DisLove Podcast with Vanessa and Kris

DisLove E146: Uncovering Disney's Hidden Characters and Interactive Scavenger Hunts with Kevin and Amanda

• Vanessa Ferguson and Kris Johns with guests Kevin and Amanda Richardson • Season 5 • Episode 146

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Embark on a whimsical adventure as we unveil the hidden gems of Disney with our special guests, Kevin and Amanda, the masterminds behind Where in the Park scavenger hunt game packs.

Use the code "dislove10" to save 10% on your order through the link above.

Turn your next theme park visit into an extraordinary quest as we share the inception and blossoming of interactive scavenger hunts, transforming a simple amusement park trip into a treasure-laden journey. Kevin and Amanda's creation isn't just about the hunt; it's a heartfelt tribute to Disney's meticulous attention to detail, urging visitors to slow down and soak in the magical ambiance. The games are meticulously designed to adapt to the ever-changing park landscapes, ensuring your adventure remains seamless and up-to-date.

Earlier in the show, Kris and Vanessa highlight the lesser-known character meet and greets that promise a unique experience away from the bustling crowds. Join us in embracing the magic and creating a Disney experience that's both wonderfully personal and endlessly entertaining.

Hear from Kevin and Amanda on episodes of Imagine That! on Walt's Apartment Podcast Network.



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Where In the Park game packs are fun & challenging for anyone who knows the parks and for newbies.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

For all the latest news about our episodes follow us on Instagram @dislovewithvanessaandkris or on YouTube.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Welcome to the Disloved Podcast with Vanessa and Kris. I'm Vanessa Ferguson.

Kris Johns:

And I'm Kris Johns.

Vanessa Ferguson:

We would like to welcome you to show number 146. And for anyone joining us for the first time. Our show features things we love at Disney and in each episode we have a guest who creates Disney magic for our listeners at home or on their Disney vacations. From vacation planners to product producers, our guests can bring Disney magic into your life. And, as a reminder to our listeners, we appreciate if you can take time to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or any other platform where you listen. That helps the show grow and, of course, we love to give shout outs to those reviewers as well, and thank you to everyone who's already taken time to do that for us. And before we get started, we have a message from our friends Eric and Alexa.

Kris Johns:

Leave the stroller at home.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Very true.

Kris Johns:

Let Eric and Alexa help you out. They are independent baby quit providers located in Orlando, and what they're going to do is make your life a lot easier. The first and what they're going to do is make your life a lot easier. The first thing that they're going to do is they're going to provide you an excellent selection of everything you need for the little ones, whether it be strollers, car seats. What else do they do, vanessa?

Vanessa Ferguson:

Cribs high chairs.

Kris Johns:

Yeah, there's just some, you know.

Vanessa Ferguson:

You name it, they can get it.

Kris Johns:

And there's pieces of equipment that dads just don't know the name of. They know what it looks like, but they couldn't pick it out. But Eric and Alexa have what you need, and the great thing is is not only is it new, not only is their service top notch, but what's even better is that they have providers that will bring what you need directly to your resort. We've used them multiple times. Karis still needs a stroller. She's just not as quick as Vanessa and I, and nor can she walk all day. But as part of that, we use BabyQuip and it was awesome. And so, with that, please remember, as you're planning your trip, to consider them and as your BabyQuip independent quality provider, they will provide you with excellent customer service by providing clean and useful equipment to make your vacation easy. Want something that you don't see? Just ask. We've used them several times and we will use them again.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Yes, so check out the show notes for the link to make your reservation today. So, moving on what we're going to talk about today, we are really looking forward to sharing with you. We are going to be joined by Kevin and Amanda, and we got a chance to meet them at the House of Mouse Expo. So that's always fun, and while we were there we were able to get one of their products to try out. And they have a business called we Are in the Park and they offer scavenger hunt game packs. We got a chance to try a small one for Epcot. It's really fun. It kind of adds a unique experience to your trips, especially for those of us who've been there a lot, but also for people who are completely new to the parks. It helps you dig in a little deeper. But we'll get to Kevin and Amanda here in a bit. But before we hear about all their fun, we're going to talk about some With when in the Park.

Vanessa Ferguson:

You kind of dig a little bit deeper into things in the park. So you're going to talk about some with where in the park. You kind of dig a little bit deeper into things in the park, so you're going into areas that you might not always go to, and it made me think about finding some of those characters that you might not just automatically go and meet. And it's not to say that they're not characters that you would meet, but they're not ones that are kind of on the main pass. They're ones that you have to go looking for, you need to schedule. So I'm calling this like our off the beaten path character meet and greets. Now I'm going to share from our experience. Of course, I also got some great information from our friends at Disney Food Blog and Adventures of a Disney Dad. I'll share some of their links in the show notes Food Blog and Adventures of a Disney Dad. I'll share some of their links in the show notes. And one thing that's always important when you're looking for characters, check in the my Disney Experience app. There's actually a tab where you can click characters and let you see.

