As previously reported during our original overview of the holiday offerings at Disneyland Park, Goofy was scheduled to take over Santa’s meeting spot and interact with guests. Now, Santa Goofy has officially arrived.

Fantasyland Theatre

Santa Goofy can be found inside the Fantasyland Theatre in Disneyland Park.

The entire theatre is themed to the holidays, with festive photo ops and snowy decorations. See our previous article for a full overview of the space and all the activities found inside.

Santa Goofy

Goofy has taken over the meet and greet space that was previously occupied by Santa Claus, giving him a well deserved break. The space is themed like Santa’s Workshop, with guests entering through a wooden arch and taking photos in front of a snowy woodland backdrop.

Goofy is wearing a Santa outfit with the classic red coat and white fluffy trim. A fake white beard hangs down Goofy’s chin, and he wears a red Santa hat on top.

Santa Goofy is currently scheduled to meet guests now through January 6. In addition to his location at the Fantasyland Theatre, Santa Goofy can also be spotted at the end of Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in Disney California Adventure, where he is also replacing Santa Claus until January 6.

Will you be meeting Santa Goofy in his new location? Let us know in the comments.

For more Disneyland Resort news and info, follow Disneyland News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news worldwide, visit WDWNT.

The post Meet Santa Goofy at Fantasyland Theatre in Disneyland Park appeared first on WDW News Today.

It’s cookie time!

Like one of our favorite Muppets, we think one of the many key ingredients – – see what we did there – – to an A+ meal is a cookie dessert. And, as anyone who’s been to Disney World knows, the resort features a large assortment of cookies, with something for every palette. Today, we’re looking at one of our favorite Disney World cookies, and how you can make it at home!

The Coffee Mocha Cookie from the Mele Kalikimaka Holiday Kitchen booth is one of our favorite snacks at EPCOT’s International Festival of the Holidays.

The following recipe would make 18-20 of the coffee-infused buttercream, cocoa nibs, and chocolate-covered espresso bean-topped cookies.

First up, the ingredients. To make a batch of Coffee Mocha Cookies, you’ll need the following:

Cookies

• 2 3/4 cups 1:1 gluten-free flour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coffee extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Buttercream:

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons coffee extract
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Toppings:

• 60 chocolate-covered espresso beans
• 1/4 cup grated cocoa nibs

Cooking Instructions for the Cookies:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mat or parchment paper.
• Mix gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, instant coffee, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
• Cream butter and sugar in the bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add half of gluten-free flour mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated.
• Add eggs, coffee extract, and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until smooth. While mixer is on low speed, add remaining flour and beat for 1-2 minutes until fully mixed. Cover and chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Use a 1/4 cup scoop to shape cookie dough into balls. Place 6 cookies on each prepared baking sheet and gently flatten to 3/4-inch thickness.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookie tops just begin to crack, but center remains slightly soft.
• Cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks until room temperature. Repeat with remaining dough until all cookies are complete.

Cooking Instructions for Buttercream:

• Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until there are no lumps.
• Add half of the powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until combined.
• Add remaining powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until combined.  Increase speed to high and beat until fluffy.
• Add coffee and vanilla extracts and beat until fully incorporated.
• Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, spread 1-2 tablespoons of coffee buttercream on top of each cooled cookie then add 3 chocolate-covered espresso beans and desired amount of grated cocoa nibs to the top of each cookie.

Once the cookies are prepared, they make a perfect Holiday party snack… or simply a treat for yourself on any day of the year! Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World recipes!

REVIEW: We Tried 6 Iconic EPCOT Snacks and We’re Revealing the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

What’s your favorite Disney World snack to make at home? Let us know in the comments below!

The post RECIPE: Make EPCOT’s Coffee Mocha Cookies at Home! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Disneyland is making preparations for their New Year’s Eve celebration with stage setups throughout the park.

New Year’s Eve at Disneyland

A stage has been set up in the courtyard in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Decorative banners have been placed at the sides and front of the stage.

A closer look at the banners shows the text “Happy New Year!” Beneath that is a large “2025” with the “0” being a Mickey-shaped alarm clock and the Disneyland Resort logo on a blue banner situated underneath. Gold star emblems are scattered across the sign.

Off to the side of the courtyard are more stage equipment and props that will be used for the evening’s celebrations, including what appear to be Mickey-shaped disco balls.

A similar setup can be found at “it’s a small world.” Two tall lighting towers can be seen with a stage at the center that doubles as a photo backdrop. Both lighting towers and the stage are covered in theming elements that match the “it’s a small world” attraction. A sign at the center of the stage reads “Happy New Year.”

