Disney's Magical Moments Pins and Game

by Sheila Hagen, staff writer

The Magical Moments interactive pins and handheld videogame are two of the niftier (and certainly strokes of merchandising genius) items for sale at Walt Disney World as part of the 100 Years of Celebration. The videogame is Mickey-shaped, and the pins come in five different designs:

• Sorcerer Mickey hat shape for Disney-MGM Studios
• The Castle for Magic Kingdom
• The Tree of Life for Disney's Animal Kingdom
• Spaceship Earth for Epcot
• A generic 100 Years of Magic pin

Each pin comes with an additional set of two batteries, which is nice considering the price tag of $15.09 (plus tax). Additionally, some of the Magical Moments pins (but not the game) were available at some of the Disney Gallery stores around the U.S. as limited editions (this may no longer be so).

A rack of Disney's Magical Moments pin entice the park's visitors. Photo by Sheila Hagen.

Both the pins and the game are designed to activate when near park attractions that have special technology installed. Small black infrared sensor devices have been installed near the entrances of certain attractions, and sometimes, within the rides. The sensor devices have also been installed on parade floats so that as a float goes by, the colored lights on the pins play in an interesting pattern. The pins also light up near the entrances of the parks as a welcome and good-bye to the park visitor. The games only activate when near designated rides.

Disney's Magical Moments Pins

The fun part is having the pins light up unexpectedly. It certainly instills a Pavlovian response whenever the pin lights come on — you irresistibly find yourself walking back and forth trying to figure out how to activate the darn things.

There are a few things you should be warned about:

• Weight – Because of their electronics, the pins are somewhat heavy. They have two prongs for fastening to one's clothing or backpack. These metal fasteners slip off rather easily, so consider purchasing a bag of the newer rubber fasteners (which stay on quite well) at one of the many pin-trading carts.
• Sturdiness – The prongs are on the flimsy side. I threw the pin in my purse after one day at the parks and when I pulled it out, one of the prongs had broken off from being jostled about.
• Battery wear – You also quickly find out why extra batteries have been provided: the pin batteries wear out after about 5 or 6 days of use. If you plan on wearing the pin longer than that, be sure to bring along a very small Phillips screwdriver with you (of course, pack it in your luggage and not in your carry-on when traveling). Since the pin requires two batteries, you will get altogether about 10 to 12 days' worth of use before having to buy additional batteries.
• Distraction – Since the pins do sometimes activate inside an attraction, they have the potential to detract from the show (but not horribly so). However, be prepared to have your attention pulled away from the ride scenes from time to time.
• Going off-property – Once you leave Walt Disney World, the pins are essentially useless except as collectibles, with the exception of being able to briefly activate the pin by pushing a touchpad on it. Once I got home, I tried every remote I own to see if I could activate it—no such luck. There have been reports online that the pins were lighting up on the Florida highways when passing certain signs. The signs must have had some kind of infrared device but I have not been able to verify this. If anyone has seen the pins in action outside Walt Disney World, please send along an email to me.

As far as where the pins light up, I have attempted to document every time I observed the pins activate but of course, when you're enjoying the attractions, you're not always looking down to see if the pin comes on! Evidently, a complete list of where the pins activate is available from cast members at the pin trading stations, but I think half the fun is discovering it for yourself. If anyone has spotted the pins activating at places in the parks other than what's listed below, I'd love to hear from you.

The sorcerer's hat version of the Magical Moments pin has lights that are positioned over the stars and moon on the hat, providing a twinkling effect. Photo by Sheila Hagen.

If you'd like to get a head's up on where the pins activate, the following list covers all four parks. If you would rather find out on their own, scroll down now to the section on the Magical Moments Game.

100 Years of Magic - Discover The Stories Behind The Magic Kiosks

At all kiosks in the parks, the pins will light up when a trivia question is answered correctly and at certain points in the kiosk presentations.

