketed with colorful images. Undoubtedly, more Hidden Mickeys are waiting for us to find them!

Read more about Steve's Hidden Mickey finds on AllEarsNet.com

Steve maintains a Catalog of Hidden Mickeys on the Hidden Mickeys Guide.

The Third Edition of Steve's Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys book is available on Amazon.com. Hidden Mickeys, 3rd Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best-Kept Secrets

His First Edition of Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys is also available on Amazon.com Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to the Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets