Hidden Mickeys

What is a hidden Mickey? For intrepid travelers visiting one of the Disney resorts, a hidden Mickey is a subtle reminder that you are in the House of Mouse, namely, it is an object or pattern in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s round head and two slightly smaller but equally round ears. A Mickey Mouse plush doll in a Walt Disney World gift shop does not qualify as a hidden Mickey, but a discreetly looped lasso rope in a gift shop, a Mickey icon on a manhole cover, or a triple coin configuration in the shape of Mickey’s head would count.

There are so many hidden Mickeys scattered throughout the Walt Disney World resort that most visitors might need a little help finding them. Disney cast members (especially those who are working in the gift shops) are more than happy to point out the hidden Mickeys in their immediate vicinity, and many Disney gift shops sell copies of the latest edition of Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets. The fourth printing of this book includes more than 800 hidden Mickeys scattered throughout the theme parks, hotels and restaurants at Disney World.

From thrill rides to gift shops to the mouse-shaped confections in the candy stores, hidden Mickeys are everywhere. So much so that if one starts out on a quest for hidden Mickeys at the Walt Disney World resort, just about everything starts looking like a Mickey Mouse head.