Vanessa Ferguson:

When we were doing our four-part challenge, which we'll be talking about soon in a show, we were meeting characters at each park and that allowed me to plan ahead, because you can see the times the characters are going to be there, which is very helpful. So today we're going to zero in on some of those characters that you might not automatically go find, or maybe those locations that you might not automatically head to. And of course, we're going to start off in Magic Kingdom, and so in Magic Kingdom there's some of those areas that everyone goes to every time they go, and I would think that those are kind of where you go to the Princess Fairytale Hall, mickey, up front. Those are some of the ones that people tend to head to right away, tend to head to right away. So one place that a lot of people know about, but I think a lot of people don't make it back to, is going to visit the Disney Pals at Pete's Silly Sideshow in Storybook Circus. So this is where you can meet Minnie Magnifique, disney Fortuno, the Astounding Don Nalo and the Great Guffini, and so that's really a fun place to go see the characters, where they're all dressed up, they have some of those unique costumes, they look like they're ready to be in the circus show and it's nice because you can get them all. They're not together in a photo, but you can go and wait in one line and see all of them, which is really nice, and because it's at the back of the park, I think a lot of people don't take the time to go there. So it's not necessarily a hidden one, but it's one that I think a lot of people just really don't realize, that they don't always make it there during their day.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now, when you move a little bit further up front, one place is in Tomorrowland. A lot of people don't realize that you can sometimes meet some of the characters there. Chip and Dale will periodically appear right by Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, so that's kind of that area that's down when you're taking the people mover. It's between where you exit from Buzz Lightyear and where Carousel of Progress is, so you'll periodically Chip and Dale will be there. We've even seen some characters from Zootopia there at different times, so check the app to see who's there. Stitch also sometimes makes an appearance in Tomorrowland, so check on the guide to see when you might be able to catch him.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now, since she moved from her original place that was over by the castle Merida now is over, so where Merida was before is where Maribel is from Encanto. So Merida is now over in the Enchanted Glade Gazebo, which is back behind the Christmas shop and kind of the bridge that you can take over to Adventureland, the entrance to Adventureland, and at like Christmas time, santa's there and different things like that. So Merida is kind of back behind. I think a lot of people don't go there unless you cut through some of the paths behind those buildings. So that's considered Liberty Square, if you're looking on the map Now, kind of moving along from where she's at into Adventureland.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now we tend to see them more at some of the after hours parties because they tend to be highlighted.

Vanessa Ferguson:

But you can see Aladdin and Jasmine at the Agrabah Bazaar. So over by where the flying carpet ride is, they're right back behind there and that's kind of nice because you can usually get them together and not too far from there. Over by Pirates of the Caribbean and I know we have some friends that love pirates you can see Captain Jack Sparrow and he's there periodically throughout the day. Usually he'll do a little bit of a show, not like a formal show, but he has a good act that he has, along with being able to have a chance to take a picture with him. So again, these are some of those characters that you don't get to see all the time. They might not appear at a lot of other places. Now, one thing that I saw mentioned in several spots and we've never lucked out to see this, but this is definitely a good tip, and it might be earlier in the day, which is why we might have missed it, because we are not early risers to the parks.

Kris Johns:

We are not. We will close the park down, but we will not open it.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Yes, so I think these tend to be earlier in the day. But the Town Square porch on Main Street, usa. A lot of the princesses will be there and, from what I've read, whatever princesses are in Fairytale Hall that day, it will be different ones. So a lot of times you'll see Snow White or Mulan or any of them that are not in the Fairytale Hall. They won't have them in both places. So check out Town Square Porch, so right when you first enter Main Street. They often will have princesses there and of course the app will let you know if they're there that day. I believe, though it's typically in the morning, which is why we've probably missed them.

Vanessa Ferguson:

So that rounds out some of the characters that you could find at Magic Kingdom. We're going to now head over to Hollywood Studios Kingdom. We're going to now head over to Hollywood Studios, and over there they have kind of a mix of characters that you see in other parks as well, but you have some unique twists. So one thing that I really like there is the Mickey and Minnie, and if you go, it's titled Starring in Red Carpet Dreams because it's backed by the Walt Disney exhibit, but they have usually Mickey a sorcerer. Mickey and Minnie is kind of in her Hollywood glamour outfit, so it's fun. I like getting the characters in their different outfits.

