fbpx
Skip to content

The Art of Disneybounding

Disneybounding. Funny term isn’t it?  This is when you dress up like a character or a Disney attraction, but it is not OBVIOUS that you are a character. For example, I could wear red shorts and a black tank top and yellow shoes. I am not in a Mickey Mouse “costume.” It’s just a regular outfit! There is a whole Tumblr dedicated to outfits that you can purchase inspired by Disney characters! In fact, I decided that when I went to California a few weeks ago, I was going to Disneybound each day I was in the parks, tallying up to a grand total of four Disneybounding outfits. Each one had a different reason why I picked that character or that attraction to Disneybound as. But you don’t have to limit Disneybounding only to the parks. I have even Disneybounded at school before! Here are the four Disneybounds that I took to the West Coast and a few of my favorites that I do at home every so often.

 

blog3Minnie Mouse
Everyone adores Mickey’s love interest. With a kind heart, she won over the world’s affection, and of course, her fashion sense cannot be dismissed! Her dress is one of the most iconic among cartoon characters with the red base and white polka dots. Her bow matches this pattern. I decided to Disneybound as her for one of my days in Disneyland because everyone would know who I was trying to be. Plus I knew I could find a sixties swing dress inspired by her! I fortunately bought one of those really small Minnie hats (like three or four inches long) that has an alligator clip on the bottom so you could snap this mini Minnie hat (hahaha…) into your hair. I wore that along with a 60’s inspired swing dress that tied around my neck. Since wearing Minnie’s yellow shoes would look silly since they don’t match her dress, I opted for red shoes instead. I did not wear gloves (keep in mind, this is California we are talking about!) but to compensate for that, I decided to wear pearl stud earrings along with a matching necklace and bracelet. These weren’t REAL pearls, but they looked just like the real thing. You could consider it a dapper outfit, if you will.

 

 

blog2

 

World of Color

I specifically wanted to Disneybound as one of Disneyland’s many choices of nighttime entertainment, World of Color, because I have been looking forward to seeing it for such a long time now. I remember wanting to see it when it first came out but didn’t think I’d ever get the chance to actually be in attendance. I paid this show tribute by wearing an outfit inspired by this fantastic water show on our first day at Disney California Adventure. I definitely wanted to focus more on the color aspect of the show rather than the water, so I wore a top that had many different colors on it. It tied up to my neck and had no sleeves. I tucked this into a pair of high waist black shorts and had black shoes to match. My earrings were pieces of different colored threads strung together, and as for my hair accessory, I alternated between my Glow with the Show ears and a ribbon that was created for and inspired by World of Color that also lit up. This was much different then all my other outfits because it looked edgy and modern.

 

 

 

 

blog5

Sleeping Beauty Castle

The icon for Disneyland is the home to one of my favorite princesses since I was a child – okay, for those of you saying I’m still a child, change that to younger child — Briar Rose, or more commonly known as Sleeping Beauty. I wanted to pay tribute to the castle by using it as my Disneybound inspiration on our second day in Disneyland. I had on a blue skirt that perfectly matched the blue of the castle. My top was the same shade as the castle’s top half and it was made out of lace. The skirt and top were both short in the front and long in the back, which I think made it look a little elegant – like the castle. My shoes were Oxfords with two different laces: you guessed it, one shoe had shiny blue laces and the other had solid pink ones. My earrings were gold and dangled to my shoulders and my necklace was a vial of pixie dust around my neck. This was actually the first complete outfit that I designed for my vacation, and I am very proud of how it turned out!

 

 

 

 

Radiator Spring Racerblog4

Even though this was the last outfit I coordinated for my vacation, it is definitely one of my favorites. You know how little girls run around as princesses because they aspire to be one? I took this idea and decided to apply it to myself. I dressed up like someone I aspired to be – a Cast Member! It was very hard to narrow it down to which Cast Member I wanted to emulate. I knew that whoever I dressed as would get a kick out of it, and I figured that the folks over at Radiator Springs Racers have to deal with a lot of rude people since they typically have longer lines than some other rides. Plus, their outfits are pretty cool! With jackets that are half yellow and half red with a black and white checkerboard separating the two and long red pants with a checker pattern down the side, it just screamed “Racer!” I wore red shorts with a yellow jean vest and a black and white checkerboard crop top. My hair was tied in a ponytail with the black and white pattern ribbon, which perfectly matched my choker necklace. My shoes were the same red of my shorts. What I loved most about this was how happy the Cast Members got when they saw me, even if they weren’t in Carsland. The Luigi’s Flying Tires attendant got a kick out of my outfit and even let me do the ride operation signals along with him (which was AWESOME). Many Photopass photographers commented on it and even Donna the Dog Lady, one of the AMAZING residents over on Buena Vista Street, knew right away who I was.  I loved making people’s day brighter, which does the same for me also.

