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I know there are a bunch of threads on this, but this is a different take compared to a lot of them.
I was with most people on here thinking this was a stupid idea, poorly planned, and done with far too little time to prepare. The whole 'legally random' concept just sounded complicated and goofy.
Sunday night, after technical park closing (during the 'extra hour' on Main Street between 11 and 12) my opinion changed.
We were taking a break before making the trek out to the tram, letting the mass horde leave ahead of us. I left my wife in Main Street Square on a bench while I walked around the square taking pictures of all the Halloween decorations.
Now, a note about my wife. If I leave her alone for ten seconds, she will be talking to a stranger by the time I return. She's just like that. People tend to talk to her, and she just kind of makes people happy. I wouldn't be surprised if she's talked to some of you unaware, because Disneyland is the place she tends to talk to the most people.
Anyway, sure enough, she'd struck up a conversation with a couple on the opposite bench regarding the Disney discount outlet and how they could find some of the park merchandise for less on E-Bay.
Turns out they were down on vacation from Canada, and this was their last day in Disneyland. They had been bemoaning the fact that they didn't have much money to buy souvenirs with.
We bid them adieu and a cast member walks up. He wasn't in the Dream Team gear, he was wearing khakis. He introduced himself and explained that they were doing a new promotion, etc. He handed us one of the 'Pixiedust Pin Packs' (Disney's name, he didn't call it that) with one Tinkerbell pin for us, and one to give away. We collect pins, so that was very cool.
Of course, it was closing and we had no one around to give it to...but the Canadians hadn't made it to the exit! This lead to a rather amusing event: me shouting in Main Street Square 'Canadian people! Canadian people, come back, we have something for you!'
They did, and we gave them the pin. I told them that now they had something for their girl (they had a 5yo daughter, out COLD in a stroller) to keep for years to remember her first trip to Disneyland. Did I mention my wife had found out she loved Tinkerbell most of all?
After returning home, I read online that these Pixiedust Pin Packs are designed for CMs to give to people they see displaying Disney Magic. In short, doing something that fits with Disney values in the park. My wife was doing that by chatting up a stranger and giving them tips to get the souvenirs they wanted.
Okay, this is a good idea. I'm sorry, that was an excellent experience. We made their entire trip. I literally said 'here, from the United States to you, welcome'. They got a little verklempt. So did we. It -was- a moment of Disney magic. Their little girl would wake up to find a souvenir of her favorite character had just magically appeared in her lap. -That- is Disney Magic.
This element of the promotion has endless potential for good. If CM's actually do give them to people who are, effectively, being nice to someone else, that's a very good thing. They are then instructed (on the card, no less) to give the pin to another guest who is displaying Disney Magic (aka being a good person). Random acts of kindness, actually -encouraged and rewarded- in Disneyland! I can't see any way that's a bad thing. Will it encourage people to be on their best behavior? Maybe not, but at least it could reward those of us who -don't- cause trouble, who -aren't- rude, 'entitled' idiots. It then encourages us to interact with strangers, effectively 'spreading the love', and thus encouraging everyone within earshot to, in the words of The Great Ones, 'be excellent to each other'.
The 'party on, dudes' part is sure to follow.
Considering this aspect of the promotion, what think ye, Micechatters?
I was with most people on here thinking this was a stupid idea, poorly planned, and done with far too little time to prepare. The whole 'legally random' concept just sounded complicated and goofy.
Sunday night, after technical park closing (during the 'extra hour' on Main Street between 11 and 12) my opinion changed.
We were taking a break before making the trek out to the tram, letting the mass horde leave ahead of us. I left my wife in Main Street Square on a bench while I walked around the square taking pictures of all the Halloween decorations.
Now, a note about my wife. If I leave her alone for ten seconds, she will be talking to a stranger by the time I return. She's just like that. People tend to talk to her, and she just kind of makes people happy. I wouldn't be surprised if she's talked to some of you unaware, because Disneyland is the place she tends to talk to the most people.
Anyway, sure enough, she'd struck up a conversation with a couple on the opposite bench regarding the Disney discount outlet and how they could find some of the park merchandise for less on E-Bay.
Turns out they were down on vacation from Canada, and this was their last day in Disneyland. They had been bemoaning the fact that they didn't have much money to buy souvenirs with.
We bid them adieu and a cast member walks up. He wasn't in the Dream Team gear, he was wearing khakis. He introduced himself and explained that they were doing a new promotion, etc. He handed us one of the 'Pixiedust Pin Packs' (Disney's name, he didn't call it that) with one Tinkerbell pin for us, and one to give away. We collect pins, so that was very cool.
Of course, it was closing and we had no one around to give it to...but the Canadians hadn't made it to the exit! This lead to a rather amusing event: me shouting in Main Street Square 'Canadian people! Canadian people, come back, we have something for you!'
They did, and we gave them the pin. I told them that now they had something for their girl (they had a 5yo daughter, out COLD in a stroller) to keep for years to remember her first trip to Disneyland. Did I mention my wife had found out she loved Tinkerbell most of all?
After returning home, I read online that these Pixiedust Pin Packs are designed for CMs to give to people they see displaying Disney Magic. In short, doing something that fits with Disney values in the park. My wife was doing that by chatting up a stranger and giving them tips to get the souvenirs they wanted.
Okay, this is a good idea. I'm sorry, that was an excellent experience. We made their entire trip. I literally said 'here, from the United States to you, welcome'. They got a little verklempt. So did we. It -was- a moment of Disney magic. Their little girl would wake up to find a souvenir of her favorite character had just magically appeared in her lap. -That- is Disney Magic.
This element of the promotion has endless potential for good. If CM's actually do give them to people who are, effectively, being nice to someone else, that's a very good thing. They are then instructed (on the card, no less) to give the pin to another guest who is displaying Disney Magic (aka being a good person). Random acts of kindness, actually -encouraged and rewarded- in Disneyland! I can't see any way that's a bad thing. Will it encourage people to be on their best behavior? Maybe not, but at least it could reward those of us who -don't- cause trouble, who -aren't- rude, 'entitled' idiots. It then encourages us to interact with strangers, effectively 'spreading the love', and thus encouraging everyone within earshot to, in the words of The Great Ones, 'be excellent to each other'.
The 'party on, dudes' part is sure to follow.
Considering this aspect of the promotion, what think ye, Micechatters?
) and it still made ME a little verklempt. That's so awesome, and kudos to your wife. 
), or at the table next to us (Bengal BBQ is great for this, since you're already packed close together anyways! 
). Sometimes people have given us great tips, or vice versa; sometimes we've given them FP we couldn't use, or they gave us game tokens (for the Arcade by SM), but mostly it was just a shared moment. I would LOVE to have some little "thank you" to give people like that. 
)
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