Kris Johns:

Oh, definitely.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Yeah, so that's, I think, part of the fun. If you've been to Disney, you've had your picture with Mickey and Minnie, most likely, but this gives you a chance to get them in some of their different outfits. Now, one thing that's fun if you have little ones in your group is to check out the Disney Junior Pals in the courtyard right by the Disney Junior Dance Show. They have Vampirina, fancy Nancy and a lot of other ones. We've done that one with our daughter and it's usually not a very long wait for those Disney Junior ones. We've done that one with our daughter and it's usually not a very long wait for those Disney Junior ones, so it's nice to be able to go over there and see them.

Vanessa Ferguson:

It's covered, so in the summertime or any other time where it's really hot out, it's a nice little area to go over there and the characters are always fun for kids.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now, in that same area can often see pluto as well.

Vanessa Ferguson:

He'll also be in the animation courtyard, so that's nice if you got mickey and minnie somewhere and then you can come over and get pluto.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now we know Kris doesn't like Star Wars, I do not, but over in so a lot of people I think they head over to the main star wars area to see the characters, but they don't necessarily go over to the launch bay and at the launch bay you can see BB-8, Chewbacca and Darth Vader and they typically will have a special meet and greet for Disney Chase card visa holders. So I know we've always gone there and gotten those photos. So that's kind of a nice thing because it's a little bit off of a different area than where you would go for the main Star Wars attractions. Now, over by, closer towards the front of the park, near Echo Lake and this is would be near like the Indiana Jones show as well as near 50s Primetime Cafe you can see Donald and Daisy and sometimes Chip and Dale appear there. We got our pictures with Donald and Daisy on this last trip and it was fun because it was a nice backdrop and they were both there together.

Kris Johns:

Yes, it was very nice.

Vanessa Ferguson:

So that's something that a lot of times you'll have Donald or Daisy, but it's nice to get them together. And also in that area right near Grand Avenue, so a little bit closer to the front, you can get Goofy and Max, which I would like to get. I would like to get them one time. We actually met the voice of Max at the House of Mouse Expo, so it's fun to be able to. It'd be fun to be able to get a photo of Max himself, so that kind of rounds out the more.

Vanessa Ferguson:

And again, I'm not giving you all of the characters, Like, for instance, at Hollywood studios we see Olaf all the time, but Olaf is a genie plus character. People are always over there. So those are ones that you're going to get, you're going to know about. So we're trying to cover some of those bases of ones that might be new to you. Moving over to Epcot so let's say you take the Skyliner over and you're going to see some new characters.

Vanessa Ferguson:

A great place to see characters at Epcot we always usually find them is at the International Gateway, so as you're coming in, we've seen Daisy there quite a few times. So and one thing I've saw, and we've not been there before to see her in this, but saw that sometimes with Daisy they'll have her in different outfits. We've just saw her there in her like her regular, usually like the pink and the purple, but I saw during food and wine sometimes she'll have like a chef outfit on. So it's kind of fun. But going into the international gateway, check on the app, because it's usually like late morning, early afternoon you'll see Daisy will be there and there often will sometimes be some other characters as well. Now, when another place that you can sometimes find characters is right, really right, when you first go in, If you were coming from the International Gateway, we're going to spend most of our time back in World Showcase, but over in the United Kingdom that is a great place to see some of the face characters that you don't see in a lot of other places.

Vanessa Ferguson:

You can see Alice, depending on the time of day, and Mary Poppins, and our daughter knows she loves Mary Poppins, she knows she can see Mary Poppins there. She asked for Mary Poppins when we were there last fall. And another character that's kind of tucked in the back of the UK pavilion is Winnie the Pooh. They have it set up to look like Christopher Robin's room. It's back behind where they do some of the concerts, behind some of the shops. So a lot of people don't go see Winnie the Pooh back there. They see him at Magic Kingdom. But definitely check him out at the UK. He's there for the most of the day.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Alice and Mary Poppins are going to be spread out and a lot of times people just see them because they happen to be walking by. But if you check on the app they will have set times there. Now, moving into some of the other countries, I think in France people tend to see they have Aurora and Belle there and they're usually in the gazebo. That's quite a busy area because people are coming in from the International Gateway or walking from the other way, but you can see Aurora or Belle depending on the time of day. But I think as you move to some of the other countries, people don't realize that you can see a lot of the other countries. People don't realize that you can see a lot of the princesses. We tend to go to Epcot to see them, not only in Norway at the meal, but really taking time just to go see them at the different pavilions. And that's nice because if you don't want to spend the extra money to go to Norway because that meal is wonderful. We really enjoy the meal there.

