What the Hell Is the Disney Dispatch?

Disney Dispatch is one month old today. (I can wait while you clap and blow horns.) Already, it's different than what I first planned. I thought my loyal reader - who is now out spending the five dollars I have to give him every day - might like to know exactly what all the hullabaloo is about.

I intended, at first, to write a bunch of really short blurbs with links to content on other sites, and with no pictures of any kind. Was that ever dull.

Then I noticed that the same Disney sites seemed to always show up in the blogs and weekly 'round-ups' of other Disney sites, despite the presence of literally thousands of blogs, sites, and forums devoted to every Disney nook and niche. I didn't see anyone else giving pixels to those guys - despite 'those guys' often having the most fascinating, memorable content.

So I stopped letting everyone know that Jack Spence had written something new in his AllEars blog or that Jim Hill was pecking at the keyboard again. They didn't care, and I had the sense that few of my 'readers' cared, either.

Instead, I started writing about off-the-wall stuff, and I started to focus more on smaller blogs and sites (though every day I do dollop in some traditional content and mainstream news). And I let loose my natural writing style which rubs some people the wrong way but which makes the work fun - and if it's not fun, why bother doing it?

I'm blessed to have gotten nearly 2500 visits and over 10,000 pageviews during this past month. I expected much, much less.

How to build from here?

I don't think Disney Dispatch can grow substantially if all it has is my daily hullabaloo. There's a core audience for that; not a big one, though. As a result, I've begun adding different things, such as daily news round-ups and interactive games, and I have other features planned.

Let's see how far that takes us.

Even if it takes us nowhere, thanks sincerely to each of you who make Disney Dispatch a daily or regular stop in your digital day.

-- Bob McLain

http://disneydispatch.com/hulla/2010/09/what-the-hell-is-the-disney-dispatch.htm

Alpha Mickey, Doug Parks, Dead at 60

Doug Parks, a small, cheerful man, donned the first Mickey Mouse costume at Disney World's Magic Kingdom in 1971. Though he kept it secret for decades, mostly at the urging of Disney, there's littlet today about Doug Parks' unique role in Disney history.

Doug Parks died August 29 at his home in Gotha, Florida. He was a life-long Disney employee, both in and out of costume, working at a variety of jobs from 'secret shopper' at the Disney resort hotels to reservations facilitator for Disney's VIP guests.

But Parks liked best what he is best-known for: playing Mickey Mouse. It was Doug Parks (inside his Mickey costume) who stood next to Roy Disney at the grand opening of the Magic Kingdom in 1971.

Eloisa Ruano Gonzalez eulogized Parks yesterday for the Orlando Sentinel and provides further details of his life, including news of a Facebook page established in his memory and a small gallery of pictures of Parks in the park and at home.

Disney won't confirm (nor does it deny) that Doug Parks was the first Mickey Mouse. A story that ran in an issue of the Orlando Sentinel from 1971 identified him as the first person to wear the costume, and that's good enough for me. Disney likely chose later to conceal the names of people wearing character costumes to enhance their mystique.

For those who visited the Magic Kingdom in the early 1970s, it's quite possible that you met Doug Parks and never knew it.

http://disneydispatch.com/hulla/2010/09/alpha-mickey-doug-parks-dead-at-60.htm

When Is a Smoked Turkey Leg a Disney Snack?

In my last hullabaloo, I wrote confidently about cooking the Bread Pudding from 1900 Park Fare. I even had a video to guide me. But who can cook on an empty stomach? So let's put those ingredients aside and check out some Disney snacks.

Samantha McNesby, a contributing writer to the Florida Travel section of About, has a top 10 list of her favorite Disney World snacks.

Samantha's snack list omits some personal favorites, of course, and includes one item - the smoked turkey leg - that isn't a snack but rather an exhibition. It's the only item on Samantha's list not included in the Disney Dining Plan (probably because it isn't a snack!).

Top 10 lists are nothing new: everyone has them. But this list is a good excuse to mention all the other Disney content in the Florida Travel corner of About: hundreds of articles, most of them crammed with links to other relevant sites.

(Note to self: write Top 10 list of best Top 10 snack lists.)

http://disneydispatch.com/hulla/2010/09/when-is-a-smoked-turkey-leg-a-disney-snack.htm

Kristen Hoetzel: Next Disney Food Network Star

Ah, Sunday morning, when one's thoughts turn to cooking Disney food and baking Disney treats. I said one's thoughts; my thoughts turn to eating Disney food and Disney treats, but there's a big chasm between the desire and the dish.

Filling that chasm is Kristen Hoetzel and her site, CookingWithMickey. Kristen won't come to my home and cook - and it'd be spooky for me to ask - but she can come into my home through a series of videos in which she teaches viewers how to cook various Disney recipes, including the one I'd like to attempt today: Bread Pudding from Grand Floridian's 1900 Park Fare buffet.

The video is over six minutes long and shows Kristen in a tight shot explaining step-by-step how to prepare the dish. Kristen is a natural on camera, wastes no time, and makes no eye-rolling happy talk. In other words, she's better than many of the contestants on the Next Food Network Star. (Her cool Fantasia shirt doesn't hurt, either.)

Kristen does more than cooking videos. Her site includes current Disney dining news, recipes, and generic cooking tips. Kristen also keeps busy as a co-host of Sorceror Radio and she reviews both Disney World and Disneyland restaurants on the Character Breakfast podcast.

It makes you wonder how she finds time to cook with Mickey.

I'd still love a dish of 1900 Park Fare Bread Pudding, but I'm known as the Imaginative Chef for a reason: I like to imagine myself in the kitchen cooking perfect food. Whenever I become the Reality Chef, well, it's not pretty. Maybe I'll just watch Kristen cook it again.

http://disneydispatch.com/hulla/2010/09/kristen-hoetzel-next-disney-food-network-star.htm

Top Hullabaloos of the Week Ending September 11, 2010

Based on retweets, comments, and my own perverse sense of humor, here is a list of the top hullabaloos from each day of the previous week:

Sunday, September 5 Fantasyland: Gender Discrimination, Potter Envy, and Smelly Burps: Disney's late realization that Fantasyland is not only for girls.

Monday, September 6 Character Advice: Don't Ask Snow White to Holla Back: some tips for getting the most from your character face-time.

Tuesday, September 7 Disney World: Some Peace and Quiet, PLEASE: where to find the quiet spots.

Wednesday, September 8 The Hatbox Ghost: What's Your Head Doin' in That Hatbox?: re-creating the ghost who really did disappear from the Haunted Mansion.

Thursday, September 9 Disney Packing Tips: Got Room in There for the Bourbon?: how to pack appropriately (and alcoholically).

Friday, September 10 Living in a Purple Van Down by the RIVER: the things you see while driving a purple van at Disney.

Saturday, September 11 George Roush Lets His Hair Down at Rapunzel Event: a super-cool report of the recent Tangled media event.

http://disneydispatch.com/hulla/2010/09/top-hullabaloos-of-the-week-ending-september-11-2010.htm