Do CMs these days not know the older characters?

[LadyArmonua]

So my younger sister just got in from California; she's moving here for a year before heading off to college. She decided to take one last trip to Disneyland with a few friends before coming out here. One of her friends, a guy who's just starting into pin collecting, wanted to take a look at the pin shops and carts and see if he could find his favorite character, Figaro the cat. So they go into one of the pin shops, somewhere in Fantasyland, and he asks the CM working there if they had any Figaro pins in stock. She replies no, sorry, they just don't carry those when my sister looks down at the rack and notices a whole row of Figaro pins. She hands one to her friend and they purchase it, having a few laughs at this but it makes me wonder. My sister said the CM looked about our age, so early twenties, but she didn't know who or what Figaro was. I know Figaro isn't exactly a really well known character, not as well known as say Stitch or Tinker Bell, but really? If you're going to work at Disney, I would think knowing the characters would kind of be important.

Also, I think that the girl just telling them that they didn't carry the pin only because she wasn't familiar with the character annoys me. If you don't know who it is, okay, but ask someone else if they might know. That little shopping trip could have ended up a real disappointment had it not been for my sister's sharp eye.

 

[Moondance]

I completely concur, It makes me sick how Disney is hiring half-assed employees that don't know crap about Disney characters/history or just have all around poor workmanship.
I've encountered these types of people at DLR, The Disney store and by calling the disneystore!!! GAH!!!

If I were your sister i'd write a letter to Disney about this experience.

 

[Melonballer]

It is not just CMs. Lot's of people could not tell you who Figaro is. I was in line to a Grand Opening of a Disney Store. They had trivia questions with prizes. I had already won a prize so when they asked "What is the name of Geppeto's cat in Pinnocchio?" I was silent. I figured let someone else win. Not a single person raised their hand. No one. And this is among a hundred plus line of people who are big enough Disney fans to get up early and line up to get into a new Disney Store.

 

[PixarPerils]

Now let me tell you a story:

I was in my local Disney Store a couple of months ago, and was talking to a cast member, who told me he collects pins too, and he has four pin bags, all of which he had bought from that very Disney Store.

When I visited that Disney Store again, about a month later, I went up to the same cast member and asked if they had gotten any pin bags in recently, to which he replied, "No, we never get pin bags in at this store. We don't carry them."

Well, he had obviously forgotten my face, and had therefore forgotten that he had already told me that he had bought pin bags from that location. I'm not mad at him. I'm just telling you this story to get to this point: sometimes cast members just lie. It could be because they don't want to be bothered, or because they want all the pin bags to themselves, or any number of reasons. Maybe it was his last day at that job before school started, and he just wanted to goof off.

So I guess my point is that it is entirely possible that the CM knew who Figaro is, but didn't care.

 

[JKrolak]

I rather doubt the cast members deliberately lie to guests/customer.

Disney has thousands of characters. And if unfamiliar with the movie, even an average fan could easily forget the name of the supporting cast. I consider myself a hardcore fan and even I would be hard pressed to anme some of the dogs in Lady and the Tramp, or the band members of the Aristocats, or the non dalmations in 101 Dalmations. Everyone learns more about Disney each day, even old timers like myself can still learn new bits of Disney lore.

As for your pin bag example, he could well have been refering to the current state of pin trading/collecting at Disney Stores. While they have had great things in the past, they don't get them now. I can't remember the last time I found pins or pin bags at a Disney Store. If someone found them outside of the Park stores in the last 6 months, I would truely like to know where. The last ones I found were at the outlet clearance stores.

 

[tyleet87]

I rather doubt the cast members deliberately lie to guests/customer.

I think they do. I'm pretty sure when I worked there back in 2004-5 I might have tried pawning guest's questions on someone else, like another worker or supervisor. Some people just have bad days, some people are lazy, or they just don't care. I would not be surprised if there are a few of those cast members that just would rather not deal with it. But 95% of the employees there are filled with Disney spirit so I'm not surprised not everyone has encountered those unlucky few.

I know of someone who got fired for not having a "Disney Attitude". True story.

