For many, visiting Disneyland remains a bucket list dream. Beyond the vibrant characters and fantastical settings, an unwritten 'Disney Hug Rule' adds a deeper layer of magic to the experience, according to Goodnet.
Representative Image Source: Parade during Disneyland Paris - 15th Anniversary Celebration at Disneyland Paris in Marne-La-Vallee / Paris, France. (Photo by Toni Anne Barson/WireImage)
In a TikTok video uploaded by @thedisneybarbie, the user has addressed the informal guideline. They also thanked the entertainment giant for crafting memorable moments cherished by children and their families. The brief yet heartwarming clip was captioned, "I didn’t know this until late last year when I was told that it’s the characters practice to never let go of the child’s hug first and to allow the child to hug as long as they want."
This informal guideline is closely followed by the costumed characters who are seen moving around the magical landscapes of Disney parks. The hug rule, which is not formal in nature, states that characters are instructed not to break a hug with a guest until the guest initiates the parting. Since the inception of these beautiful theme parks, this hugging practice has become a cherished part of the Disney experience, particularly for children who enjoy the warmth of these magical embraces for as long as they want.
The Disney Hug Rule underscores a commitment to forging lasting memories. Primarily benefiting children eager for a hug from beloved characters, this tradition elevates performers from mere entertainers to creators of cherished experiences.
Although these heartfelt hugs are available to all, they particularly enchant young visitors. For children, an extended embrace with icons like Mickey, Cinderella, or Elsa turns a dream into a magical reality.
Image Source: TikTok | @thecardinalkaos
Image Source: TikTok | @carbotaeil
The TikTok clip has received plenty of positive comments from users who have expressed their gratitude towards this special rule. Some users shared their heartwarming experiences of the theme park. One user, @mugglesnuggler commented, "This would explain why Cinderella hugged my son for a solid 3 minutes and just rubbed his back." Another user, @courtneyjuerg commented, "Even as an adult. The Disney hug rule is so healing."
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Will your current friends still be with you after seven years?
Professor shares how many years a friendship must last before it'll become lifelong
Think of your best friend. How long have you known them? Growing up, children make friends and say they’ll be best friends forever. That’s where “BFF” came from, for crying out loud. But is the concept of the lifelong friend real? If so, how many years of friendship will have to bloom before a friendship goes the distance? Well, a Dutch study may have the answer to that last question.
Sociologist Gerald Mollenhorst and his team in the Netherlands did extensive research on friendships and made some interesting findings in his surveys and studies. Mollenhorst found that over half of your friendships will “shed” within seven years. However, the relationships that go past the seven-year mark tend to last. This led to the prevailing theory that most friendships lasting more than seven years would endure throughout a person’s lifetime.
In Mollenhorst’s findings, lifelong friendships seem to come down to one thing: reciprocal effort. The primary reason so many friendships form and fade within seven-year cycles has much to do with a person’s ages and life stages. A lot of people lose touch with elementary and high school friends because so many leave home to attend college. Work friends change when someone gets promoted or finds a better job in a different state. Some friends get married and have children, reducing one-on-one time together, and thus a friendship fades. It’s easy to lose friends, but naturally harder to keep them when you’re no longer in proximity.
Some people on Reddit even wonder if lifelong friendships are actually real or just a romanticized thought nowadays. However, older commenters showed that lifelong friendship is still possible:
“I met my friend on the first day of kindergarten. Maybe not the very first day, but within the first week. We were texting each other stupid memes just yesterday. This year we’ll both celebrate our 58th birthdays.”
“My oldest friend and I met when she was just 5 and I was 9. Next-door neighbors. We're now both over 60 and still talk weekly and visit at least twice a year.”
“I’m 55. I’ve just spent a weekend with friends I met 24 and 32 years ago respectively. I’m also still in touch with my penpal in the States. I was 15 when we started writing to each other.”
“My friends (3 of them) go back to my college days in my 20’s that I still talk to a minimum of once a week. I'm in my early 60s now.”
“We ebb and flow. Sometimes many years will pass as we go through different things and phases. Nobody gets buttsore if we aren’t in touch all the time. In our 50s we don’t try and argue or be petty like we did before. But I love them. I don’t need a weekly lunch to know that. I could make a call right now if I needed something. Same with them.”
Maintaining a friendship for life is never guaranteed, but there are ways, psychotherapists say, that can make a friendship last. It’s not easy, but for a friendship to last, both participants need to make room for patience and place greater weight on their similarities than on the differences that may develop over time. Along with that, it’s helpful to be tolerant of large distances and gaps of time between visits, too. It’s not easy, and it requires both people involved to be equally invested to keep the friendship alive and from becoming stagnant.
As tough as it sounds, it is still possible. You may be a fortunate person who can name several friends you’ve kept for over seven years or over seventy years. But if you’re not, every new friendship you make has the same chance and potential of being lifelong.