I recently received a social media message from a relative living in Canada. More specifically, she lives in the city of Victoria on the south end of Vancouver Island, British Columbia – which is quite a distance from my home in Central Florida. Her message made a request related to the Disney parks. Specifically she asked about someone (or maybe something) that I’d never heard of: “With your Disney connections … Can you put a good word in for me … with Tally the ELF … I’m kinda crushing”.
So suddenly I am wondering, “Who the heck is Tally the Elf”?
Well I invest about thirty seconds (if that long) busting through a YouTube search and … Holy Guacamole!
Tally has been performing in the Magic Kingdom’s ‘Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade’. In a nutshell, he is (duh!) an elf (a so-called face character) who is responsible for maintaining Santa’s naughty and nice list. Well Tally (the performer playing him) spends a healthy portion of his time getting up with parade spectators, demanding their name and then announcing (often loudly) whether they have been designated as “Naughty” or “Nice”.
And it seems to be a uniform/unanimous assessment by every living soul on the planet that the guy performing as Tally is knocking the role out of the park. As one commenter notes: “Tally is carrying Christmas”.
Having launched that first “Tally” search on YouTube and other platforms, the algorithmic claws have dug in. My Reels and Insta profiles are now filled with people’s face-to-face encounters with Tally.
And (WOW!) there are a sleigh-load of Tally encounters posted across the interwebs.
People have lost their minds. There are videos of adult Magic Kingdom guests Disney Bounding as Tally. There are children dressing up as Tally – complete with his signature red clipboard and giant #2 pencil. From the moment he steps off at the start of his parade walk, guests are calling his name and waving signs -- all clamoring to grab his attention in order to find out where they stand with Santa.
And to illustrate the impact this one theme park performer has made, (again) I live in Orlando, and I first heard about him from a cousin who resides more than 3,000 miles away in Canada.
Tally’s crazy success reminds me about the power that characters add to the park’s atmosphere. Attractions, food and environments are certainly important, but the characters provide life and a fully-formed dimension that is so unique and essential to creating a memorable experience.
Back when I was working on a project at Disney Hollywood Studios, I was backstage heading to the cast cafeteria to grab some lunch. I was walking alone down a sidewalk that was about 75 yards long. Suddenly from around the corner ahead of me, comes Mickey Mouse. He’s walking straight toward me. It’s just me and him. No one else around. Is it actually a guy in a suit? Of course. But at that moment, I might as well be walking toward Springsteen. Because with every fiber on my being I was invested. I am walking up on THE Mickey Mouse.
As we pass, we high five and just keep on walking. And just like that, another indelible theme park memory is locked down.
Everyday thousands of similar encounters happen in parks around the planet. Every day thousands of memories are made.
So I would suggest, that the presence of characters are such an essential part of the personal magic that creates exceptional moments in themed entertainment. They are every bit as important as attractions.
If you disagree I suggest you bring it up with Tally. But be forewarned, say the wrong thing and you might find yourself on a problematic list.
Happy holidays, to the TPI regs. And if you feel so inclined, I hope yule (see what I did there?) share your thoughts on Tally or some of your own theme park character memories.
While it might not have been a theme park, I did play Rudolph for over 15 years for a local organization's annual Santa event and it was both a fun and emotional experience. Looking forward to it every year, I quickly learned how to "be" a better reindeer year after year. The hugs and interactions with kids and even the beaming adults posing for photos were such a magical moment in my life.
It was a professional Disney-level quality costume and when you represent "the most famous reminder of all," every move, motion, and reaction is critical. Kids started bringing colored pictures or even "back up lists" of items they wanted in case Santa didn't want to fulfil their wishes!
I took on a new found respect for theme park characters during these years and admire how Tally has evolved his role. It's so easy to get caught up in the character you are portraying that it really does become a piece of you.
I didn't need someone from Canada to make me aware of Tally, but I completely agree how such simple human interactions can be far more powerful than the most expensive and technologically advanced attraction. Ultimately, it is often the little things like Tally (a CM that has gone above and beyond for their love of their job and drive to put smiles on faces) that can make unforgettable memories. My only fear is that because Tally has gotten so popular that the superfans start trying to monopolize their time with the character and making those interactions less organic - it's sadly the consequences of anything at WDW that we can't have nice things, because eventually people (or Disney) find a way to ruin it.
Nonetheless, I second the kudos for this amazing character and the CM for bringing joy to guests who would otherwise be stressed out beyond belief dealing with MK during the busiest days of the year. Maybe Tally can encourage WDW to be more like Disneyland with their character appearances instead of stuffing them behind walls and in multiple rooms.