Once again, our biggest event ever; and just as fun!
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
by Alex Stroup
Over 270 players, and 84 teams participated. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Once again, we begin our event recap with the same fact: this was the
biggest MouseAdventure ever, with six additional teams and over 30 people
to our previous high for this sold-out event. But the increasing crowd
doesn't seem to diminish the excitement with which the teams enter into
the spirit of the game.
Children of the Candy Corn, a team that always gets noticed. Photo by
Jeff Moxley.
MouseAdventure is a full work day, and not just for the staff. Sign-in
began at 9:45, and most teams did not head home until well after 5:00
p.m. It's a long, hard day of playing, but hopefully all the teams left
having had one of their best times ever at Disney's California Adventure
(DCA) park—even if the sun had somehow moved millions of miles closer
to Earth.
This team is searching, unsuccessfully, for a very specific window, hidden
behind a very specific tree. Photo by Todd Regan.
By 11:30, team photos had been taken, instructions had been given, and
teams were on their way. For the next three hours, they would be sent
all over DCA to solve various puzzles and find things they'd probably
never noticed before. At Grizzly River Run, they're scheduled to sing
“Disco Inferno”every night at 7:30. There is a hitchhiking
deer in the Mulholland Madness mural. When printed in black and white,
the nose of a pink dinosaur can be confused for that of a cow.
Teamwork is always of the essence at MouseAdventure. More than one group
has told us how much they've learned about working together after an event.
Photo by Todd Regan.
Side Games
The popular “Eye Spy” element returned yet again, in a different
format. After your faithful organizer made a terrible printing blunder,
we were forced to used substandard black-and-white copies. It just goes
to show how knowledgable some of our players are that many teams still
recorded solid scores in this section.
Teams also learned again just how hard it is to find a face in the crowd.
This time around, MousePlanet staff writer Shoshana Lewin was left to
wander Paradise Pier in her mouse-eared mortarboard, wondering how many
teams would notice her.
One team finds Shoshana and gets their bonus points. Photo by Jeff Moxley.
Another game had teams seeking out the autograph of a Disney character. One team reported that Mickey was very eager to help them, but the big hands and lack of talking proved an impediment.
Team 67 gets a Mickey autograph. Photo by Jeff Moxley.
In all, teams visited five parts of DCA and attempted to solve 11 quests,
find six scavenger hunt items, find Shoshana, identify 16 EyeSpy photos,
and decided whether to gamble for some bonus points. About half the teams
are truly dedicated players and added 70 trivia questions to all of this.
We at MousePlanet cannot convey how amazed and pleased we are at the number
of people that come out and play our game every time.
The prizes included books, videos, music, collectibles and more. Photo
by Adrienne Vincent–Phoenix
By 4:30, the results were a bit late and the crowd had reconvened in
the picnic area to learn the outcome. Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix, as always,
stepped into the breach and began raffling off some amazing prizes. Many
received calendars, but one truly lucky team walked off with a stack of
20-something Soarin' Over California Fastpass tickets. Don't try to tell
us that won't be worth a fortune on eBay some day.
The crowd goes crazy as Adrienne announces the raffle of napkins from
Pizza Oom Mow Mow (just kidding). Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Eventually, however, the results were tallied and we could get down to
the important business of letting people go home.
Team Spirit Award: The Great Muppet Caper
First Place – Quests and Trivia: Brother Bears -
692 points
Second Place – Quests and Trivia: Team 68 - 687
points
Third Place – Quests and Trivia: Team 89 - 667 points
First Place – Quests Only: the-mouse.com - 640 points
the-mouse.com joined the Denton Affair in an exclusive club by capturing
its fourth first–place victory. In recognition of its repeated success,
the team is now a “MouseAdventure Master” and retired from competition.
As MouseAdventure Masters, the team is invited to participate in future
MouseAdventure events without charge and to set a benchmark for other
teams to aspire to.
Second Place (TIE) – Quests Only: MaliBOOmers -
565 points
Second Place (TIE) – Quests Only: Team 31 - 565
points
As always, MouseAdventure would never happen without the tireless work
of the dedicated MousePlanet staff, and a few special helpers. Kevin Krock,
Lani Teshima, Adrienne Vincent–Phoenix, Andrew Rich, and Alex Stroup
wrote and edited the game materials. Sheila Hagen, Jeff Moxley, Ed and
Lisa Perkis, Andrew Rich, Rae, and Ashley helped to test the game. All
of those, plus Adrienne Krock, Tony Phoenix, Jennifer Rich, Bill Catherall,
and Todd Regan were invaluable on game day.
We look forward to seeing many of you again in the spring for our next MouseAdventure event, when we'll be returning to Disneyland Park.
Thanks, from all of us.
Team Results | Team Photos
Contact Alex Stroup here.
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mouseadventure-side
Teams walk a lot during the event. If you are
not used to walking for extended periods, get yourself in shape beforehand.
Walk at least three times a week, and wear old, comfortable shoes with good
treads for the event to avoid blisters.
Make sure you get some breakfast in the morning.
Although caffeine may help you wake up in the morning, you might want to avoid
it (caffeine acts as a diuretic, causing you to need more bathroom breaks).
Although you need only show up with a writing
instrument, the following is a helpful list. Consider packing everything into
a backpack (or a hydration pack) so your hands are free:
• Water bottle in a holder or hydration
pack such as a Camelbak
(you will not want to waste time buying soda)
• Comfortable shoes
• Sunblock (the higher the SPF the better)
• Writing instrument
• Clipboard
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Water bottle
• Scratch paper
• Small snacks (raisins, nuts)
• Water bottle
• Rain poncho or large garbage bag (poke arm holes) if weather calls for
drizzle); umbrellas just get in the way
• Bandages for blisters
Are you a parent who is considering registering for MouseAdventure?
The following may help you decide whether to bring your children with you.
If you want to bring your children, consider registering and
playing leisurely just for the fun of it, since you want to make sure to allow
for potty breaks, diaper changes, and periodic breaks.
MouseAdventure lasts all afternoon, and your children will
have to wander around the park without going on any rides until after the event.
Consider this and your children's demeanor.
The Trivia category may require an extended period of sitting
while you concentrate on the exercise, so your children may feel ignored and
get bored.
The extra amount of work involved in doing both the Trivia
and Quests activities is such that you might want to consider doing just the
Quests.
If you have a child small enough to ride in a stroller, find
a friend or a sitter to watch that child while you participate, or decide which
parent will participate, and which will be the sitter. You will be moving non-stop
through the park to get everything done, and a stroller will slow your
entire team down.
For more information and advice for parents by Adrienne Krock,
visit her “Parenting in
the Park” column.
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