Vanessa Ferguson:

We do but it can be quite pricey. So depending on your budget, or if you're not on the meal plan, don't fret, you can still check them out throughout the World Showcase. So we mentioned already about in France. But as you move along, jasmine is really great to meet in the Morocco Pavilion. She's kind of back a little bit towards the back of the pavilion. You walk through by some of the shops and our daughter really enjoyed meeting Jasmine when we met her back there. And then when you move over to Germany you can meet Snow White. A lot of times she is going to be over by the wishing well, and do you remember meeting Snow White before?

Vanessa Ferguson:

no well, Kris wanted to meet snow white, so we all dig out those pictures and I'll share those with the, with everybody. But snow white you can see her. And then also over in china, you can see Mulan. She's one that we always seem to miss. She has very few times and it's usually like early afternoon. We never tend to be in that part of the park. So if you want to see Mulan, make sure that you time it well and plan it through the app, and that's one thing I will say you definitely, for if you want to get all of them, you're going to have to be strategic in how you plan it. We've sent Kris ahead of time to get in line for the princesses.

Kris Johns:

How you plan it, we've sent.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Kris ahead of time to get in line for the princesses. Yes, that's my job. Yeah, his job is to get in line for us so you can check them out throughout the World Showcase, which I think is very nice. Now there are some other characters that you can see further up towards the front of the park and right now, mickey. So this is April of 2024. Mickey is in the Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival area in the Imagination Pavilion. But this is pretty fun Starting in June. So officially, on June 10th, mickey and friends are going to be a new meet and greet that's going to be in the in the Communicore Hall. So that's part of that new area that they've been working on and I will say this is definitely not going to be an off the beaten path characters. There's going to be a lot of people going to see Mickey there, but right now, over where he's at at the Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival area, there's usually not a long line. I've seen people walking in and out of there pretty fast. So that kind of rounds out the main characters that you're going to find in some of those different areas that you might not necessarily go to looking for characters.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now, last but not least, we're going to talk about Animal Kingdom and there are a few non-traditional character meets and greets I would say. The first is Kevin. From up he's usually roaming and he tends to be in dino land, or we saw him on our last trip near the winged encounter show. I don't think Kris had any clue who the big bird was, I did not. So, kevin, you can check out. He's not going to be like in one spot, he moves around. So I did a selfie with Kevin when he was walking through Another kind of fun thing. And they are not going to stop because they're on a boat, but they have the character flotillas that go down the Discovery River and we saw Scrooge McDuck this last time.

Kris Johns:

That was awesome.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Yeah. So Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad McQuack will be there, and sometimes you'll see Mickey and friends, or you could see Pocahontas and Miko, so that's kind of a fun thing to see. So if you're walking over some of the bridges, look down, and that's just how we happen to see Scrooge McDuck and catch a quick picture. Now, over in Rafiki's Planet Watch, also coming in June, so we have the new Mickey and Minnie one, or the Mickey and Friends one, coming to Epcot at Rafiki's Planet Watch, you're going to have Timon and Rafiki that are going to be meeting people starting on June 10th as well. So I think that will be pretty cool.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Of course that is off the beaten path because you have to take the train back to Conservation. So I think that will be pretty cool. Of course that is off the beaten path because you have to take the train back to Conservation Station, but that will be a neat combination of characters to check out. Now, one thing that we did on our recent trip is over in Dinoland, donald's Dino Bash, which we all keep hearing rumors that we don't know how long they will be there, but most people know Donald Duck is there and a lot of times we want to get Chip and Dale in their dinosaur suits. But one thing that a lot of people don't realize is, tucked back a little bit further is you, as you walk towards as you walk towards, the dinosaur ride will be able to catch daisy, and daisy had really cute outfit on.

Vanessa Ferguson:

We got some great pictures with daisy, sure did so daisy duck is over there and sometimes they'll have goofy as well. So that's kind of neat. I think a lot of people head over there to get donald duck and chip and dale, but people often miss Daisy and of course he's not there all the time. But getting goofy is also a nice fun thing to do. So this just gives you a way. I think sometimes people assume you have to go to those really long lines for some of those popular areas for the meet and greets or go to a character meal, which we love going to the character meals. But this also gives you a mix of characters in different outfits and different locations and I think really part of going to Disney is getting those character photos.

Kris Johns:

That's one of my favorite parts. You know, when you ride the rides and eat at the places, it's those character photos that really make the trip.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now I know I mentioned briefly to Kris, but I don't know if he ever really paid attention. I think it would be fun to do a trip where you try to get as many different characters as possible.