 

Peter Pan

This is one of my favorites to do at home. Peter Pan is one of my favorite Disney characters for many reasons. I love Disneybounding as him because it embodies just one of the reasons why I love him: He never grows up and stays adventurous.  I wear a pair of jean shorts and moccasins. I also throw on a red tank top and this green crochet cardigan I have that has no sleeves and a hood. I then usually wear my Peter Pan bow, which even has a feather that pops out just like his! To complete the look, add a cuff that goes around the top of my ear which is attached to an earring that dangles to look like a feather. It has a rustic look to it, which works with my green cardigan.

 

Sal

This name may not sound familiar. If not, go to YouTube and look up the “Red Car Newsboys”.  These newsboys have their own show at Disney California Adventure. It’s kind of similar to Newsies in the idea that they are underpaid newsboys that have to “pay their dues”, plus they love singing about the news. I fell in LOVE with this show and, once I got back home, I hunted through my closet until I could throw together a decent Disneybound of one of the stars of the show named Sal. Sal is the only female newsboy in the whole entire show, and I love her because of that. She is also treated like the little sister throughout the entire performance, which I think is just adorable. Anyway, she wears a very… different outfit. With a dark green long sleeve shirt rolled up at the elbows and blue suspenders attached to yellow and black plaid pants, she is definitely different than the other newsboys. Her light blue socks and matching gloves, brown belt and brown boots are also minor details that made her more memorable to me. And of course, who could forget her Black hat! My Disneybound of her includes a dark green tank top with a blue cardigan and yellow shorts. Blue suspenders hang from the shorts and my brown combat boot and belt perfectly match hers. I even have her hat!

 

1185751_1423433667881123_494363306_nOswald the Lucky Rabbit

Oswald is one of my favorite characters of all time. It seems to me that he is underappreciated, so I decided to dedicate a whole outfit to him. I wear electric blue shorts over black leggings and a black turtleneck with long sleeves. I also wear black Toms to complete the look. I even have gloves and a tail that I could add at any time. In fact, I am planning on cosplaying using this outfit, and a LOT of face makeup! Oh, and don’t forget the Oswald ears!

____________________________________________

I love Disneybounding because it brings just a little magic to your day no matter where you are. Whenever I am wearing an outfit with accessories or something that I don’t usually wear, a lot of my friends try to guess who I am because they know right off the bat that I am Disneybounding. My friends know me so well! Like all things worth doing, it doesn’t always come easy, though. If you are looking for a “perfect” outfit to Disneybound a concept (like the World of Color), it can take many hours hunting for just what you’re looking for (my World of Color top took me to three malls over four months and countless hours of internet browsing to find my dream outfit). Mostly, however, you can use what you already have and just put it together a little differently than you normally would.

Now, I want to end this week with a challenge. For a whole entire month, I want you to use your creativity-and your closet- and try to Disneybound every day as a different Disney icon. I did it successfully a few months ago, so I know you can do it! You can start out with your favorite characters, shows or attraction and work your way through the 30 or 31 days from there. I can guarantee you that you will have a lot of fun thinking of new combinations of your clothing!

(Pictures from my personal collection.)

Have you ever Disneybounded before? If not, what would YOU Disneybound as? If so, I’d like to hear what outfits you’ve put together.

 

See ya REAL soon!

 Makena's signature for blog

 

 

 

 

Quote of the Week:  “Mr. Disney. He traveled west with just a few bucks to his name. Along the way he met Mickey Mouse and the world will never be the same.”  ~ A Suitcase and a Dream, Red Car Newsboys

 

Makena is a 15 year old high school student who spends much of her free time researching Disney. She enjoys sharing Disney facts and even plans Walt Disney World vacations (including searches for secrets and Hidden Mickeys) for friends and family. You can follow Makena on twitter @Makattack98 or on Facebook (Makena Wolcott).  Makena began blogging for WDW Radio in December 2011.

Comments

About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

Related Posts