Discovering Disney’s Hidden Mickeys: What is a Hidden Mickey?

Have you discovered the hidden disney fun of Hidden Mickeys?  Hidden Mickeys add an extra element of fun to Disney parks.

What is a Hidden Mickey?

A Hidden Mickey is basically a mickey mouse shape hidden anywhere in any Disney park.  You can get as technical as you want with the definition, but I consider a Hidden Mickey to fall under these three rules:

1. A Hidden Mickey must look like Mickey Mouse.  Most of them are the basic three circle silhouette, with one larger circle for the head and two smaller circles for the ears. Some are profiles of Mickey's head, and some of them are silhouettes of an entire Mickey Mouse. There are other hidden things around Disney parks resembling other characters that are also fun to look for. But most of them are Mickey Mouse.
2. A Hidden Mickey must be intentional (three pieces of gravel in a Mickey shape are random).  A true Hidden Mickey is placed in the ride or park by Disney Imagineers.  Keep this in mind and you'll know them when you see them.
3. A Hidden Mickey is not a design element.  Repetitive Mickey shapes, such as one the top of every lamp post, are not hidden.

Above, the top picture is a Hidden Mickey.  One group of rocks is obviously intentionally Mickey-shaped, but most of the rocks are random shapes.

The second pictures is not a Hidden Mickey.  It's not “hidden” at all, and it's obviously a design element.

There are books and apps you can use to help you find Hidden Mickeys. Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys and Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World®'s Best Kept Secrets are two. But if you keep your eyes open at Disney parks, you'll likely spot some on your own!

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