 

[figment919]

We were at EPCOT a few weeks ago and I was looking for the Vinylmation 3D Monstro pin. I aske a CM who was on the college program at the Pin Central area if they had it and he said he "did not know who Monstro was/is".

I explained it to him and told him the background on Monstro, he thanked me but he had that "I really don't care to know" expression on his face.

Mike S.

 

[weebo]

are man iam a cast member and that makes me a little sad :-( its not all cast members and i no who figaro and cleo are

 

[Trade Winds Pins]

I know of someone who got fired for not having a "Disney Attitude". True story.

Gillian, was it Michael Eisner? Oh wait, he was already gone by the time you were there...HAHAHHAHAHA! I crack me up...

I'm not sure if I've ever personally encountered a lying CM; I know I've encountered the I-don't-give-a-crap CM, or the I'll-just-say-anything-to-avoid-helping-this-guest CM and the not-to-blame giving-me-so-called-facts-because-that's-what-the-Lead-or-Manager-erroneously-told-him/her CM. Usually of those, I only encounter the last. Most I've ever talked to know their characters, at least their mainstream ones.

 

[scottydem]

Meh, Figaro is a very obscure character. Plus Pinocchio as a Disney film is not one of the company's most popular films. Not everyone will know every Disney character, nor should they be responsible for knowing it.

As long as it doesn't affect their job performance (I don't see how it could), I don't think it's a big deal.

 

[Masamune]

Personally, I think that saying that Figaro is obscure is basically saying that any character who isn't Fab 5, Tinker Bell or Stitch is obscure. And in this case, it DID affect their job performance, because they told a customer that they didn't have any Figaro pins in stock when actually they did.

This CM just sounds like they didn't care. If they didn't know who the character was, they should've asked another CM or even asked the guest to give them a hint. I'm sure they would know who it was if they were told "Gepetto's cat from Pinocchio". I don't expect for every CM to know every single character, but I think there are a lot more obscure characters than Figaro.

What about Amelia, Lyle, Buck or Goob? If I was asking for pins of these characters, I wouldn't expect a CM to know them, so I'd just describe them and say which film they're from. But something like Figaro, I'm sorry, but that's basic Disney trivia in my book.

 

[scottydem]

Personally, I think that saying that Figaro is obscure is basically saying that any character who isn't Fab 5, Tinker Bell or Stitch is obscure. And in this case, it DID affect their job performance, because they told a customer that they didn't have any Figaro pins in stock when actually they did.

This CM just sounds like they didn't care. If they didn't know who the character was, they should've asked another CM or even asked the guest to give them a hint. I'm sure they would know who it was if they were told "Gepetto's cat from Pinocchio". I don't expect for every CM to know every single character, but I think there are a lot more obscure characters than Figaro.

What about Amelia, Lyle, Buck or Goob? If I was asking for pins of these characters, I wouldn't expect a CM to know them, so I'd just describe them and say which film they're from. But something like Figaro, I'm sorry, but that's basic Disney trivia in my book.

That's kind of exaggerating the point a bit. Is Woody an obscure character? He isn't Fab 5, Tink, or Stitch. Main characters and other wildly popular characters (common sense) aren't obscure, but Figaro .... from the 1940 film Pinocchio who was a minor comic relief character along with his partner Cleo.... that's not a character everyone knows off the top of their head. Heck, most people don't know who the Blue Fairy/Gepetto and I'd be shocked if half the people could pick out Jiminy Cricket. If you're asking a CM, who odds are doesn't know much about Disney as super-fans do, you have to expect them not to know everything.

And that may be "basic" Disney to you, but you shouldn't apply it to everyone's frame of mind because it is simply unrealistic and you're just setting yourself up to be disappointed when you come to find out they don't know what you're talking about.

 

[RaChEltheRabidRabbit]

I always thought that those who became Cast Members were big Disney Fans in the first place and knew almost every Disney character but I guess that is not the case. Same with being friendly. Quite a few I have encounterd are not real nice. I, personally, would make an excellent Cast Member in my honest opinion if Disney Knowledge counted for being a Cast Member

 

[simonandwendy626]

Good Grief this is really sad to think that cast members would not know a character is really upsetting, are they not fans first? This is especially sad when we are talking about a classic.

