DisLove Podcast with Vanessa and Kris

DisLove E147: Joe and Marisa From Sketches to Ears Hear from Two Creative Entrepreneurs Plus Activities to Do with Kids in the Parks

• Vanessa Ferguson and Kris Johns with guests Marisa and Joe Critelli • Season 5 • Episode 147

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Buckle up your mouse ears and prepare for a whimsical ride through the world of Disney with our special guests Joe and Marisa, the creative powerhouses behind Joe Critelli Art and Mad Madam Mim Co. In our latest episode, we're whisked into their enchanting realm where artistry meets fandom. Joe's hand-drawn illustrations capture the nostalgia and heart of Disney characters, while Marisa's floral mini ears are a delightful twist on the classic park accessory. The pair reveal the love and magic sewn into every piece, giving fans like you a unique way to keep the Disney spirit alive in and out of the parks.

Earlier in the show, Kris and Vanessa discuss fun activities and experiences along with different areas for kids to play that might sometimes be overlooked during a trip. From the whimsy of Dumbo's play area to the swashbuckling fun of a Pirate's Adventure, we've got your map to the treasures that lie beyond the typical rides and parades. Epcot's not just for the grown-ups either; we're sharing all the child-friendly gems like Kidcot Fun Stops that turn the World Showcase into a cultural playground, and the interactive wonders awaiting at The Seas Pavilion.

We round out our adventure with a heartwarming reflection on Walt Disney's own hand in designing the nostalgic Tom Sawyer Island. There's something special about stepping onto the rafts and crossing over to a place where families can connect just as Walt envisioned. Whether you're reminiscing about past visits or planning your next trip, our conversation will remind you why Disney parks are the canvas for creating those cherished memories. So let's set off together – there's a whole world of Disney waiting for us to explore!

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Dislove podcast with Vanessa and Chris. I'm Vanessa Ferguson.

Speaker 2:

And I'm Chris Johns.

Speaker 1:

We'd like to welcome you to show number 147. And for any listeners joining us for the first time, our show features things we love at Disney and in each episode we have a guest who creates Disney magic for our listeners at home or on their Disney vacations. From vacation planners to product producers, our guests can bring Disney magic into your life. And, as a reminder to our listeners, we appreciate if you take time to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or any other platform where you listen. That helps new listeners find the show and, of course, helps the show grow. And before we get started, chris, we have a message from our friends Eric and Alexa.

Speaker 2:

They want to help you the next time you come to Disney, and whether that be a brand new stroller, crib or other accessory for your child, their company, babyquip, can take care of you. That's BabyQuip Q-U-I-P. As your BabyQuip independent quality provider, eric and Alexa will provide you with excellent service by providing clean and useful equipment to make your vacation easy. What's great is and we've used them many times is that they will Karis needs she still needs a stroller. You know she's doing better, but she still needs a little help because we're in the park so long, and with that we also want a place to keep our stuff, and so we have rented multiple strollers from Baby Quip. The delivery is always on time, prompt, with a smile, and the equipment is top-notch and brand new. And so, with that, reach out to Baby Quip that's Eric and Alexa to take care of your next needs when you go to Disney World.

Speaker 1:

And, of course, we have the link to their page right in the show notes, so check them out. We have the link to their page right in the show notes, so check them out. Now, on today's show, I'm excited because, again, if you've been listening recently, we've had quite a few guests that we've gotten a chance to meet in person, which is always super exciting. So today we have a duo, but they have two different businesses, so I'm excited about that as well. We have a husband and wife team. We have Joe from Joe Critelli Art and his wife, marissa from Mad Madam Mimco. Joe does commissioned fan artwork and I personally have a great figment piece from him that I love I got when we saw him in Florida. And Marissa's business includes handmade and custom ordered Disney inspired floral mini ears, and you'll hear more about how we met them at the House of Mouse Expo in a little bit, but we're really looking forward to sharing about their businesses.

Speaker 1:

But before we get to that interview, we want to talk about some of the best things to do with your kids when at the park. So when we met Joe and Marissa, they had their daughter with them, and we always travel with our daughter a lot of the time, so I wanted to share some of just some of those unusual things that you might not think of. I'm not going to talk about standard rides. We're going to talk about experiences and maybe some of those off the beaten path things. So before we get started, I just want to say I use some of our personal experience. We also looked at some great things from our friends at Touring Plans, disney Food Blog, undercover Tourists and Mouse Hacking for their tips as well, and we're just going to go park by park like we usually do. Now some of these are going to be more obvious, and some I even found a couple things that I'm not known about either.

