5 Places to Find Hidden Characters at Disneyland Resort

Props and decor around Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland Park showing just one location where guests can find hidden characters in Disneyland. Photo featuers a box of fireworks with a handle for guest-activated sound effects.

Disneyland Resort is full of character, and… characters! Maybe you have personally careened through Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, spotted Iron Man at Avengers Campus or dined with some special pals at a character meal. There are so many ways to encounter characters at Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park and the Disneyland Resort Hotels, but some of them are little less known. We have compiled a quick list of just five place to find hidden characters in Disneyland Resort.

These characters might not show their faces or greet you in the usual way. They keep a lower profile than Mickey and the princesses, and they are not heroes of any film. We bet that you will feel lucky to have spot them during your Disneyland visit. Here are five surprising character locations in Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park:

Little Man of Disneyland (Adventureland in Disneyland Park)

This little guy may not have a film, but he does have his own Little Golden Book from the year Disneyland opened. The book tells a sweet story: when Mickey and his pals came to an orange grove in Anaheim to start work on Disneyland, they found Patrick Begorra living in his little leprechaun house. They shared Walt Disney’s big plans for his park, and Patrick agreed to share his land IF he could continue to live there. Lucky visitors can still spot the door to the Little Man of Disneyland’s home in the base of an Adventureland tree. To spot this leprechaun’s home, keep your eyes open as you go meet a certain archaeologist, Professor Jones, for your own adventure.

Evil Queen (Fantasyland in Disneyland Park)

This Disneyland Park resident is decidedly less friendly, but it is still a thrill to spot her. On your next visit to Fantasyland in Disneyland Park (maybe while you are waiting in that always popular line for Peter Pan’s Flight), look up towards the windows of Snow White’s Enchanted Wish. You might get a quick peek at the jealous lady vying for the title of fairest of all.

Town Residents (various)

Anytime you are walking through a themed town area with shops or residences, like New Orleans Square, Main Street U.S.A., Buena Vista Street, Mickey’s Toontown, Black Spire Outpost and Cars Land, keep an eye and ear out for the locals. You will find their names on shops, hear their voices drifting from open windows (or mailboxes) and see the everyday objects of their lives stashed on balconies. The brilliance of these spaces is the sense that you have been transported to a real working town or space outpost. It feels like maybe you only just missed seeing the neighbors. This is also a good reason to press all the button and pull all the handles you can find in Toontown and answer phones on Main Street U.S.A. There are hidden characters like this all over Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park!

Popcorn Turners (various)

We love grabbing some popcorn at the carts all over Disneyland Resort: that smell is irresistible! Even more beguiling than the popcorn might be the tiny characters making it. No, we do not mean the cast members, though we do always appreciate them! There are sweet little dolls turning the popcorn to make it fresh and tasty for you. Take a look in the front window of the carts! At various carts around Disneyland, there are tiny hidden characters including an abominable snowman, a rocketeer and a Davy Crockett look-alike. See what other ones you can find!

Spider-Bots (Avengers Campus)

Even with all those hardworking guests wrangling Spider-Bots at WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, a few still managed to get loose! Look around and up as you walk around Avengers Campus, and you might spot a few of these mischievous eight-legged robots hanging-out in unexpected places.

We hope you enjoyed this brief peek at just some of the hidden characters of Disneyland Resort.

We think five is enough for this list, because we hope you have the joy of finding plenty of others on your own. Between scoping-out these surprising residents of Disneyland Resort and spotting those Hidden Mickeys, your visit is sure to be full of character(s).

For a step-by-step guide to planning your Disneyland Resort visit, we recommend beginning with this guide.