 

[coblj003]

I admit it, I've never saw Pinnochio(or don't recall seeing it) before I went on my DCP last year. I knew of Figaro but I can definitely say I didn't know the name of Cleo before then. You have to realize that the current generation has little to no recollection of growing up with the classics(yeah, vault). Heck, I had a few guests asking where the donkeys came from in the Main Street Electrical Parade, and the obscure characters from the silly symphonies float/fantasia floats in the Spectromagic Parade.

 

[karkura]

Why should Cast Members be Disney fans? The Disneyland resort offers thousands of jobs in Anaheim. There are hundreds of thousands of people that live very close to Disneyland. It is a convenient place to get a job. I worked at restaurants and retail when I was younger. That does not mean I was a fan of those places. I was young and needed a job to pay my bills.

 

[chaboo]

At the end of the day, being a cast member is a job that pays the bills. Not everyone goes to work for Disney because they're huge fans, they may need the job. Disney itself doesn't require its movie knowledge to be a part of the job and not knowing a character from a movie decades older than this cast member doesn't seem like such a big deal.

 

[unibear]

You know, I can forgive a CM for not knowing who Figaro is. But the bigger issue is: If you don't know who the character is, don't act like you do and lie (by ignorance) that you aren't selling pins of him (Figaro is a guy isn't he?). Politely ask the customer who Figaro is, and then answer the question. Don't just say "ah, no, we don't have any pins of him" when you don't know who he is!!

It's OK not to know everything, just don't act like you DO if you DON'T!

 

[MaeBlum08]

Personally, I think that saying that Figaro is obscure is basically saying that any character who isn't Fab 5, Tinker Bell or Stitch is obscure. And in this case, it DID affect their job performance, because they told a customer that they didn't have any Figaro pins in stock when actually they did.

This CM just sounds like they didn't care. If they didn't know who the character was, they should've asked another CM or even asked the guest to give them a hint. I'm sure they would know who it was if they were told "Gepetto's cat from Pinocchio". I don't expect for every CM to know every single character, but I think there are a lot more obscure characters than Figaro.

What about Amelia, Lyle, Buck or Goob? If I was asking for pins of these characters, I wouldn't expect a CM to know them, so I'd just describe them and say which film they're from. But something like Figaro, I'm sorry, but that's basic Disney trivia in my book.

Figaro is also Minnie's cat. He is actually sold as an accessory in playsets with her (Leila has one that we bought at the park) and is on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoon show sometimes with her. So Figaro is pretty mainstream, whether he is known from being in Pinocchio or not. There is actually a whole episode dedicated to him being lost and Minnie walks around the whole show shouting his name.

I realize that I know these things because I have a young child who loves that stuff, but I am just trying to reinforce that he isn't an obscure character- especially being a pet of one of the members of the Fab 5. It was all about this person not wanting to make any effort. Everyone has bad days, but when you walk into your job you are supposed to put whatever happened in your real life aside and concentrate on what you're doing. That is part of being professional. Maybe that's just my opinion, but I work as a cocktail server on a pool deck at a resort here in FL; not every customer is a good one. If I get annoyed/upset, I go to the bathroom and give myself a minute, but then walk back out with a smile on my face because my job depends on my customers having a good experience.

 

[Abyssinian28]

Why should Cast Members be Disney fans? The Disneyland resort offers thousands of jobs in Anaheim. There are hundreds of thousands of people that live very close to Disneyland. It is a convenient place to get a job. I worked at restaurants and retail when I was younger. That does not mean I was a fan of those places. I was young and needed a job to pay my bills.

THANK you!

Do you know how many jobs are available at WDW? It's kind of silly, IMO, to assume that the Orlando area has THAT many Disney fans. Disney's fun, but us hardcore adult fans are not as plentiful as you may think, and there's certainly not enough of us to run 4+ Parks and something like 20 hotels, DTD, etc., etc.