Speaker 2:

Really Tell me more.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so I'm not sure. Of course, our daughter has only been with us since 2019, and we had a couple years of COVID in between, so we probably aren't as seasoned as some of the parents, so hopefully some of these areas will be new to you as well. Now, starting off in Magic Kingdom, I did pick one that was kind of obvious and we have been there with our daughter, but I think sometimes people don't pay attention when they're in the ride queue. If you go and get in line for the Dumbo ride, there is a play area that's right in the queue. It's nice because it's a playground. It has a lot of like climbing equipment, it's inside and air conditioned, which is definitely a plus, and they have some interactive things as well. Our daughter can't climb on stuff as much, but we have been in there with her. It allows you to basically be in line without being in line, which that's always a benefit as well, and so usually Dumbo, I think, is a given for taking little ones to the park, of course, yeah, so it gives you a little bit of a break when you're waiting in line for that. The playground is really a lot of fun, so definitely check that out.

Speaker 1:

Moving now to some more things that you might not think about. This is kind of a fun thing, especially if you have a little bit older kids. I had a friend who recently went and I suggested this to her for her and her son. It's called A Pirate's Adventure Treasure of the Seven Seas, and this is an interactive thing that takes you through Adventureland. So what you do is you start out at the old cartography shop near Golden Oak Post and this is right near like after you've walked past Pirates and you're kind of circling around the backside of Pecos Bill that's where you'll see it and you essentially you with your magic band you are going to activate. They have one of five different missions and with it, when you go there and you set up this activation, they have a map that goes depending on which mission you select, and what it will do is it will take you to four or five different stops throughout Adventureland and when you get to each stop you're going to scan your magic band and then there's like a little animation and a little story that unfolds in front of you, and this is usually about 30 to 45 seconds and it's a fun experience. It adds a little something if you've been there a lot of times.

Speaker 1:

I think it's also in your kind of you're on this adventure to help find missing treasure, which is super cool and it's all in that one area. So if you're just looking for, maybe it's a busier time of day and you want to just do something to escape the lines definitely a fun thing to do and each station is really integrated well into the space where it's at and kids love this a lot. I know we haven't done this personal one. We did some of its predecessors and just watching kids they really get into it and there's some special effects that get triggered depending on what spot you're at. So Pirates Adventure I would say adults enjoy this as well, but definitely for the kids in your group, they will enjoy that quite a bit. Now, moving over to a place that we've gone we actually haven't been here in a long time Tom Sawyer Island.

Speaker 2:

Really.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we haven't been there in a long time. We actually like to go there to get a break from the park. When it's busy or when it's hot it's a nice reprieve. But what you do is you board a raft that is right across from Big Thunder Mountain and it takes you across to the island, so Tom Sawyer Island, if you don't know where that is, that's essentially the island that you see where the riverboat goes across and it kind of surrounds the area between Frontierland moving into towards Haunted Mansion, and there on Tom Sawyer Island they have a lot of different things and really this is a great place for little ones to run off energy, because you can't really let your kid run around the regular park.

Speaker 2:

You cannot.

Speaker 1:

So if you have a little one that needs, or maybe an older one that needs to burn off some energy, tom Sawyer Island is a place that they can run and run freely Over at. When you first get there, they have, like, the white picket fence where you can pretend like you're painting the fence. Where did we go, do that, chris? I'm going to ask you a trivia that's non-Disney related. Ask me that one more time so I fully know when did we go?

Speaker 2:

do the white picket fence from Tom Sawyer when?

Speaker 1:

did we go Huckleberry Finn? I guess technically.

Speaker 2:

Huckleberry Finn. I'm drawing a blank, I'm sorry, hannibal Missouri. Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, hannibal Missouri.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so anyways, they had the white picket fence and then, moving past there, they have Scavenger's Fort and this is where it looks like Tom and Huck created a playground out of parts of ships and lumber and barrels, so it's a great way for kids to play. And then, moving from there, there is an area where there is a cave and with the cave it's actually called Old Scr, old scratch's, mine, and there you can walk through. I guess old scratch was a listen to this the pre-civil war name for the devil old scratch yes, okay, so old scratch is mine is a cave that you can wander through.

