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I have seen a lot of questions around the web on alternatives to autograph books, so I thought it might be a fun time to take another look at this post with 10 alternatives to autograph books. Have you done any of these? Have you tried anything else that others might like to know about?
So you are heading to the park and want a unique, or different way to collect Disney Character Autographs besides an autograph book? Don’t worry, there are lots of fun alternatives. Here are 10 that we think are a ton of fun and easy to do.
- Picture Mat. You can purchase picture mats that can be written on, or make your own. Carry it around (in a protective sleeve) and have all the characters sign it. Then, choose a favorite picture to display with it when you get home. Alternatively, you could buy several small ones and have each character sign their own, but that would be a bit much for a lot of us.
The downside to this option is that the mat needs to be quite big, and can be hard to carry around without bending. - Pillow Case or T-Shirt. Bring a plain white Pillow Case or T-Shirt and fabric markers. Also bring something hard (clip board) to stretch the fabric over while the character signs. Then you have a shirt or pillowcase to remind you of your Disney vacation. An alternative option is to buy a white Disney T-Shirt at the park or online and then have the characters sign it.
The downside to this option is that even the best fabric markers tend to fade. Wash with care. - Ornaments. Going to Disney during the holidays? Take Christmas Ornaments for the characters to sign. Be sure to have a permanent liquid marker. Think of those fancy ones you got back in high school if you wanted your signature to look fancy in your friends year books. Also be sure to buy large ornaments.
Downsides to this are that some characters will not be able to sign even a large ornament and it is bulky to carry a bunch of ornaments around (definitely more doable if you have a stroller). - Index Cards. These are great for if you plan on scrapbooking your trip. Have each character sign an index card and then you can put it on the page that has pictures of them. You can decorate each index card before or after the character signs.
A downside to this option is that loose index cards can get lost easily. You can avoid this by punching a hold in the corner and putting a ring through them, or finding a notepad of index cards where they rip out later. - Books. There are lots of Disney books out there. Find books starring the characters and have them sign the books. It will be fun for your child to see the characters autograph in the book that is about that character.
Downside to this option is again, carrying the books around. - Postcards. Have characters sign postcards with their pictures on them, or just any postcard that is Disney. Have your address on them and get a stamp and send them home to yourself. They will have the postmark from the city where the park is located, and are great to put in a pocket or envelope in a scrapbook. Are also great to display on a fridge or cubicle wall. It would also be fun for your little ones to get home and have postcards from all of their favorite characters.
The downside to this option is that the cost can add up, even without mailing them home, it can be spendy to buy enough postcards. - Park Maps. Have Characters sign the park map of the park you met them in. After you get home you can laminate the map. You can print your own maps at home before you go and make them look pretty or you can use the ones at the park.
The downside here is if you use the park ones, they are already filled with print, so signatures won’t show up very well. - Phone Case. You can purchase a rubberized phone case (for most phones) for a few bucks off of Amazon. A white phone case and a sharpie might be a great way to display a few of your favorite character’s autograph.
The downside to a phone case is size. You will only be able to fit a few autographs at most. - Shoes or Hats. Take a pair of white canvas shoes or a baseball hat and some fabric markers to the park. Have characters sign the shoes. Then you can wear the autographs anywhere your feet take you.
The downside to shoes and hats is that they can get dirty, and much like the pillowcases and shirts, washing can fade the autographs. - Poster. Take a store bought poster, or a poster size print of a picture from your last park visit and ask the characters to sign it. Then you have a nice big picture with lots of autographs on it to display in your child’s bedroom, a craft room, or anywhere else you have room for it.
This option is great other than the size of the poster. Rolling it (and maybe having a carrying case) will help keep it from crinkling, but you still have to carry it or store it somewhere.
Now you have 10 new ways to collect your favorite Disney character’s autographs.
Do you have another alternative to autograph books that you have done? Leave a comment below!
I made a small photo album autograph book for my niece and nephews first Disney trip. Each page was decorated for a character, had a place for a signature and a place for a photograph. The kids loved it, they were able to put their photo with the character on the designated page so it created a special keepsake.
One year my husband had a Disney Club collector hat he had all the charactors sign. When we got home I ordered a sports clear sports boxes to display the hat in.
We try to do something just a little bit different on each trip! Sometimes we make our own books, sometimes we buy them, just depends on the mood! For our upcoming trip, Ashley designed a blank book filled with Disney quotes on Shutterfly. 🙂