Kris Johns:

Yes.

Vanessa Ferguson:

And of course it's fun because you could get those different outfits in the different parks and stuff. So hopefully this will help you check out some of those less frequented Disney character meet and greets at the different parks and love to see some photos of all of you and some with some of these different characters. I'll share some of ours from different trips because it is nice when you don't have to wait like an hour or two hours for a character, like you sometimes do at the parties. So check out these characters and definitely share with all of us. We'd love to see that. So give us just a minute and we'll get our call up with Kevin and Amanda.

Vanessa Ferguson:

We'd like to welcome Kevin and Amanda to the show. Their business, wear in the Park, has all kinds of really great games that you can play, not only at the Disney parks but also other parks across the country, which we'll talk about a little bit later. We ourselves were able to get an Epcot fun pack when we were down, when we got to meet them at the House of Mouse Expo, and all of their packs are designed to really be a fun, creative way to experience the parks in a new way, especially for people like all of us and most of our listeners, who are veteran park goers. It gives you something new and some fun elements to do while you're in the park. So we'd like to welcome Kevin and Amanda to the show. Hello.

Kevin Richardson:

Hi, thank you so much for having us.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now, recently we've been asking people what is their favorite event at any Disney park, and I know you're from California so you might have something a little bit different, but we'd love to hear from each of you what's your favorite event at a Disney park our, our favorite event is a little non-traditional, but we were staying on brand and we like to do scavenger hunts at Disneyland in particular.

Kevin Richardson:

so how we got got started was we would participate in scavenger hunts put on by the Facebook group Mouse for Life and the organizer would take pictures around the Disneyland Resort and it would be really small details of the park in black and white and there was about a hundred pictures and you had eight hours and have fun. Whoever found the most would win and that would include the Disneyland, disneyland, california Adventure, downtown Disney, any Disney property hotel and the parking structure, so it covered a wide area. It was very intense. It was very intense and it was held each year and our team if anyone is familiar with the Mouse for Life scavenger hunts, if you saw the great mouse detectives, that's us. We won six out of the eight years and five years in a row Wow.

Kevin Richardson:

So, we are five time reigning champs and the reason why is because we would study throughout the year, because we would take pictures ourselves each time we were at the parks and then send them to each other throughout the year to kind of study. You know where in the park is this image? So, with the pandemic, of course everything shut down and, uh, disneyland changed their um reservation system. They created the reservation, yeah, they created the reservation system and um, we, we can't really gather together in the same capacity, and so because it was a big annual event where a lot of groups would come.

Kevin Richardson:

There would be several teams playing yeah 30 teams of four to six people, so it was a really big event. It was a lot of fun, so those were definitely our favorite events, yeah, so not an official Disney event.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Sure no. Sometimes those are more fun than the Disney ones.

Kevin Richardson:

Exactly so. That's really how we got started.

Amanda Richardson:

Yeah, it got us looking at the parks in a whole new way. To this day, we still have kind of that eye. When we walk through a theme park it's like, ooh, that would be a good one. You know, just that thought in your head. So, yeah, it's kind of what got us to where we are.

Vanessa Ferguson:

So that really ties into our first question, which you've already answered part of this, but maybe go into a little bit more detail to tell us about your business and what are the products you offer connected to Disney?

Amanda Richardson:

Yeah, so we make games for theme parks. They're all seek and find, scavenger hunt games, so the idea is that you would go to our website, whereintheparkcom. Choose your park that you like. We have, like already mentioned by Vanessa, that we have several parks. We have all the Disney parks in North America, though, so for all the Disney fans out there, so you choose your parks and then you go to the park with a pack of cards, and every card has an image that was pulled from the theming of that park, and it's your request to go out and figure out where in the park.

Kevin Richardson:

And if you need any help, we do have hints on the back. It's kind of a play on words, we think we're funny.

Kevin Richardson:

We come up with all the hints. Some have haikus, but they have words that are in blue, that are ones you need to pay attention to, and it'll get you to the general area of the image, and then we also have the answer. So if you are just completely stuck or you only have a few minutes left in the park, you can reveal the answer, so you're never left wondering where in the park the image can be found.

Amanda Richardson:

Because when we did those scavenger hunts back in the day we were not so lucky. Yeah, so that's our generous addition to the games where you know, let's let people know where they actually are.

Kevin Richardson:

So some park goers refuse to reveal a hint in the answer that it is their mission to find and others need that extra help. So, um, you can, you can reveal if you'd like.