Speaker 1:

It has, um, a kind of a spooky looking face on the outside rock and and it's kind of a neat thing it has a dark passage. They have like bat sound effects and different things like that. I know when I've been there I don't know if it's just because it's dark, but it always seems like it's a little cooler in there and from there you can go along. There's a wooden bridge that's suspended over a pit and it takes you over to a mill area and there you can go to. There's a wooden bridge that's suspended over a pit and it takes you over to a mill area and there you can go to the top of the mill and you can look out and there's a good overview, like a great view of Magic Kingdom.

Speaker 1:

And of course, in the main part of the island is Fort Langhorne and this is kind of cool because they have a blacksmith shop with the audio animatronic blacksmith and there's some cannons that are out pointed towards the rivers of America. So it's just kind of a fun experience. It takes you back to a different time, much different than the hustle and the bustle of the rest of the park. And I will say, Chris, do you remember even being on Tom Sawyer Island? I'm betting you don't.

Speaker 2:

I do not.

Speaker 1:

So we would like to go. There are some chairs rocking chairs that you can go and sit and face towards Big Thunder Mountain and it's fun just to watch the ride and you can watch the riverboat go by. That's not really kid oriented like we're talking about, but definitely a great place for your little ones to run and get some energy off. One note that is important for a lot of people it's not. Most of the island is not handicap accessible and strollers are not allowed on the island either. So that's a note to keep in mind, depending on if your little one needs a stroller, but you have a space that you can leave them when you take the raft over to the island. But just a few things to keep in mind. So that kind of rounds out our more unusual things at Magic Kingdom. Moving over to Hollywood Studios, there's some things that you may or may not have experienced. I will say Hollywood Studios has the best shows for kids. Our daughter loves Frozen, singalong and the Beauty and the Beast show, but I think those are pretty obvious. To go to those, definitely. Now, one that people don't often know about or maybe don't go to over in the animation courtyard there's the Disney Junior where you can meet and greet some of the characters. But a lot of people don't realize towards the far side of that is the Disney Junior play and dance party. And you go in there and they'll have characters from some of the Disney Junior Play and Dance Party. And you go in there and they'll have characters from some of the Disney Junior series. They have music and the kids can dance and have a good time. It reminds me of the dance parties that they do at some of the after hours events and then even like some of the cruise line. It's a great way if you have a little one that likes to dance, and get to see some of those characters up close as well, as it's in the air conditioning, which is always a bonus. Another thing, kind of in a tucked off in another corner. Now, we've never stayed for the whole show, but if you have a little one who loves cars, you'll definitely want to check out the Lightning McQueen Race Academy. It's just a 10 minute show but it has lightning where he talks about his experiences, and there's a video that's like a 360 video. I've heard from people whose kids love cars that they absolutely enjoy a lot. Now, our daughter isn't super into cars, so we went into the courtyard area and there you can get pictures with some of the friends from Radiator Springs, you can meet crews, they'll have a DJ that will be playing music right after each of the regular scheduled shows and they'll do some Cars-inspired games and dances. So it's kind of a nice fun area that immerses you in that world. It's definitely not like Cars Land at California Adventure, but it still gives you a good taste of that. I think most people don't realize where it is because it's tucked back behind Rockin' Roller Coaster, so it's really quite a hike back there, like we walked back there and did some photos in that, but it's definitely not somewhere you have to be going there Exactly, so that is a nice thing to check out as well.

Speaker 1:

At Hollywood Studios.

Speaker 1:

Now we're going to move over to Animal Kingdom and I think one place that a lot of people know about but maybe they just walk by, is over in Dinoland, the Boneyard.

Speaker 1:

This is an open air space where it looks like it's a play area for kids, but it looks like it's a dinosaur dig and you get to pretend that you're a paleontologist, which is super fun If you have a kid that loves dinosaurs or maybe just needs some energy to run off. Definitely a great place to do that. Now, when you move over to further back in the park, you can take the Wildlife Express train and it takes you back to an area that is really great for little ones and we need to take our daughter back here again. They have a petting zoo, a nature trail. They show the animal care facility. Little ones will especially like the petting zoo If you have some older ones with you back there. They also have the animation experience where you get to create a Disney character and they show you how to draw them, which is super fun. So really this place has stuff for little ones and for older kids and our friends Shane and Charlie. They had their pre-reception at the train station.