And, also IMO, Figaro is NOT basic Disney trivia, especially not in this decade. True story- I had to struggle to remember Cleo's name the other day when talking to my mother. That said- the cast member should have asked for more info, or gotten someone else. That was half-assed, and almost lost sales. I love retail and sales, so it always makes me sad to see that apathetic attitude in retail...and it's oh-so-common.

 

[wdwjuan]

At the end of the day, being a cast member is a job that pays the bills. Not everyone goes to work for Disney because they're huge fans, they may need the job. Disney itself doesn't require its movie knowledge to be a part of the job and not knowing a character from a movie decades older than this cast member doesn't seem like such a big deal.

Well said.

A CM's basic responsibilities (as for Disney knowledge) only lies in their work location. This means that a CM working Mr. Toad's Wild Ride *should* know the characters featured in the ride. Most likely trainers will talk to them about this. But as for learning all the characters from the other rides near by, that's not something covered in orientation and not a requirement. The same goes for park locations in general. For instance, I worked at Epcot and had to know all rides, attractions, and restaurants, but I didn't have to learn what was at DHS, DAK, or MK (only what transportation to get there).

I like to think I'm very knowledgeable about Disney movies, but only on movies I grew up with or seen during my lifetime. I can tell you nearly every character's name from Lady and the Tramp, but ask me anything about Sleeping Beauty or Robin Hood, and I'll be mostly stumped.

 

[Masamune]

I work in a video game store. All the staff members there, myself included, are gamers. We are passionate about video games, and that is what enables us to do our job well. Whilst I don't think that every single job at a Disney Park should require vast Disney knowledge, I think the jobs where Disney merchandise is involved should only be staffed by people who know what they're talking about.

I'm sorry, but there's nothing magical about the idea of a person working at Disney to "pay the bills". I much prefer the idea that people choose to work at Disney because they love Disney, and it's more than just a job to them. In my opinion, that should be applied to any job where great customer service is key.

 

[Abyssinian28]

I work in a video game store. All the staff members there, myself included, are gamers. We are passionate about video games, and that is what enables us to do our job well. Whilst I don't think that every single job at a Disney Park should require vast Disney knowledge, I think the jobs where Disney merchandise is involved should only be staffed by people who know what they're talking about.

I'm sorry, but there's nothing magical about the idea of a person working at Disney to "pay the bills". I much prefer the idea that people choose to work at Disney because they love Disney, and it's more than just a job to them. In my opinion, that should be applied to any job where great customer service is key.

Yeah, but you're still not getting it...your video game store has, what...15 employees, max? They can afford to weed through the applications and pick who they want, and there are TONS of gamers that want that job. There's NO WAY Disney can staff the parks with Disney trivia pros- it's *highly* unrealistic. In a perfect, ideal world, of COURSE all their employees would know all about Disney, and I'm sure a lot of them do, in fact.

But eventually, you're GONNA run into the employee they HAD to hire because they just need the man hours.

 

[scottydem]

ITA!

Disney princesses, Fab 5, main characters, etc are basic trivia.


Is Donald's Cousin Gus basic Disney trivia? After all, he has his very own cartoon short is is directly related to Donald himself.

Or what about Katrina Van Tassel, the love interest in The Headless Horseman?

Or maybe Django, of course Remy's father, from Ratatouille? That's a recent one right?

 

[RaChEltheRabidRabbit]

I work in a video game store. All the staff members there, myself included, are gamers. We are passionate about video games, and that is what enables us to do our job well. Whilst I don't think that every single job at a Disney Park should require vast Disney knowledge, I think the jobs where Disney merchandise is involved should only be staffed by people who know what they're talking about.

I'm sorry, but there's nothing magical about the idea of a person working at Disney to "pay the bills". I much prefer the idea that people choose to work at Disney because they love Disney, and it's more than just a job to them. In my opinion, that should be applied to any job where great customer service is key.

I completely agree with everything you said.

When getting a job, aren't you suppose to like or enjoy what you do most of the time? Why not have those jobs go to those who actually want it instead of to those who want to "pay the bill"?