I read today that Disney Theatrical Productions is exploring the possibility of a Muppets musical on Broadway. How fun would that be?! So, in honor of this, I present today’s Friday Photo:

OK, so this isn’t exactly a hidden Mickey…because it was right out in the open. And, it’s not exactly a Disney-licensed version of the Mouse. But we saw several of these Mickey ride-ons in Chinatown.

While visiting New York last week, there was one place that was high on my “must-see” list: the Disney Store in Times Square. Our hotel was just a few blocks from there, so I was looking forward to doing a little shopping in my spare time. To my great disappointment, this sign was on the door:

Our flight home was on May 10. This certainly was a “glitch” in my plan.   I did manage a tiny peek inside the door on the following day when someone just happened to be doing some sort of repair on the doorframe. Wish I had my camera ready. But I did manage to snap these pics of Mickey, Minnie, and Woody. Yes, I know…not the real characters. In fact, Mickey was “headless” part of the night–definitely not how a true Disney character would act. And there were about 4 Woodys and 3 Mickeys within a two-block radius of each other…definitely not the Disney way. The pic below, however, is the only Minnie we saw on our trip.

Here’s the news from Walt Disney World over the last week:

• Merida officially became a Disney Princess in a coronation ceremony at the Magic Kingdom on May 11. This brings the official court to eleven Disney Princesses. (Have I mentioned that 11 is my favorite number? My husband and I were married on 11/11/00, after exactly 11 months of dating. We celebrated our 11th anniversary on 11/11/11!)
• Free dining and room discounts for fall dates were released to the general public, following a brief exclusive release for Disney Rewards Visa cardholders. You can check out the discounts on the “Offers” page on the WDW website.
• PIN codes for free dining–with a wider range of dates–also went out to a ton of previous Disney guests. I got mine! Did you get one?
• Constructions walls went up at the former Pleasure Island section of Downtown Disney, so that work can begin on the new Disney Springs area.
• The new castle projection show, “Celebrate the Magic,” was announced and will coincide with the May 24 “Monstrous Summer Event.”
• Wendy and Peter Pan are together again! The duo can be found near the queue to Peter Pan’s Flight for daily meet-n-greets. Peter Pan was formerly greeting guests alone in Adventureland.
• La Nouba (Cirque du Soleil) is closed until the end of the month for refurbishment.
• After just a few months in operation, Be Our Guest Restaurant menus are already being tweaked–and some prices are going up. Ouch.

That about covers what you might have missed while I was away!

On May 24, guests at the Magic Kingdom can once again party all night long! “The Monstrous Summer All Nighter” was officially announced via a giant projection of Mike Wazowski on Spaceship Earth at Epcot. While technically it is a 24-hour party–from 6:00 a.m. on May 24 through 6:00 a.m. on May 25–the MK will indeed close briefly after that to “reset” for the regular opening on May 25. So, no, you can’t stay in the MK for two days straight.

Similar to last year’s “One More Disney Day” to celebrate Leap Day, this event will both celebrate the upcoming Monsters University film and also be tied in with Limited Time Magic. (This is also the kick-off of Memorial Day weekend.) There will be special entertainment (likely an extra parade and dance parties, etc.) to help fill the extra hours. And some of the characters will even appear in their PJs!

Does anyone out there have plans to attend? Let me hear from you!

Monorail Teal has a new look! It’s has been taken over by Mike, Sully, and some of their friends from Monsters University. But don’t worry, Marvel fans. The Iron Man 3 monorail is still in circulation as well. Click here to see the story on the official Disney Parks Blog.

photo ©Disney