NEED TO KNOW
- Disney Parks guests may stumble on a clap box, a taped square that triggers applause from cast members
- The boxes appear at random and aren’t permanent features like Hidden Mickeys
- Viral videos show guests soaking up the spotlight or playfully stepping in and out for laughs
Secrets are a-plenty at the Disney Parks, and the latest one is as simple as it is fun: the clap box.
While guests may be used to applauding for Disney characters, the employees turn the tables on them with a simple a small square of tape on the sidewalk. Any guest who walks through the square or stands in it then receives a chorus cheers from all gathered cast members.
The clap boxes, as they’ve been dubbed, are not a permanent feature of Disney World or Disneyland, so it’s less like hunting for Hidden Mickeys and is instead something guests will stumble on by pure chance.
Cast members must take time out of their day to stand by the clap box, so if the park is too busy, they probably won’t appear. However, on a less busy day — or when a ride temporarily closes, according to SFGATE — clap boxes can serve as a way to keep the energy up.
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Countless videos have been posted online about clap boxes, showing guests having their magical minute of fame or trying to mess with the cast by going in and out of the box over and over again.
Clap boxes seem to be just another small way Disney Parks attempts to create fun and immersive experiences for guests. So, next time you’re at the parks, watch your step, as you may be seconds away from your brief moment in the limelight.
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Of course, as frequent visitors to Disney World and Disneyland know, clap boxes are just one of the many easter eggs imagineers have implemented into the amusement park experience.
Hidden Mickeys are perhaps the best known Disney Parks secret. These instances where imagineers intentionally add Mickey Mouses’ iconic three circle silhouette into parts of the park. Notable instances includes the fireworks over the Spaceship Earth in Epcot at the end of “Soarin'” and on the moss in Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life.
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