We got some Made with Magic ears and light-up toys at Disneyland Park several years ago and are still having fun playing with them even though you don’t see them in the parks much anymore! The Made With Magic ears, headbands and wands can help you and your tadpoles interact with nighttime entertainment and other Made with Magic items in the park. Unfortunately, you cannot purchase these items in the park as of late, and we have not had any luck locating them online either (but be sure to leave us a note in the comments if you find them.)
Mommy Frog recently dusted off her original Made with Magic ears that she got in 2013 (before I was even born!). She inserted new batteries, and we took the ears to a showing of World of Color to see what would happen. They still work! It was toadally fun to watch the ears light up in sync with the music and fountains. We watched the show from the standby area in front of The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure, and the ears worked all the way back there! The problem is that nobody wanted to actually wear the ears because we all wanted to see them light up and change colors with the show! Plus they aren't nearly as flattering as a tiara.
Once we found out that the ears worked, we found a friend with an old Mickey hand glove. We got to watch the Mickey hand sync with our Mickey ears and interact with the Disneyland fireworks show. That was toadally fun!
Made with Magic Ears and Other Items
For now, it seems you'd have to already own these items or find them used. We cannot seem to locate them in the parks and online. You can “glow with the show” during fireworks, World of Color and other nighttime experiences at Disneyland Resort with Made with Magic ears. The ears also work at nighttime at all Disney parks around the world. These are the interactive items you used to be able to buy:
- Mickey Ear 3.0 Hat — The Connected Ear Hat glows and blinks in sync with nighttime experiences in the park.
- Sorcerer Mickey Made with Magic Wand — You can use this magical wand to change the color patterns of other Made with Magic items with a flick of the wrist.
- Minnie Mouse Made with Magic Ear Headband — The pearlescent pink headband glows and interacts at show time.
- Magic Paintbrush – Like the Magic Wand, the brush is used to change colors of other Made with Magic items. It interacts with the Paint the Night parade and may only be available inside parks that are currently hosting Paint the Night.
- A light-up Mickey hand glove (more fun than ears because you can watch it).
Even these older items that are no longer sold still work and interact with the shows, so definitely bring any old Made with Magic items with you. Our "vintage" ears worked great. You'll make everyone else toadally green with envy.
How to Use Made with Magic Items
To use your Sorcerer Mickey Wand to change the color of other items, you’ll choose a color you want and then point your wand at the Mickey ears, light-up Minnie Mouse Bow or magic wand, and then push another button to change their color to the one you choose. You can have a duel with someone else’s wand or paintbrush. You really have to watch those cast members because they are so fast and tricky at changing your wand color before you even see them! Unfortunately, we aren't seeing very many people with theses toys anymore.
You can put the ears in a color-changing demo mode when at home. They come with two AAA batteries, although our older pair has three AAA batteries.
The coolest part of these exciting toys, though, is that you can interact with the fireworks (we have not tried every show), Fantasmic! and World of Color. When Paint the Night was running, we loved using our magic paintbrush during the parade. When we were watching the parade for the first time, a pink fairy came over to me with her wand and turned my paintbrush pink! You can see the pink fairy near the beginning of Tad’s video! When Lightning McQueen drove by, my wand turned red. Tad and I even changed the costume colors of some parade dancers! Oh, how I miss that fun nighttime parade.
I am not sure how it works — it sure seems magical to me! One time, I saw a girl looking at her new Minnie Mouse bow. I changed its color without her seeing me and she was so surprised. She had no idea how that happened. I laughed and laughed. It’s enough to make you hop around with excitement!
Not only is it toadally fun to control colors around the park, but it is also fun to watch people use their wands. Even when adults had them, they got so excited when they changed another person’s Mickey ear color. It's kind of like a game of tag.
Tad and I had fun dueling against each other all night when we first got them. At first, Mommy Frog did not want to spend the money on them because they are a little pricey. But once she tried them she had so much fun playing with them too! The only down side, after the price, is that they don’t come with any instructions. Talk to cast members to find out what these toys can do and experiment with them. Maybe you will discover a new way that they work! And if you do, please share it with us so others can try it.
There are some downsides to the Made With Magic paintbrushes and wands. These toys are great fun in the park, but once you get them home, there is not a lot you can do with them unless your family has two. If you have two, then you can duel or change the colors of the ears when you miss Disneyland. In the future, you might want to use these guidelines for buying similar in-park souvenirs:
- Will you be able to use it multiple nights in the park?
- Can you buy multiple items for your family?
- Are you able to aim and push buttons?
Be sure to store them in a safe place so you can bring the ears and wands back for future trips!
Do you have Made with Magic merch? What's your favorite part? Any tips for newbies? Be sure to share with us in the comments below!
Related: Best Ways and Places to View Disneyland's World of Color
Love,
