MouseAdventure – Spring 2001
A P R I L 2
9, 2 0 0 1
D I S N E Y L A N D, U S A
Event coverage: ONE | TWO
Team photos: THREE |
FOUR | FIVE
| SIX | SEVEN
Final Scores: EIGHT
The Event
On Sunday, April 29, MousePlanet offered its most recent MouseAdventure
- the afternoon of puzzles, interactive games, scavenger hunts, and trivia
at Disneyland. Here's the report from MouseAdventure creator Kevin Yee:
All week we've been told to expect partly cloudy skies
with temperatures in the low 70's. One cautionary note was sounded when
we realized the UV index was predicted to be a 9 rating, meaning that
sunblock would be a necessity. More than sunblock, most MouseAdventurers
needed *shade* and a good amount of water. It may have been in the 70s,
but it felt like it was in the 90s, and the teams running around and
working up a sweat must have felt the heat even more intensely.
Oh yes, it was a success. The turnout for the event
topped 150 (including non-playing children), with almost 50 teams
registering in advance. Feedback to the event was uniformly positive,
though more than a few teams admitted they were tired by the end.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Registration began at 10:45 at the picnic
tables just outside the main gate of Disneyland, where teams signed in
and received a page of rules and what to expect. They were then funneled
in to Plaza Gardens (the former home of the other Carnation restaurant),
where a picture was taken of each team. Those pictures were later copied
onto a floppy disk, and given back to each team at the conclusion of the
event. We'll have all the team pictures (and their rankings) tomorrow
here for you.
As soon as all the teams had an individual picture
made, it was time to move on to the giant group photo. Ever try to take
a picture with 150 of your closest friends in front of Sleeping Beauty
Castle? Trust me, it's fun! You saw the result at the top of the page.
Then the captains were called together for a more
detailed explanation of the rules. Once they had it all down, they began
a "mixer," where they had to visit with their fellow captains
and exchange a predetermined Disney question, with the object being to
collect as many questions as they could. When five minutes elapsed, they
would return to their teams and answer ten of their collected questions
before starting on the event proper.
Meanwhile, the teams (absent their captains) were trying - usually in
vain, but it's all good fun - to think of five Disney movies they could
name while coming up with the correct year of release. You might think
this sounds easy until you realize they weren't allowed to name any movies
that were released in 1990 or beyond. Could you think of five off the
top of your head? (no, this was not multiple choice, it was five blank
spaces).
One thing you can count on at Disneyland... lines!
When all the preliminary games were over, teams headed
to our registration table and got their packets. This included an EyeSpy
game, a scavenger hunt, and trivia questions if their team was in the
"Combined" category. You'll see all this tomorrow when we post
the answer key.
One team came in from Las Vegas - great shirts!
Teams also took at this time their first ticket book. There were five
ticket books, lettered A through E. E-Tickets were harder and thus worth
more points, while A-tickets were the easiest. When one ticket book was
done, it could be turned in for another book. These ticket books form
the "meat" of MouseAdventure, with puzzles inevitably leading
teams off to the far reaches of the Park to come up with answers.
Is that multiple choice? I like multiple choice!
The last component of the competition is interactive
in nature. Teams had unique KeyWords that could be exchanged whenever
they met other teams out "in the field", with points gathered
for each correct KeyWord. There were also KeyLetters unique to each
team, and these were exchanged to build up the largest list possible,
with the goal of creating a word out of your collected letters,
Scrabble-style.
The yin and yang of the situation
Sounds like a lot to do, doesn't it? Indeed, only three teams were able
to complete all the elements (and even that wasn't a guarantee of winning,
as some teams may not have received full credit or simply answered wrong).
That's part of the challenge to MouseAdventure: prioritizing and/or just
being fast about answering all you can... but accurately.
To heck with Regis, I just saw the prize tables...
As the afternoon wore on, the MouseAdventure staff
remained in high spirits, despite the raging heat and lack of shade at
Plaza Gardens. We were frequently entertained by the ongoing
performances on the nearby stage, for Sunday was one of the "Magic
Music Days" at Disneyland, where choirs and bands from local school
perform for adoring fans (usually friends and family, but not always).
The MouseAdventure staffers were grateful, though, since any music is
better than none for us. Well, let's just say usually. I'll leave it at
that :)
Now this is serious. Bibbidi, bobbidi
or boo?
It's always amazing to watch the faces of
MouseAdventurers become redder and ruddier as the afternoon wears on, as
the heat and exercise take their toll on the poor players. Despite all
that, everyone assured us they were having fun.
FORWARD
Event coverage: ONE | TWO
Team photos: THREE |
FOUR | FIVE
| SIX | SEVEN
Final Scores: EIGHT
|