Magic Kingdom

• Splash Mountain - entrance
• Pirates of the Caribbean - entrance, talking skull room, wench scene
• Space Mountain - entrance
• Haunted Mansion - entrance, beating heart and ride exit
• it's a small world - entrance, finale room and "Goodbye" room
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - entrance
• Main Street - outside Emporium, and briefly lights up when walking by Casey's Corner
• Buzz Lightyear - entrance
• Alien Encounter - entrance
• Fantasy In The Sky fireworks
• SpectroMagic - finale floats' transformation from white to color
• Share A Dream Come True Parade - unconfirmed as parade runs during afternoon

Epcot

• Spaceship Earth - entrance and ATT exit room
• Information Central - near ride time board
• Showcase Plaza - beginning of walkway from Future World towards World Showcase
• El Rio Del Tiempo - beginning and end of ride
• Tapestry of Dreams Parade - finale float
• Honey, I Shrunk The Audience - entrance
• Test Track - the blue pin lights activate in the cold room, the red pin lights activate in the hot room and the orange pin lights activate in the corrosion room
• Ellen's Energy Adventure - big bang, Jeopardy finale

Disney's Animal Kingdom

• Kilamanjaro Safari - entrance
• It's Tough To Be A Bug - spider drop
• Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade - unconfirmed as parade runs during afternoon

Disney-MGM Studios

• Fantasmic! - Mickey triumphs over evil
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - entrance, "star room"
• Rock N' Roller Coaster - entrance
• One Man's Dream Exhibit - entrance, Mickey Mouse display, Herb Ryman video, Roy Disney's Magic Kingdom dedication speech
• Studio Backlot Tour - entrance
• Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - 1,000 and 32,000-point levels if question answered correctly
• The Great Movie Ride - Mary Poppins, Fantasia
• Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade - unconfirmed as parade runs during afternoon

Disney's Magical Moments Game

In addition to the Magical Moments Pins, also available is the handheld videogame called, appropriately, Disney's Magical Moments Game. For $19.99 plus tax, you get a GameBoy-like device that includes sixteen separate games, but the catch is that only one (Cinderella Castle) is available when it's removed from the package. The rest are opened by walking past various attractions in each of the four parks.

The Magical Moments games are sold in blister packs on store display racks. Photo by Sheila Hagen.

From the Main Menu, you can get a list of activation sites for each game. Generally, all of the sites are listed as being at the entrance to the attraction, however in several instances a game is actually activated near the FastPass Distribution terminals. Once at the activation site, the infrared sensor at the top of the unit will need a direct line-of-sight with the corresponding emitter to unlock the game. This usually means just having the unit out and facing the attraction. (Those emitters have a pretty good range. I was able to unlock the Space Mountain game while moving past the entrance during a ride on the TTA.) When a game is activated, the unit will chime three times, and the next time the unit is turned on (or if it is already on when the game is activated), Sorcerer Mickey will appear and wave his magic wand, revealing the title screen for the new game.

If you just can't make it to all of the attractions to unlock every game before your trip ends, don't worry. The remaining games will unlock automatically about seven days after the first one is unlocked. There is also a button sequence that will unlock all the games, which comes in handy after changing the batteries.

While the games are necessarily simple due to the limitations of the unit, they are entertaining and are a nice diversion while waiting in line. However, there are a few things about the unit I wish had been done differently. The belt clip on the back is basically useless, forcing you to put the game in a bag or purse, leading to the next problem. Any button will turn the unit on, and there is no off button, so there is a lot of wasted use of the three AAA batteries. Finally, the A button (which is the primary button used in most of the games) is to the left of the B button. This may seem logical at first, but the Nintendo GameBoy has the A button placed on the right near the edge of the unit so that it is easier to reach. It takes a little getting used to for those not used to it.

The Games

Six of the games can be unlocked in The Magic Kingdom, and the other nine are evenly divided between the other three parks. Many of the games have more than one level and will also keep track of high scores or best times.

Below is the list of games along with which park they are activated in and a brief description:

Cinderella Castle (immediately available)

Peg Leg Pete has captured Minnie and taken over the castle, and it's up to Mickey to save the day. This is a side-scrolling platform game similar to Nintendo's Super Mario series. There are four levels, and if you find a sorcerer's hat, Mickey becomes Sorcerer Mickey and can use his wand to zap enemies or enchant items to help him.

For only $19.99, this handheld game makes a great souvenir for the kids, and also keeps them entertained during the trip. Photo by Jeff Moxley.

