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June 28, 2007 - When it comes to Hidden Mickeys, the partial or complete silhouette of Mickey Mouse that has been designed to be part of the area its in that is somewhat Hidden, there is no more authoritative source than Steve Barrett. I’ve often run into Steve in the parks, wearing his trademark safari hat, looking and “researching” for new Hidden Mickeys in the parks.  Steve gave a very insightful keynote speech at the 2006 Magic Meets event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and his latest book, Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets, which is the third edition of the wildly popular series, has been updated to include 200 new Hidden Mickeys.

I’ll admit that I’m not really the sort of person that thought Hidden Mickeys were something I would enjoy.  For the most part, I knew of them, but generally didn’t care much about it.  I then had the opportunity to meet with Steve in person and interview him on my podcast and since then I started slowly noticing Hidden Mickeys.  Perhaps I’d be on line at an attraction and would notice one or my fiancée would point one out to me and these seemingly insignificant elements of decoration suddenly started to make sense and I started to “get it”.  Kind of like when Neo realizes what the Matrix really is (well, something like that).

By no means am I calling myself Steve Barrett Jr, but Steve’s books have allowed me to really get an idea of what Hidden Mickeys are and join in on the fun.  And that’s what Hidden Mickeys are: fun.  As a veteran of Walt Disney World, you start to notice the little things and as someone who truly appreciates Disney’s attention to detail, I’ve come to embrace Hidden Mickeys for the intriguing pieces of entertainment that they are and I have Steve and his new book to thank for it.

This 220 page book is small enough I could toss it in my bag that I bring with me to the parks and it’s the perfect size for waiting in line and looking around.  The book’s chapters are split into two sections; the scavenger hunt phase, where Steve provides hints as to where one can find a Hidden Mickey in an area so you can find it on your own, and a Hints section, where Steve divulges the answer in case you can’t find it with just the hint and your own eyeballs.  And trust me, the Hints section is going to be referred to often because I’ve often said to myself “It’s not here! Steve is wrong because there is nothing to be found here” and then I refer to the book (or in some cases Steve himself) and lo and behold, there it is. 

With all reviews I conduct, I pay special attention to the part of the book about the Disney-MGM Studios.  Steve has accounted for 73 Hidden Mickeys at the Studios and they range from being in restaurants, attractions, shops and more.  For instance, I had no idea there was a Hidden Mickey in the entrance gate to the Studios (in fact there are two!). Some are obvious ones I’ve seen for years, while others surprise me.  Steve, and his legions of fans over at HiddenMickeysGuide.com, have scoured the park and found a number of these gems and what I like to do is see how many I can find on an attraction on my own without the book and then look back and see what I missed. 

In addition to the Studios, there are Hidden Mickeys for the other 3 theme parks, the Walt Disney World resorts, water parks, shopping areas as well as Hidden Mickeys found during seasonal times of the year along with Steve's Top 10 Hidden Mickeys, which are the Hidden Mickeys Steve enjoys the most. My favorite (because I know you're dying to know) is the hidden Tinker Bell at the exit to Big Thunder Mountain in the Magic Kingdom.

Steve’s book is a great resource and fun for anyone who’s been to the parks and wants more.  Like I said earlier, I never considered myself a Hidden Mickey kind of guy (and I still don’t to some degree) but it’s hard not to read what Steve has and not look around for the little Hidden silhouette of Mickey during Fantasmic! (when Pinocchio is shown on the water screen, bubbles form a Hidden Mickey).

Overall score: 8 out of 10

Link to buy this book