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My Pal Mickey -- Interactive Theme Park Doll
Dan Howland writes "Big Ruxpin is Watching You: Once again, The Firesign Theatre's I Think We're All Bozos on this Bus proves itself to be the science-fiction story where the most stuff came true. If you recall, a hacker named Clem traveled through the Future Fair, followed by computer generated Holy-Grams who popped up and said things like, 'Why not try [WALL OF SCIENCE], 'cause it's my favorite!' Leave it to Disney to perfect that spooky technology with My Pal Mickey, an interactive talking plush doll that knows where it is inside Walt Disney World, and tells you trivia as you move through the park. Ah ha, but even better (at least from Disney's standpoint) is that, just like the Holy-Grams, My Pal Mickey feeds the info back into the central computer system, so Doctor Memory can track people's movements through the park in realtime. (Of course, these data will be skewed because they only track people who buy the dolls...) Here is another link, with the interesting, Asimov-like sentence: 'He has a strong sense of self-preservation, and reminds you to put him some place safe when you get near water play areas, or on wet rides.'"
"This is the Epcot Center! It has..blah blah blah..."
Walk away, go check something out back where you came from...
"This is the Epcot Center! It has..blah blah blah..."
Go to head up the stairs, across the room...
"This is the Epcot Center! It has..blah blah blah..."
Go to walk out...
"This is the Epcot Center! It has..blah blah blah..."
*Mickey goes for a ride...*
Never mind Big Brother watching you. What about "My Pal Mickey?"
Sure, it's the hot new toy for WDW guests to buy. But what else is "My Pal Mickey" doing for the Mouse (besides fattening Disney's wallet, of course)? Maybe monitoring theme park guests movements? Strange but true, folks. Read and heed.
Okay. By now, JimHillMedia.com readers are no doubt aware of "My Pal Mickey." (After all, this site actually broke the story on this hi-tech wonder back in December 2002.) That 10-and-a-half inch tall plush that -- thanks to its on-board sensors -- can tell WDW guests all sorts of interesting things about the Florida theme parks. Trivia about various attractions it encounters and/or start times for parades and shows. "My Pal Mickey" can even entertain WDW visitors while they wait in line at rides by telling jokes and/or playing games with the guests.
Of course, what allows "My Pal Mickey" to do all of these amazing things is that this hi-tech toy makes use of some pretty sophisticated technology that then keys off of the literally hundreds of sensors that are scattered around Disney World's theme parks. Which allows the doll to know exactly where it is at all times in the parks. Which allows "My Pal Mickey" to know exactly what it's supposed to say in any given situation.
Of course, the flip side of this situation is that the sensors that Walt Disney Imagineering has strategically placed around the Florida theme parks can be used to track "My Pal Mickey" and -- by extension -- the guests who are carrying the plush. The end result is: the Walt Disney Company has been scoring all of this exciting new info about how its guests actually move around its WDW theme parks.
"This is a true break through for us," said one un-named source in Disney's Operations, Strategy and Technology office. (This gentleman only agreed to speak to JimHillMedia.com about this particular aspect of the "My Pal Mickey" dolls if we agreed to disguise his identity.) "We're finally getting real-time data about how guests move through our parks. What holds their interest. What doesn't. If we can actually harvest this information. Figure out what it means in terms of guest flow, show planning, etc., this will give Disney a huge advantage in the theme park arena."
According to our source, Disney began collecting data from the "My Pal Mickeys" as soon as the dolls first started hitting the parks back in April. Watching, for example, how quickly guests who were carrying the plushes moved through the Magic Kingdom. What attractions they walked right by. Where they lingered and loitered.
"We've already begun to see some interesting patterns emerge," he continued. "Guests carrying 'My Pal Mickey' typically head for Mickey's Toontown Fair once they enter the Magic Kingdom. As if they're eager to show off their new hi-tech toy to the real Mickey Mouse."
"From there, these guests then tend to double back into Fantasyland, where they ride a few rides before heading over to Tomorrowland. Once there, these WDW visitors tend to hit most of the rides and shows open there before heading out the Hub to catch a show in front of the Castle or the afternoon parade. Only after this is done do they head over to the western side of Magic Kingdom to check Liberty Square, Frontierland and finally Adventureland."
WDI is reportedly already pouring over the info that has been harvested from the "My Pal Mickeys" that WDW guests have been carrying about. I've heard that a few Imagineers are planning on using this info to justify adding a brand new E Ticket (something along the lines of the now-abandoned "Fire Mountain" project) to Adventureland. With the hope that building a new thrill ride on that side of the Magic Kingdom will help to start balancing out guest traffic flow patterns at that particular Disney World theme park. Also of concern is the possibility that rogue slashdot editor "Homeos" is using the data in his quest to pick up young, nubile children to assist with Rob "taco snotting" Malda's perpetual impotence