"Do you believe in magic? In a young girls heart, how the music can free her whenever it starts. And it's magic, if the music is groovy, it makes you feel happy like an old time movie."
I am now at the age where I look back at my childhood and reminisce on all the fun I had. I wish I could go back and re-live it all over again. As children I think we take for granted how much fun we really can get away with, when you reach the age I am right now, you have to get a job, whether that be part time or full time, you're expected to know what you want your future to hold. Should I go to Uni, should I stay at home? How much revision can I cram in the night before the big exam?
Having your youth, and being quite naïve is sometimes a wonderful thing.
Children tend to be so care-free, and imaginative.
One thing that stands out massively when I look back at my childhood years, is my love of all things Disney. I was obsessed, and I still am, to this day. Peter Pan, Tarzan, Toy Story and The Little Mermaid were particular favourites of mine as I was growing up. I would watch Peter Pan - Return To Neverland over and over again, day after day. I collected every character possible from the Toy Story films, including Jessie, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Rex, Slinky, the Aliens, Mr Potato Head, Bullseye, etc. I actually had two different Jessie dolls.
Myself and my older brother with our Disney hats and Disney balloons,
I believe this was our first trip to Disneyland in 1998.
I think it's amazing how much of an impact Disney has on so many young children. Think about the billions of people that visit Disneyland/Disneyworld every year! And the excitement on little girls faces when they see their favourite Disney Princess wave at them during the parade. Or the happiness that runs through the little boy's smiles when they get to meet Goofy or Pluto. This is going to sound so lame, but sometimes I wish there was a way of thanking Walt Disney for the joy he brought to my childhood and many other childhoods.
I went through stages where I truly believed there was a place beyond the North Star called Neverland, where you got to meet The Lost Boys and could fight Captain Hook. I also believed that your toys could perhaps come to life behind your back, and I used to try and catch them out (it never worked). I once dropped a coin in a wishing well and wished to become a beautiful mermaid like Ariel. After watching Tarzan countless times, I used to walk around on all fours and put banana skins on my head (weird I know) and climb tree's, which sounds strange, but that's how much of an impact Disney had on my imagination.
Meeting Jessie in 2006, at the time she was my most favourite person in the world.
I remember having a personalised birthday cake with a picture of Jessie on, saying "Happy 7th Birthday Tasha, Love From Jessie"
I also remember one of my Jessie dolls' head broke off one day and I cried for like a whole month over it.
Now that I have a younger brother who will be three years old nearer the end of the year, I am kind of hoping that he also has a huge Disney influence. He's started watching and obsessing over Mickey Mouse's Club House, and I love that he's getting to know the main Disney characters.
The other day I showed Alfie (my little brother) some videos on YouTube of the Disney Parades, and instantly he started recognising the different people. He pointed out Goofy, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck, and then towards the end I started to hear Mickey Mouse's voice over the Parade Music,
"Who can you hear Alfie?"
In which he replied "I don't know..."
Suddenly I started to see a big, hot air balloon style, sparkly float move round the corner towards the camera, and it had Mickey and Minnie Mouse standing in it waving to the crowds.
"Who's that Alfie? Who can you see?" I said.
Alfie gasped and said "That's Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse!! And they're in the balloon!!"
(they ride around in a hot air balloon in each episode of Mickey Mouse's Club House)
Seeing his little face light up with joy as he spotted Mickey was just magical. In fact, it was quite overwhelming and almost brought me to tears. To see someone I love so dearly, be so truly happy to see one person who I also was completely in love with when I was his age, was wonderful.
I asked him, "Alfie, would you like to meet Mickey Mouse one day?"
"Yes, and Minnie and Goofy and Donald.... Can we watch another one?"
By that, he meant can we watch another parade.
Now, I know Alfie is a boy, so he probably won't grow up having dreams to meet all the Princesses and what not, but I hope that when Alfie reaches my age, he can look back at his childhood and be glad that he was influenced by Disney of some sort. And I hope that he'll be thankful that his big sis tried to involve Magic and Fairy tales in his childhood.
Disneyworld in Florida with two of my brothers, in 2010.
Myself and my Mum have plans to take Alfie to Disneyland Paris, sometime before the end of this year, perhaps. I, personally have wanted to go back ever since I left Disneyworld in Florida, and now that there is a little one in our family who is starting to love Disney, it seems the perfect opportunity to travel back. I don't care how old I get, I don't think I will ever stop believing in the magic Disney brings you. I'm forever loving Disney.
___________________________________________________________
Thank you for checking out my blog post!
you can also find me here:
