Talk to me about autograph books

[Just Kate]

I am brand new to all things Disney and planning a trip there with my mom and 7 year old dd for this June. I think I get the concept of autograph books (the kids have the characters sign them when they meet them in the parks, right?) and I assumed that buying a book directly from Disney was what everyone did. But now I'm reading about making your own, pillowcases, etc. and I'm thinking maybe im missing something. Can someone tell me how this autograph thing works and what might be most enjoyable for a 7 year old?

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Mousemommy1]

I am brand new to all things Disney and planning a trip there with my mom and 7 year old dd for this June. I think I get the concept of autograph books (the kids have the characters sign them when they meet them in the parks, right?) and I assumed that buying a book directly from Disney was what everyone did. But now I'm reading about making your own, pillowcases, etc. and I'm thinking maybe im missing something. Can someone tell me how this autograph thing works and what might be most enjoyable for a 7 year old?

Thanks so much!!!

My kids got their first autograph books (the park ones), back when they were 3 and 5 and they still use the same ones and will bring them again in April (their 7th trip). They like the park ones just fine.....but, I don't have a creative bone in my body, so making stuff is kind of out of the question for me.

 

[MandiC]

I considered making my own but ultimately I like the idea of having the autograph on one side of the page and a picture of my kids with the character on the other and Disney autograph books offer that at a very reasonable price so that is what we went with

I think on our next trip we might do a tote bag with fabric pen for autographs for my girls, autograph books for my boys (since they haven't been to Disney yet)

 

[msmama]

They have two different kinds in the parks (well, that I've seen). Regular ones with just pages for signatures and larger ones with a spot for signatures on one side and a spot for a picture on the other side (both kinds have several different "themes" - Mickey, princess, etc).

We started the autograph book thing as a way for my son to interact with the characters. He was about 3 and VERY shy at the time so it gave him an ice breaker, so to speak.

My guess is that many people who do other things have already done the book route and don't want several books so do something else (like pillowcases, etc). I suppose it makes a very nice keepsake, but is more work than I'd want to do, honestly.

Others make their own books, which is great if you're creative. Again, not me.

I'd love to be finished with the autograph book thing, but we are going for Star Wars Weekends this year and will certainly want those autographs!!

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Our trip in July we bought the photo autograph book online and it was great. We went back I'm December and bought the photo autograph book in the park and the pages are so dark that you can barely see the ink! Sadly, I forgot my sharpies that trip.

But DD loves getting her autographs!

Next trip, if I don't make my own, we'll probably buy one at the target down there for like $3.00

 

[michael's mom]

When DS was 3 we had the characters sign a photo mat. Once we got home, we chose one of our fave pics of him interacting with a character (Mickey at Mickey's tent in Toontown) and the mat is in the frame with the picture. It's adorable.

Some very crafty bring down quilt squares and put a quilt together when they get home.

I'm thinking that we'll be bringing down autograph pages (like index cards) that are character specific and once they're signed we can leave them in the room and put a book or album together.

 

[disneywithbaby]

We took our first trip last year and I decided to try pillow cases for my 3 and 4 year olds. They turned out amazing! I used cheap white pillowcases from Walmart and sharpie brand fabric markers. I tested the markers on a pillowcase and washed it before we went to make sure the marker didn't bleed etc. I used an embroidery hoop to keep the pillowcase tight so they could sign. And kept the pillow cases in a zip lock bag and the markers in another ziplock inside that ziplock for fear they would leak in the bag it also worked great to keep the pillowcases dry in the rain. My 4year old loves her plow case and sleeps on it all the time and I've washed it a million times and it never fades. If I knew how to add pictures I would so you can see.

 

[Maggie at the Fort]

I got one of the nice folks on the Creative DISigns thread to make personalized covers for my kids. I printed them on cardstock and made little books for my kids. I laminated the covers, stacked them up with a stack of 4 by 6 index cards and had my husband drill holes in the stack (with a drill press). I tied them up through the holes with some ribbon. Since I had all the supplies, it was a very cheap project. There are all sorts of options. A lot of people buy them in the parks. I did when I was little. I just chose this because I enjoy making things and it gets me excited for the trip. I like that it has their name and the date. My daughter has really enjoyed looking back at her book from our last trip.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

We use an actual real photo album for our autograph books.

You know the kind that holds like 100 4x6 prints ?

We purchased them at the Target near AK.

The character signed the vynol sleeve and when we get home, I send the prints to Walgreens and slide the print in behind the autograph.