Amanda Richardson:

Yeah and if you're having trouble finding it, I always say make sure to scratch those off, because with theme parks I'm sure you guys are aware they're always changing. So sometimes the images that we pick and put on a card disappear from the parks, either temporarily or permanently, and when that happens, we actually give you, before you even start playing, we give you a card to scan that says scan before play. You scan that card. It takes you to our webpage where we actually give you an alternate card for anything that we know is missing.

Kevin Richardson:

That's also how you can report if you happen to find that it's missing before we do. That's how you can report. Hey, this image is hidden by construction walls.

Vanessa Ferguson:

We'll give you a digital card replacement right there and that is one of the things that we had gotten our pack and it was the day before we left, so we didn't get to get through our whole pack, but we were able to do part of it and that was one of the things that was nice. We saw with the hints. We were trying to do them without the hints the ones that we did do but it's nice to have that option and I did mention it a little bit at the beginning. And of course, we're here to talk about Disney, but I'd love for you to just give a quick list of what are some of the other parks that you offer these packs for.

Kevin Richardson:

Sure. So in California, which is where we're located, we have Knott's Berry Farm, universal Studios, hollywood, seaworld, san Diego, california's Great America and Six Flags Magic Mountain. It's Six Flags, magic Mountain. And then over on the Florida side, in addition to the Fork World, we have Universal Studios, florida, islands of Adventure, seaworld, orlando, bush Gardens, tampa Bay. Did I hit them all?

Amanda Richardson:

I think that's all the ones we currently have. We have a few that are on pre-order on our website where we've gone to the parks and taken the photos. We just haven't gone through and created all the hints and cut everything out, um, create all of our images. We actually cut out something unique from the background, so you won't know how big or small it is, which adds to the fun. I think it adds to the challenge.

Kevin Richardson:

Yes, experience and the parks that are coming soon, which you can pre-order on our website, we'reintheparkcom. We have Dollywood, carowinds, king's Dominion Bush Gardens, williamsburg, six Flags over Georgia and Worlds of Fun.

Amanda Richardson:

We also have Legoland California set up and we're going to be heading out to more parks in May to get some Six Flags over Texas, six Flags, psa, texas, hershey Park, dorney Park. We're crazy and we love theme parks. We love exploring the details of them and we're excited to make all these games for everyone to play.

Kris Johns:

Now you mentioned you're crazy, yes. What was the inspiration for you to start a business that allows you to have all these crazy adventures? You know?

Amanda Richardson:

when it started out. It was actually we loved Disneyland. That's where we met the two of us. We met waiting for World of Color for New Year's Eve back during its first year of existing. Oh wow, we just happened to be in the same section and started talking. So we loved Disneyland. We were both. Whatever the top tier pass was called back then I don't even know Signature pass or whatever. They keep changing the name, who knows. But yeah, so we're like hey, we love this place. We went on our first date at Disneyland a week later. It was one of those. We just love those parks.

Amanda Richardson:

So, like we'd all said, we did the scavenger hunt there over and over again. So, like we'd all said, we did the scavenger hunt there over and over again. So during the pandemic, obviously we kind of like the rest of the world, started itching for more disney parks or just more theme parks in general. So I think I came up with the idea of like, hey, we should make stuff with like these images, because we've taken so many photos, it'd be fun to create things with these details. So it started out as more of like a keychain and coasters kind of company like, wasn't it really? It was just like, hey, it'd be fun to go to a convention and sell these things with random things, like no one will know what they are.

Kevin Richardson:

You know, it was kind of a thought in our heads and then we would include a card that goes along with the coaster or the piece of art or whatever, so that way you could take that card to the park and find that image.

Amanda Richardson:

Yeah, so it was like a scavenger hunt item is the way we were thinking of it, but we quickly found out after our first few events where people didn't really like buying things when they didn't know what they were.

Kevin Richardson:

Which is crazy, because you have the mystery pin sets, you have like all these things that are similar, but but people did love the cards.

Amanda Richardson:

Though they loved the cards a lot. They were like we love that we were able to go on a scavenger hunt, so people were buying. We had little mystery packs with like a few stickers and some cards. They were buying those more than the actual keychains and coasters. So we're like you know what? We should just make games. That's really what we care more about anyway. So we kind of pivoted quickly into making game packs instead. And yeah, as far as expanding past that, we kept doing events with just the Disney packs where everyone would ask questions like oh, that's a lot of fun, do you have knots? Do you have? Do you have knots, do you have, do you have universal? So we're like we can, why not? That's kind of how it snowballed out of control over here, but it's been a lot of fun. It's fun to have a reason to go to those parks, especially since we've traveled across the country going to more of them.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now that kind of adds into. Our next question we always like to ask is how do you think your product adds Disney magic into your customers' lives?

