| Pal Mickey |
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The toy is a ten-and-a-half-inch-tall (26.5cm) Mickey Mouse , soft and easy for children to hold. Inside, it contains a Microprocessor , a speaker, three AA batteries, three squeeze sensors (one in each hand and one in its belly), and an Infrared receiver/transmitter in its nose. A loop on the back of its head fits a clip or a Lanyard hook for ease of carrying. Pal Mickey is sold for use at the four , Epcot , the Disney-MGM Studios , and Disney's Animal Kingdom . It communicates invisibly with more than four hundred infrared transmitters around these parks. It will periodically giggle and vibrate to indicate that it has information to provide; when its belly or hand is squeezed, it will speak up with information about the immediate area, parade and showtime reminders, tips on what costumed walkaround characters may be nearby, and attractions with short queue times. It "remembers" where it has been so as to avoid repeating itself. If it is squeezed when it has no tips to provide or when it is not at a park, it will tell jokes and play simple games. The toy is programmed with over seven hundred pre-recorded phrases. VERSIONS The original version of Pal Mickey was introduced in May 2003 . It was dressed in red shorts with white buttons, white gloves, and yellow shoes. It sold for US$50, with rentals available for $8 per day plus a $50 deposit to return it by noon the following day; if it was not returned, that deposit was forfeited and the toy was considered sold. This version of the toy came with a clip. The rental program was discontinued at the end of 2004. The "Happiest Celebration On Earth" version of the toy was introduced on May 5 , 2005 with the start of the Happiest Celebration On Earth events. It is priced at US$65. It is dressed in red shorts with gold buttons, white gloves, and yellow shoes; it wears a Tailcoat and a gold Bowtie , both of which fasten with Velcro . It comes with a clip and a lanyard for carrying it. This version improves on the original in many small ways, such as by having a louder speaker, and it is able to sing Disney songs and ask Disney character trivia questions. A Spanish Language version of Pal Mickey is also available. A Disney annual passholder can present his pass wherever Pal Mickey is sold to receive a free Passholder T-shirt for the toy. Four costumes for the toy were made available in early 2006. The costumes are "Mickey Mouse Club", "Pin Trading", "Safari", and "Rain Wear", and sell for US$10 each. GAMES The original version of the toy provided a choice of three games, triggered by squeezing both of its hands at the same time.
These games are added in the "Happiest Celebration on Earth" version of the toy, for a total of six games. The above three games are triggered by squeezing the toy's tummy and right hand at the same time; the below three games are triggered by squeezing its tummy and left hand at the same time.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION Pal Mickey interacts with the "Happiest Celebration on Earth Glow Medallion" which is sold separately. When Pal Mickey's hand is squeezed, any medallions in range will light up, just as they do for parades. Pal Mickey's electronics and batteries are encased in yellow plastic housings which can be accessed by unzipping the back of the toy. Beneath the zipper is an on/off switch which enables or disables the toy's squeeze and infrared sensors to prolong battery life. The toys are shipped with batteries installed, and they are set to "demo mode" while they are on store shelves: they ignore infrared signals, and squeezing them will make them recite a sample of tips as if they were near park attractions. When a Pal Mickey is purchased, a castmember will aim an infrared device at its nose to reset it so that it will leave demo mode. It has been reported that the infrared transmitters in the parks are able to identify individual Pal Mickey toys and roughly track their locations as they are carried around, thereby letting Disney collect information about guests' progress through the parks. If this is true, the information collected would be anonymous, since nothing identifies a specific Pal Mickey as belonging to a specific person or family. Pal Mickey obeys the third Law Of Robotics by protecting its own existence: when it is brought near a water attraction, it cautions its owner to keep it dry. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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