Magical Blogorail: The Baby and the Pirate

Welcome to those of you joining me from The Magical Mouse Pad and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the third stop on our Magical Blogorail.

I’ll be honest: meeting characters in the parks isn’t my thing. It used to be my thing, but these days I see them more as an impediment than anything else. (I’d love to dine at the Garden Grill or Crystal Palace, but I don’t want to deal with big furry things interrupting me while I eat. Unless it’s my cat. He’s cool.) Cynical? Maybe. Bad form for a Disney fan? Probably. But there you have it.

This wasn’t always the case. As a kid, I loved meeting all the different characters and collecting their autographs. I used to flip through the autograph book over and over once we got home, savoring each scribble. My favorite was always the one from Alice, who wrote: “You’re as pretty as the flowers in Wonderland.” She’s a classy girl, that Alice. There was also the time when I held out my book and marker to Eeyore, who shook his head, held out his paws, and slumped away. I wasn’t sure whether to be offended or irritated, but then it was explained to me that Eeyore couldn’t sign autographs because he didn’t have thumbs to hold the pen. Fair enough, sad donkey.

But my favorite character moment didn’t happen to me at all. It happened to my sister during her first trip to WDW. She was a baby, and obviously couldn’t do all the things her big sister could do, like go on rides. I really wanted to go on the Jungle Cruise, so my father took me on the ride while my mother stayed with my sister, who was sleeping in her stroller.

As you may know, in Adventureland, there be pirates strolling about. Mr. Smee happened to be wandering the grounds that day, and he did what most of the Disney characters do – find the cutest kid in the plaza and go make their day. So he sauntered over to the stroller, where Baby Sister was sleeping, and bent over to say hello. Baby Sister must have sensed someone hovering over her, because she blinked open her eyes, saw Smee standing there, and let out the most bloodcurdling scream the Caribbean had ever heard.

Smee, horrified and now suddenly the center of attention, tried to stay in character and did his bumbling sidekick routine – stumbling back, acting surprised, covering his face with his hands. Then he peeked over the stroller again to give it another go.

He should have quit while he was ahead.

More baby screams, more staring, more embarrassment for everyone involved. Realizing defeat, Smee gave my mother a gesture indicating apology, then yo ho ho’ed the heck outta there. And thus ends the story of the time that a baby publicly shamed a pirate.

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Manda's Disney Blog.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World
2nd Stop ~ The Magical Mouse Pad
3rd Stop ~ The Disney Chick
4th Stop ~ Manda’s Disney Blog
Final Stop ~ Mommy Mouseketeer
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Related Links:
* Segway Tours in WDW: This is How I Roll
* We're Going to Vero Beach!
* What Do Your Disney Maps Say About You?