Kevin Richardson:

In so many ways there is. We all love Disney parks, right, but there's something about walking through a park that you've walked through thousands of times or hundreds or ten times and seeing something new for the first time that you've walked by every single time you know, and having that magical connection of and imagine you're put that there on purpose.

Amanda Richardson:

It was put there with intention and I have ignored it this whole time.

Kevin Richardson:

And now I see it, and now I know it's there and will always know that it's there and I know for us creating these game packs and having all of these pictures it allows you to stop and really take in the ambiance and theming around you that the Imagineers and designers put countless hours into creating for us.

Amanda Richardson:

I know I went to the parks like hundreds of times before I did my first scavenger hunt and when I remember doing the first scavenger hunt I'm like I'll be fine. I've been to this park so many times. I know where everything is. I didn't know where anything was is what I learned, where it kind of opens your eyes to how much work was put into these parks and it's just. I don't know the level of respect that I didn't expect to have for the parks, on top of what I already had.

Vanessa Ferguson:

So yeah it definitely helps you to really appreciate all the beaming put into these. Now I will say we had gotten our pack at the house of mouse expo and it was our anniversary and we were married in epcot. So we were going to epcot for dinner that night and it wasn't a. We weren't planning on doing any rides or anything, we just had a dinner reservation and we're walking around and it was a great way.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Like you said, you see things in a little different. It slows you down and we knew we were already going to have a slower evening and it was just a fun little aspect to add in. And I think for so many of us, like you said, who've gone so many times, it's finding those new things in those ways to make you slow down and, instead of running to the next ride, makes you slow down and look for some of those details, and I know that was what we enjoyed about our when we were doing it in epcot yeah, absolutely, and you, you touched on something that that's really key is none of the images that we have are on rides or in line for rides.

Kevin Richardson:

So these are images that you're going to find just walking around the park, which you're already doing, and it's a new way to experience the parks and we just love it so much.

Amanda Richardson:

We make sure that everything can be seen outdoors so you don't have to worry about going into shops or just kind of interrupting people's days. We try to make it that's one of the problems with the event. Scavenger hunts is that they can be a little disruptive for the average guests around you. So we try to like really make the game friendly for everybody so that way when you're playing it you're not interrupting someone else's experience in the park, you're just having fun on your own as your group and it's not time.

Kevin Richardson:

You can stop and start every month, right?

Vanessa Ferguson:

now, do either of you well well, I'm sure you do what is your favorite part for each of you Like? Which pack is your favorite?

Amanda Richardson:

Well, the problem with creating scavenger hunts is that you don't get to go on the scavenger hunt. Sure, that makes sense, like we know where everything is. So when we first started, people would ask us how hard is it? You know, it's like we know where everything is Right. We know where everything is. So we've learned as time's gone. On some of them, we try to balance the packs I don't know how your pack was. We try to balance it where some of them. You should kind of have a good idea of where it is as soon as you see it, whereas other cards it's like this could be anywhere. And that's the fun of the game, I think, is having it where some of them, where you know exactly where it is. You go there and it's not there, which is also the best experience, in my opinion. We had one of those, yeah.

Kevin Richardson:

That's awesome. I think I don't know if I have a favorite pack. I know I have a favorite card, okay, and that is actually. I have two favorite cards, but one of them is from our Disneyland pack, series one. We have series one and series two and that is card number five.

Kevin Richardson:

And the reason why that is my favorite card is because our sister-in-law and her family went, and they go to Disneyland all the time. But her reaction to finding it like every time you've walked into Disneyland, you've seen this image and so her reaction of, oh, I finally found it, it was right in front of my face the whole time, so that has like that was one of the first she was part of our beta test, has, like that was one of the first, you know, she was part of our beta test, you know, and and so that was one of the first raw reactions that we got to experience, and so that that image will always have a special spot in my heart because of her reaction now, if I were planning a trip for disney or one of these parks, how soon in advance should I order through your website?

Kevin Richardson:

Well, shipping is usually five days. We do standard shipping, but as far as getting the order out the door, it will go out same day or next day. So we print everything in-house and we try and have inventory stocked. So if you're planning a big trip and you are looking to purchase multiple packs, Let us know, let us know.

Kevin Richardson:

But we try and keep, you know, 10 of each on hand. That's kind of our benchmark, just in case. But if you're just going and you're picking one pack of each park, we'll get it out either same day if you know, the post office hasn't closed yet, Sure or the next morning.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now we've talked so much about all of these fun games that you offer. There's also a little bit of some other things that you do related to Disney. Could you share with our listeners a little bit about the podcast that you're a part of?