Speaker 2:

Very nice.

Speaker 1:

Yes, so great area. Another thing that I think is great to do our daughter always enjoys it is they have the trails throughout the park where you can look at different animals. But we really enjoy doing the Maharaja Jungle Trek where you can see the tigers, and that's a cool experience. We've also done some of the ones where you can see the apes up close. But if you have any kids that love animals, I think taking those trails is a nice experience, because on the safari you're never guaranteed what animals you're going to see, and on these trails you'll definitely see specific animals, which is nice.

Speaker 1:

Now, last but not least, we are going to move over to Epcot, and one of the things that I think people overlook is they often think that Epcot is not for kids, and I would argue that it's one of our favorite places to go with our daughter because there's great character, meet and greets and things like that, but there's also a lot of interactive things for kids and, kind of as a side note, if you have little ones, do not. I would highly recommend avoid going to Epcot on the weekends during food and wine. It just gets so crazy busy on Saturday and Sunday. I've been there as an adult, since we've had our daughter, but she thankfully wasn't with me, I was with my friend. I just would not recommend going during food and wine with any little ones. That's kind of my side note Back to what we were talking about with any little ones. That's kind of my side note Back to what we were talking about.

Speaker 1:

One of the things that I think is fun to do in the World Showcase is they have the kid spots where these are little activities where at each of the pavilions kids get a card and they get a sticker and learn little things about the culture that's at each country, and so I will put in the show notes the locations of these, because sometimes they're tucked a little further back and you might not know where they're at. But I've even picked up like on our recent trip our daughter wasn't with us so I picked up some of the little cards and stickers for her. They're really great about letting you do that and the KidKat spots. It engages them when you're going around the countries, because that's not always the most exciting, depending on what your kids interests are, and when you move further towards the front of the park in future world one place.

Speaker 1:

That is a lot of fun and we've spent a lot of time. There is in the seas pavilion. They have the area that's after the ride. Part of it's called Bruce's Shark World and then part of it's just the open aquariums. Our daughter really enjoys walking through and looking at all the fish and the dolphins and everything in the large aquarium spaces and we've spent quite a bit of time there.

Speaker 2:

And it's just a great place just to kind of unwind, relax. It's a wonderful ambiance for families.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and they have a really cute photo op in the Bruce's Shark World area where it looks like you're in his mouth, which is fun If you have kids that really like finding Nemo or just are really amazed by kind of interactive things. You have Turtle Talk with Crush. That show is in that area as well, so I highly recommend checking that out. One place that I had never heard. I mean, I've been on this ride but I didn't realize they had this area, maybe because we don't really ride Mission Space. I don't even remember the last time we rode Mission Space, Correct? So even if you don't ride Mission Space, near the exit there's what's called the Advanced Training Lab and Space Base, and so here this is super cool. They have a play area, which is a whole playground, where kids can climb and slide and explore things, and it's all in the AC. So if you have a little one who needs to run off some energy, go to the Space Base over by Mission Space. They also have in the Advanced Training Lab they have some things that are great for a little bit older kids. They have a what's called Expedition Mars, where you're on a mission where you to take four astronauts to Mars, and I guess it's like a four minute interactive experience. Then they have Mission Space Race, where you are working to get your rocket back to ground control first, and they have different teams and essentially up to 50 people can play this and it's kind of a fun thing. It takes about 15 minutes to do so if you decide to engage in that, make sure you have some time. And then finally just this is even something the adults can enjoy you can send postcards from space, where you can email a video postcard to anyone, which is a fun little souvenir. I always like having those little things that you can email or share on social media.

Speaker 1:

Now, something that varies depending on the time of year you go are the festival scavenger hunts. These do have an added cost they're usually around $10, but you can get them and they'll take you around to different parts of the World Showcase, Like we were there last year around Easter and they had one that took you around where all the Easter eggs were during Flower and Garden. They have one. They had one with Figment recently. So they're scavenger hunt maps that you purchase and then you go and you look for these things in different locations in the World Showcase and at the end you receive a little prize you go to. There are certain designated shops that you go to to get them, so those are fun.