Then they have the picture of themselves with the character and the autograph overlaying top of it

 

[ChloroformSdxn]

We took our first trip last year and I decided to try pillow cases for my 3 and 4 year olds. They turned out amazing! I used cheap white pillowcases from Walmart and sharpie brand fabric markers. I tested the markers on a pillowcase and washed it before we went to make sure the marker didn't bleed etc. I used an embroidery hoop to keep the pillowcase tight so they could sign. And kept the pillow cases in a zip lock bag and the markers in another ziplock inside that ziplock for fear they would leak in the bag it also worked great to keep the pillowcases dry in the rain. My 4year old loves her plow case and sleeps on it all the time and I've washed it a million times and it never fades. If I knew how to add pictures I would so you can see.

I wish we had seen this. We're flying out tomorrow morning. What a cute idea!


....think the hotel would notice if I snuck one? They have about a million.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We went on several trips before the kids noticed that other kids collected autographs, so it's definitely not a must-do. We finally decided to try it, but I just bought the Disney Junior Encyclopedia of Animated Characters from Amazon and had each character sign on their page (or a blank page if they didn't have their own page). I really didn't want a book that they'd never look at again taking up space. Many of the characters enjoy flipping through the books and discussing them with the kids, so it was a good buy, I think. Plus, it cost about the same as a Disney autograph book.

 

[Pesky]

Agree that it is not a must do. But our kids want to do it again and want me to make the autograph books again. There is some work involved with that but not horrible. I just popped over to the Creative DISigns board and looked through the various artists offerings and downloaded what I liked. Then went to Staples and had them drill and bind them and cover them with a protective plastic cover. I am scrapbooking with the autograph page and the pictures. The kids loved them and particularly loved the characters' reactions to the books. I will say that next time, I will print the SMALLER size. Nothing like carrying around 2 phone book sized autograph books to reach that decision.

 

[AlexisMaxMommy]

We went on several trips before the kids noticed that other kids collected autographs, so it's definitely not a must-do. We finally decided to try it, but I just bought the Disney Junior Encyclopedia of Animated Characters from Amazon and had each character sign on their page (or a blank page if they didn't have their own page). I really didn't want a book that they'd never look at again taking up space. Many of the characters enjoy flipping through the books and discussing them with the kids, so it was a good buy, I think. Plus, it cost about the same as a Disney autograph book.

What a cute idea! I might have to do this next time.

 

[humormeeee]

there were some cute premade autograph pages on pinterest. I thought about maybe putting them in a groovebook as a cheap way to do an autograph book. The only problem is I missed my groovebook deadline and they take forever to ship and my trip is coming up soon, so I might do something different.

 

[bjscheel]

I like to get small spiral bound scrapbooks like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-6-x-8-CRE...32?pt=Scrapbooking_Albums&hash=item541476e484

The spiral binding is nice if you're going to add photographs opposite the autograph. The Disney books we have, have a solid binding so when you add the thickness of photos then they won't lay flat anymore. Also when the spiral bound books have plain covers, the kids can decorate the covers themselves.

Whichever kind you have, it is handy to keep a rubber band around the cover and the pages that have already been signed so you can quickly flip to the next available page. And bring a Sharpie! Put your contact info inside the cover in case you leave it behind somewhere. An autograph book is great for a shy kid who needs something to get them to approach the character- it is a natural ice breaker.

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

We've tried a park book and a spiral bound book from Target (found it at the one by WDW). I prefer the spiral bound one as there is a silhouette of Mickey on the pages. I cut out the signatures and put them in a scrapbook with a picture of meeting the characters. The one autograph book we bought at DL had plain white paper pages and didn't stay open as well for the characters with big gloves, so overall not my favorite. I've see the pages people make and they are cute, but too much work for me.
I'm thinking we might try a bag or shirt in addition to the books this time. The only other thing I've read is they can't sign something you are wearing at the time.

 

[hokieinpa]

We also used the Disney Junior Encyclopedia. The only characters not in the book are from Disney Junior shows - Jake, Sofia, Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny.

It was great to have the characters sign on their page. They really liked looking at them at the meets too - sometimes they added a cute drawing or underlined words. We still read the book at home and talk about the character meets!

Also, it gave us something to do in line! We could read through a couple character pages to entertain the kids!

 

[Ruthy_B]

A year later and these tips are still great! Thanks for the idea of the encyclopedia (anyone else have Ted's voice of pronouncing it correctly from HIMYM?). I was wondering what would be best for the kids but I think if I get 1 book and 1 matting frame we can make it work.
Cheers!

 

[sallytigger]

There are some really fun ideas here! Love the idea of having a mat signed for a picture frame!

 

[SweetieinVT]

Has anyone done just one book for the family? I have four kids, and the thought of carrying four books is not appealing. Thinking maybe one book to share and a lightweight drawstring bag for each kid in their favorite color would be easier. That way we have a book with room for pictures and each kid can still have their own thing.