Pirates of the Caribbean (Magic Kingdom)

Peg Leg Pete has looted the other ships of their gold and is holding Minnie prisoner. Mickey must make his way through Pete's ship, recover the gold, and save Minnie. This is another platform game with only one level.

Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom)

Peg Leg Pete has sabotaged the attraction by throwing rocks into the water to get in the way of the boats. Mickey must take a boat through the ride, avoid the rocks, and find the fastest and safest path to the end of the ride.

Big Thunder Mountain (Magic Kingdom)

Peg Leg Pete wants all of the mountain's gold for himself, but Mickey must find it first, avoiding the snakes and scorpions in his path. This one is a lot like Lode Runner. Mickey has a shovel that he uses to dig holes through platforms and to bury the critters chasing him.

Haunted Mansion (Magic Kingdom)

Ghosts have hidden various items around the mansion, and Mickey must go in to collect as many of them as possible before the ghosts catch him. A pseudo-3D, first-person perspective is used to move through the hallways of the mansion in this adventure.

"it's a small world" (Magic Kingdom)

The music has been stolen from the ride, and Mickey has to restore it by catching falling musical notes. The higher the notes, the more points they are worth.

Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom)

On his way to answer a distress call from Minnie, Donald, and Goofy at the Mars Space Station, Mickey runs into a fleet of enemy ships. He must defeat wave after wave of them to reach the Space Station. This one is patterned after arcade games like Galaga and Galaxian, where the object is just to destroy as many enemy ships as possible before moving on to the next level.

Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

Mickey, in his time-traveling spaceship, tries to get back home from prehistoric times. He must fly through four different time periods, avoiding obstacles along the way. There are four levels to this side-scrolling shooter that somewhat resembles Defender, although there are no little men to rescue.

Test Track (Epcot)

Mickey must pass three road tests before he can take his car out for the final race. In this driving game, each of the four levels mirrors a different aspect of the ride.

Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (Epcot)

It's your job to get the audience seated so the show can begin, however, some people are too big or too small for the seats, or are facing the wrong way. Use the shrink ray to make them the right size and turn them in the right direction to fill a row of seats in this interesting variation on the classic game of Tetris.

Hollywood Tower Hotel (Disney-MGM Studios)

Mickey is trying to get to the 13th floor of the hotel to save some good ghosts, but some bad ghosts are trying to stop him. You must guide Mickey from elevator to elevator before the ghosts snap the cable in this Elevator Action clone.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (Disney-MGM Studios)

You must guide Mickey through the coaster, avoiding road signs along the way. Much like the arcade game Tempest, you can move Mickey in a complete circle around the edge of the screen in order to avoid the obstacles as they approach.

Walt Disney Studios (Disney-MGM Studios)

This is just a simple pinball game that features movie-related icons.

It's Tough to Be a Bug (Animal Kingdom)

Just like Frogger, you need to get from one side of a river to the other. Only in this case you are an ant trying to collect food.

Kilimanjaro Safari (Animal Kingdom)

Mickey is trying to free animals that are being captured in the jungle, so what better game to emulate than Breakout?

Dinosaur (Animal Kingdom)

Mickey is driving through maze-like prehistoric jungles trying to collect dinosaur eggs while avoiding raptors that are trying to stop him, much like the action in Pac-Man.

Resetting the game

[Updated 2/2003] Many visitors to WDW in the last 18 months have bought the Magical Moments Game for their children to play. Of course, batteries eventually die out and we've been besieged by parents desperate to reset the game so their children can continue game play. Here are the reset directions from the instruction booklet:

1. Turn the game on or go to the Game Menu (Cinderella Castle should be on the screen).
2. Press the Up arrow, followed by Down, Up, Down, Up, Down and all of the games will be activated.

Happy gaming!

Go to: Top | Section Contents | MousePlanet Main Page

Copyright © MousePlanet® Inc. | Legal Information & Privacy Policy | About/Contact MousePlanet | Link to us

MousePlanet® is not associated in any official way with the Walt Disney Company, its subsidiaries, or its affiliates. The official Disney site is available at www.disney.com. This MousePlanet Web site provides independent news articles, commentary, editorials, reviews, and guides primarily about the theme park resorts of the Walt Disney Co. All information on this site is subject to change. Please call destinations in advance to confirm the most up-to-date information.