Speaker 1:

And, last but not least, this is a new attraction which I think people go there to get photos, but they don't really take time necessarily always to enjoy all the interactive experiences there. But the Journey of Water, inspired by Moana, has a really great trail that as you walk along it there is all kinds of interactive things that make music and you can control the water to do lots of different things, which is super fun. And I'm bummed, the time we were there with our daughter it started raining so we really didn't get to experience a lot of it. But definitely check out the Journey of Water. That Moana area is really cool. So give us that kind of rounds out, everything that we talked about with the different parks and some of those fun experiences you can do with kids.

Speaker 1:

Now give us just a minute and we'll get our call up with Joe and Marissa. We'd like to welcome Joe and Marissa to the show. We have kind of a special episode today because they are a husband and wife team and they each have their own Disney related business, so we're super excited to hear from them. So Joe has his business, Joe Critelli Art, and he does some commission pieces. I got a really cool figment piece from him recently. And then Marissa has an ear business. She has Mad Madam Mimco where she does some really cute fun designs in Mickey ears. So we are super excited to have them both on the show. Hi, Welcome, Thank you. Now, as usual, we always start off by asking our guests a little bit about what they enjoy at the Disney parks. So right now we've been asking people what is your favorite event at any Disney park?

Speaker 3:

Probably I would say just going around the autumn time is like my favorite. I mean I guess it's not necessary. I mean I guess it could be an event if you stay for the Halloween party. So I guess, yeah, that's probably my favorite.

Speaker 4:

I love going that time of year I actually like the we did once was just the regular after hours.

Speaker 4:

The regular we did that for Magic Kingdom. It was fun. It really was. When we went it wasn't that crowded at all. It went by fast, even though I think it's only like two or three hours. I forget how long it's going to stay for the after hours, but it was a lot of fun. I just really enjoyed doing that Because the crowds when you have that, you feel like you're the only one in the park with that many people For sure.

Speaker 1:

We've done those before and we always like that a lot too. Now we are going to go back and forth and hear about both of your businesses. So first, if you could each tell us about your business and the products you offer connected to Disney.

Speaker 3:

So for my business, which is the Mad Madam Mimco, my shop is on Etsy and it's where I really just kind of do inspired mini Mickey ears with it's. Mostly they have like that nice floral touch and they're all inspired with the color or the styling of like. If there's a one of them, I did a Lilo and Stitch inspired one. So I did like red flower, red flowers with white, so it almost looked like Lilo's dress. And then I also do custom orders where people will specifically reach out to me and ask for something that they have in mind. And recently I had one for Monsters Inc where I had to custom make those. So, which was fun, I got to do horns and, yeah, just a little bit more different than just the flowers also, so I was able to sculpt some stuff. Oh, fun, that's very nice. I love doing the custom ones. That's where I get to really kind of work my inner creativity.

Speaker 1:

Now, how about you, Joe?

Speaker 4:

Yeah, so I do basically a lot of hand-drawn illustrations for Disney.

Speaker 2:

So I just do a lot of.

Speaker 4:

Disney characters on mostly 4x6 cards, More personalized. I use inks and Copic markers to do so. I love drawing all Disney characters. We try to do a lot of unique ones that you know people at cons come and see and catch their eye oh, I remember that one. Or, like you know, ones from forgotten Disney attraction, Like we did smart one from Epcot for the old communicor. So Murphy here gives me a lot of ideas too for which ones to do. So we like to try to do some deep dives, but also some regular ones, obviously too, when newer movies come out, or you know it's our favorite movies or attractions. So we kind of run the gamut of just the regular animation and park illustrations.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome. Now for both of you. What were your inspirations to start your business? You know you're both creative, but you're in different areas. Tell our listeners a little more about that.

Speaker 3:

Well, I come from a background of fashion design and when I started, when I had to like work a regular kind of like nine to five job it was more it wasn't quite as creative as I wanted. So I needed an outlet for my crafts and stuff like that. So and I love Disney, for my crafts and stuff like that, and I love Disney and I felt that this was a really good way for me to use that muscle and keep myself both in the Disney community and using my creative skills while I still had a day job.

Speaker 1:

Right right.