Amanda Richardson:

We're co-hosts on the Imagine that podcast, which is a little sub-episode within Walt's Apartment podcast, so you can find that on any podcast aggregator, be it Spotify or Apple Podcast or whatever. So just look up Walt's Apartment Podcast and then you look for the ones that have the Imagine that name on it and you'll hear us talking about Imagineering mostly.

Kevin Richardson:

Yeah, and we're also sponsors for the Walt's Apartment Podcast, so you'll hear not just our ads, but we're also on the Wednesday live shows once a month, last Wednesday of every month.

Amanda Richardson:

Yeah, those ones are fun because they do them live on YouTube, because obviously we're a very visual medium with our cards, so because that has video, we actually show a card up on the screen screen, but we make only for that show. We don't have them in our pack, so it's not a spoiler or anything. And uh, yeah, so we have it, where we have little hints, we give them for the host of the show to try to guess and people can comment in the uh little comments there what they think it is just a little game we play.

Kris Johns:

So you know you mentioned all these awesome things you do. Please tell us where you're online on socials. Folks want to know.

Kevin Richardson:

Yeah, so you can find us on facebook, instagram, all the social medias uh, we're in the park. Um, we also have, um, what we call standby quest games over on our social platforms. So, like I mentioned, everything in our game packs are things that are not found on rides or in lines Over on our social. Our weekday games are the opposite, so we will have an image of something in line, you tell us what ride it's in and we have a monthly drawing. So, if this is something that you're interested in, go to any social media platform, check out at we're in the Park, except for X.

Amanda Richardson:

We're not doing that. We're not on X, that's true.

Kevin Richardson:

But anything else, yeah, it's.

Amanda Richardson:

We're in the Park. All one word yeah, Perfect, Go there, plug in, win prizes and have fun and our website is we'reintheparkcom.

Vanessa Ferguson:

I will make sure to put all of those links in the show notes. I'll also put the link to Walt's apartment podcast so that way people can find that those imagine that episodes. So thank you so much for joining us today.

Kevin Richardson:

Thank you so much for having us.

Kris Johns:

Thank you again to Kevin and Amanda for joining us today.

Vanessa Ferguson:

And now we are up with our two minute trivia and our wisdom from Walt Coe and Kris. You are up with trivia.

Kris Johns:

So with that, you know, we talked about a lot of characters that are at the park, true, but what about the ones that are no longer there? Okay, and I guess part of that is there's going to be. You know, there's some that were there for a short bit, but, true or false, the Power Rangers were actually characters in the park at one time.

Vanessa Ferguson:

I remember seeing Power Rangers, but I'm not sure if it was at Universal or at Disney. So I know Power Rangers meet and greet existed, but I don't remember what park it was at.

Kris Johns:

It was for a very brief period. They were in the park, according to the internet, so in with that.

Vanessa Ferguson:

I think it was back then, mgm.

Kris Johns:

I believe it was yes, and so there was just some sort of tie in where, for a brief time, disney had the rights to the Power Rangers and they used them and they were in the park for a very short time. So, yes, you are correct, vanessa, but the Power Rangers and then. But the Power Rangers and then some other ones are Roger Rabbit, I would love to see Roger.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Rabbit yeah, that would be cool.

Kris Johns:

Quasimodo, as well as the Sorcerer from what's the Merlin? What's that movie?

Vanessa Ferguson:

Sword in the Stone.

Kris Johns:

Sword in the Stone. Wow, merlin at one point was there. I think some of these are Merlin would be hard, I mean, cause I don't think unless you have Disney plus or the original VHS tape from 40 years ago would you really remember Merlin. But yes, there's just a handful of characters that are no longer in the park.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Very cool and I'm surprised. I remember it, but I think I have a picture of me. I wasn't into Power Rangers, but I think I got a picture of them somewhere. I'll have to look for that now. Now we spent all this time talking about exploring the parks, whether it be with when in the Park, with some of their scavenger hunts, or looking for the different characters, and it made me just want to look up some of the quotes that Walt had about the parks themselves, and this one, I think, is a great one. It is you who will make Disneyland truly a magic kingdom, so hopefully you can make all those magical memories with your family, whether it be doing one of the scavenger hunts or checking out one of these character meet and greets. And, of course, don't forget to check out all of our other episodes on our Buzzsprout page and follow us on social media for even more Disney magic. And thank you so much for joining us on this episode of the Dislove podcast with Vanessa and Kris.

Kris Johns:

I'm Vanessa and I'm Kris, this podcast is not affiliated with the Walt Disney company or its holdings, and it is intended for entertainment purposes only.