Per the official PlanDisney site, a New Year’s Eve countdown will happen at both stages as well as at Rivers of America.

Will you be ringing in the new year at Disneyland? Let us know in the comments!

For more Disneyland Resort news and info, follow Disneyland News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news worldwide, visit WDWNT.

The post Disneyland Prepares for New Year’s Eve 2025 Celebrations appeared first on WDW News Today.

Magic Kingdom is about to go through some serious changes.

To start off, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will be closed for at least a year for an update. Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America are also about to be completely reimagined into a new Cars expansion in Frontierland. But wait…there’s more! That’s because a new Villains-themed land is coming to the area behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Magic Kingdom is even getting a new nighttime parade! In the meantime, let’s just say Magic Kingdom is going to look VERY different over the next few years.

We’ve looked at some maps and figured out what Magic Kingdom is going to look like during some of these changes. So first, let’s take a look at the new nighttime parade, Disney Starlight, which is scheduled to debut in summer 2025. Based on other Magic Kingdom parades, we can estimate that the parade route will be the same one used for existing parades. So here’s what we think the route will look like.

Now, if it does keep to this route, we can recommend some great viewing locations. We usually stake out a spot in either Frontierland or Liberty Square, preferably on the Country Bear Jamboree, Liberty Tree Tavern, or Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe side of the route. The parade starts in Frontierland, so if you view it there, you’ll be among the first to see it. Then, if you want to watch it again, make your way to Main Street, U.S.A. because YOLO!

Our second map shows just how big of an area is going to be taken over by the Cars expansion. It’s a HUGE area!

For comparison, here’s a map of Magic Kingdom from the My Disney Experience app without all that area filled in with the Cars expansion. Yes, it’s a HUGE area.

To get an idea of just how big this new expansion will be, here’s the concept art Disney released showing the area and its two new attractions.

We also created a third map predicting where we think the construction walls for this project will be (hint: it’s most of Frontierland). We think we might even see Big Thunder Mountain Railroad blocked off since it will also be under construction for at least a year. We also think they might block off the area by Haunted Mansion to keep prying eyes from seeing any of the constructon progress. Granted, this is our best guess, but we think it could be fairly accurate.

If this IS accurate, at least the construction walls might not create TOO much of a situation where you have to do a lot of backtracking to get around the park. A lot of the area that will be under construction is currently mostly water, so that makes a difference.

We’ll be keeping an eye out for updates on these projects, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

The One Frustrating Reason You Should SKIP Magic Kingdom in 2025

What do you think about all the Magic Kingdom construction that’s coming soon? Let us know in the comments!

The post These 3 Maps Show What Magic Kingdom Will Look Like for the Next Several Years first appeared on the disney food blog.

More Mickey Mouse cartoons and “The Skeleton Dance” animated short will enter the public domain on January 1, 2025.

More Mickey Cartoons Entering Public Domain

Nearly a year ago on January 1, 2024, “Steamboat Willie,” and the original versions of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, entered the public domain.

Since “Steamboat Willie” entered the public domain, the character has been used in other media, including a horror film and third parties selling Mickey Mouse NFT’s.

In a previous statement, a Disney spokesperson said “Ever since Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in the 1928 short film ‘Steamboat Willie,’ people have associated the character with Disney’s stories, experiences, and authentic products. That will not change when the copyright in the Steamboat Willie film expires.”

The spokesperson continued, “More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise.”

Disney will now be losing more versions of Mickey to the public domain. Beginning January 1, 2025, the cartoons listed below, as well as the version of Mickey and Minnie in these cartoons, will be free for the public to use:

• “The Barn Dance”
• “The Barnyard Battle”
• “Jungle Rhythm”
• “Mickey’s Choo-Choo”
• “The Jazz Fool”
• “The Plowboy”
• “When the Cat’s Away”
• “Wild Waves”

Despite the cartoons entering the public domain, Disney still holds a trademark for Mickey as a symbol of their brand. No other companies can start using a Mickey head logo, although they could make Mickey-related media. As long as a trademark is still in use, it never expires.

‘The Skeleton Dance’

In addition to losing the copyright to the Mickey cartoons mentioned above, Disney will also lose its copyright to “The Skeleton Dance.”

“The Skeleton Dance” was released in 1929, is a six-minute long short, and was the first installment in the Silly Symphony series. Written, directed, and produced by Walt Disney himself, the short has notably become one of the most iconic cartoons to date. Per the description on Disney+, “A lively quartet of graveyard skeletons come out to play and dance the night away in this spooky Silly Symphony.”

What are your thoughts on these cartoons entering the public domain? Let us know in the comments!

Source: ComicBook.com

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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