Speaker 4:

How about you, joe? Yeah, so I've always loved illustration and drawing when I was a kid and I went on to that in college too, learned a lot of illustration but also kind of splintered into graphic design and did a lot of graphic design right out of college. But it kind of went back into my illustration skills. So I'm always I was always a big fan of Disney. Aladdin is my favorite movie of all time.

Speaker 4:

I used to just draw the genie constantly. He's my favorite character, you know, and I'm also a kid of the 80s and 90s, so I also draw a lot of Ninja Turtles and stuff like that. I feel like to do that now, and now that I feel like I've gotten a bit better at it, I like to just make things that I used to love as a kid, and Disney is one of the things I loved as a kid. I still do, obviously, but it's just fun being able to draw those characters. Now it's just become a real—I do graphic design still, but you know, this is kind of like my main passion that I would love to pursue and kind of continue on with.

Speaker 1:

Now you've both shared about some of the great things that you do through your business. Could you share a little bit of how you think these kind of add some Disney magic to your customers' lives?

Speaker 4:

So I think kind of reiterates what I said before is that I think it's I get a lot of fun reactions for when people kind of go through my stuff at shows and they see like unique characters that either no one's like either drawn or like they remember, either minor characters from movies or from the parks. So it's fun getting that reaction from them and them saying, oh man, I forgot about this, or man, I remember this when I was a kid or something along those lines. So just adding that kind of fun in is, I think, is special, I think it's it's fun for me, I get a good sense of it too and I feel like a good accomplishment.

Speaker 3:

And I guess then for myself then it would just be seeing photos of my customers wearing their ears at the parks. It's like you can see that they're, they got that little spark of joy and then me seeing that is just like exactly what I want. It's just so. I love it.

Speaker 1:

Now we've talked about all these great things that you both make. Where can people find them? Like, how do they? If I wanted to order a art piece from Joe, or if I want a pair of ears from you, marissa, how do I go about ordering those?

Speaker 3:

The best way to do it would be through, or it would be to go to my Etsy shop and and that would be the best way to do it I already have like a set pair, like I always have these ears. They're ready, they're relatively ready to go, and then I also have custom orders. And or you can, people can DM me through my Instagram account, which is basically the same it's mad, mad and then co through it on Instagram, and either either way, that's the best way to uh reach out and to and or to purchase something how about you joe with your art?

Speaker 4:

yeah, for me, um, I'm I'm pretty active with my art on my instagram at jay cortelli jr, but, uh, people can dm me right there. That's mostly how I take a lot of my commissions, um, and we could talk what's needed from there. I also have a forum on my site, um cartelliartcom, to where people could also reach out and goes right to my email to do commissions and also your threads. Yeah, I have a thread it's the same same name at jay cartelli jr. Um, so most, most socials, but mostly instagram is where I'm most active these days now, if I were wanting to get, uh, one of, I'll ask for both things.

Speaker 1:

If I were wanting to get one of, I'll ask for both things. If I were wanting to get a commissioned piece of art, let's say for a gift, how soon would I need to order something? And then same thing, marissa. If I were wanting ears for an upcoming trip, how soon would I need to order through you If?

Speaker 3:

you want it for an upcoming trip. It usually takes me anywhere from five to eight days is my order and that's for one pair. So like I'll start from scratch, I usually so that takes anywhere from five to eight days and shipping is usually relatively quick. I ship through regular USPS and it ships any people have gotten their orders anywhere from three to six business days, so that would be like kind of like the time frame if someone needs anything, probably like about a good two weeks. Ok, great, how about?

Speaker 4:

you, joe. Yeah, so basically for me, once I get the commission and we settle on exactly what's needed and based on, you know, the ask of it, if it's multiple pieces, if it's a bigger piece, if it's a small piece, so it could depend between for me, basically two to three days to do the artwork and then sending it out from there, depending where the person lives. So maybe up to a week or so between actually getting all the information, doing the actual art pieces and then sending it out, I would say is probably a pretty good estimate.

Speaker 1:

Now I always like to ask do either of you, or both of you, have a favorite piece of work that you've done? Or, in your case, marissa, a favorite piece of work?

Speaker 3:

that you've done, or, in your case, marissa, favorite pair of ears? Oh yeah, it's. It's definitely my tiki. I love my tiki inspired ears. Those are my, those are my favorite ones to do. Those are what I get the most reaction. Those are my highest orders is my red tiki ears that are also velo and stitch inspired. They're they're so pretty, I love them how about you?

Speaker 1:

do you have a favorite art piece?

Speaker 4:

So kind of yes, I turned it into a sticker, but I probably should turn it into a print. One of the more recent things I did is the genie as a superhero from. Actually, he did it for like a split second in the Return of Jafar movie, which is actually one of my other favorite movies, believe it or not, the sequel to Aladdin and I thought, oh man, that was always such a cool thing. I don't know why. I mean, I'm also a big superhero fan and Genie is also my favorite character. So drawing that one split second kind of thing he did was fun, and I think people seem to see that go wow. I don't see this around very often already at all, so I think it's one of my favorite things I've drawn.

Speaker 1:

Now this is just for Marissa. If anybody's listened to our show for a long time, they know. Whenever we have anyone who makes ears, I have to ask. I have a really big head and everyone knows like the Disney-branded ears are not very comfortable for most people. So how do yours rate for comfort?

Speaker 3:

So word on the street is, or at least the feedback that I've gotten from the headbands that I order from that they are very, very comfortable and in fact the ones and I've worn my own ears to the park and they are they are pretty comfortable, they're very, they're very, they're not overly thick, they don't compress against the head, they're just easy to wear for the most part.

Speaker 1:

Now do you?

Speaker 3:

know, and they're also very lightweight. I know the um, the ones that you get at the park are not as lightweight because they're very.

Speaker 1:

They're compressed and stuff perfect and I know I saw some of your ears. They looked like they were more comfortable. When we saw we saw you guys at the house of mouse expo. They looked great. But you always have to ask.

Speaker 2:

I always have to ask absolutely yeah no you can't try them on necessarily now, with that, you mentioned your artwork the ears. Where can people go online to find the great? With that, you mentioned your artwork, the ears. Where can people go online to find the great things that both of you create?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, honestly, it would be through my Instagram. If I come up with anything new, I usually post on there. That's definitely the best way to see any artwork or new designs. And then, of course, if you just frequent the Etsy shop, that would also be the best way to do it, and anything that's new that would come in would be posted on there on both.

Speaker 1:

Now, how about your artwork?

Speaker 4:

Yeah, mostly I, like I said, like Instagram is kind of where I showcase a lot of my artwork, so my Instagram is probably the best place for where I showcase pretty much anything. Recently I do. I do update my site occasionally with some new pieces just to show, for you know, portfolio stuff and just to get the page updated. But mostly Instagram is where a lot of my art will be shown.

Speaker 1:

Now we will make sure to put the links to all of the socials in your website and Etsy shop and the show notes, but we want to thank you both for joining us today.

Speaker 4:

Yes, thank you so much for having us. This is fun. It was so great to meet you guys at the expo.

Speaker 2:

Thank you again to Joe Marissa for joining us today.

Speaker 1:

And now we are on to our two-minute trivia and our wisdom from Walt Quote and Chris, you are up with trivia. Well, we talked a lot about.

Speaker 2:

Tom Sawyer Island.

Speaker 1:

Yes, we did so.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to ask you a trivia question about Tom Sawyer Island.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

True or false, tom Sawyer Island has the distinction of being the only attraction actually designed by Walt Disney himself. False, incorrect.

Speaker 1:

Oh, he did it all by himself. According to the internet, he was unhappy with the original design, so he took the plans home, redesigned the island and had the workers execute his vision show. Right, all right. Now we talked about families and experiences you can do together. So this goes back to one of those tried and true quotes that you've probably heard numerous times. But we believed in our idea a family park where parents and children could have fun together, and that's what Disney is all about going, whether it be with your kids, your parents, family, friends, all kinds of different things that we can all experience it together. And thank you so much for joining us on this episode. Make sure to follow us on our social media and to check out all the other episodes on our Buzzsprout page. And thank you so much for joining us on this episode of the Diz Love Podcast with Vanessa and Chris. I'm Vanessa.

Speaker 2:

And I and Chris, I'm Vanessa.

Speaker 4:

And I'm Chris.

Speaker 2:

This podcast is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company or its holdings, and it is intended for entertainment purposes only.