For the Love of the Parks: The Story Behind Mouse + Park

Some dreams begin with a wish upon a star. Mine began with a lifelong love of a place that has always felt like home.

I was lucky enough to visit EPCOT in 1982, the year it opened. I had seen it on television, and I was absolutely fascinated by that enormous silver ball. In fact, I was convinced that the entire park was inside it.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived and discovered that the giant ball contained exactly one attraction.

One!

Clearly, I had underestimated the size of the place.

But that's the wonderful thing about Disney. Just when you think you know what to expect, it finds another way to surprise you.

Some of my earliest memories are of visiting Disneyland with my entire family. I remember the awe, the laughter, and the feeling that we were somewhere unlike anywhere else. I didn't know it then, but those visits were the beginning of a lifelong love affair.

More than four decades and over 50 park visits later, that feeling hasn't changed.

The attractions have come and gone. The parks have grown. Entire lands have appeared where there was once something else. I've grown up, raised a family, and lived a whole lot of life between those visits.

But every single time I walk onto Main Street, U.S.A., there it is.

That feeling.

The one that's almost impossible to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it, and completely unnecessary to explain to someone who has.

It's joy. It's nostalgia. It's anticipation. It's the feeling of being a kid again, even when you're very much not a kid anymore.

And somehow, after all these years, it still gets me every time.

There's Something About This Place

I've often heard adults say something about Disney that has stayed with me:

“I miss who I am when I'm in the parks.”

I understand that completely.

There's something about being there that allows us to set down the weight of everyday life for a little while. We laugh more. We notice little things. We get excited about a snack, a song, or catching that first glimpse of a castle in the distance.

We stand in line for an hour to experience something that lasts three minutes, and then immediately discuss whether we should do it again.

Perfectly reasonable behavior, if you ask me.

And the joy is contagious.

Look around any Disney park and you'll see it. Grandparents smiling at their grandchildren. Adults wearing mouse ears without a second thought. Families laughing together. Complete strangers sharing the excitement of a parade or fireworks.

For a little while, everyone seems to understand the same wonderful thing: life is supposed to have moments like these.

Of course, Disney isn't perfect. There are long lines, tired feet, unexpected rainstorms, and the occasional moment when everyone in your group desperately needs a snack.

But even with all of that, there's a feeling that keeps bringing us back.

And it's a feeling I wish we could bottle up and take home.

In a way, that's where Mouse + Park began.

A Little Magic Between Visits

I've been thinking about creating Mouse + Park for years.

Not because the world necessarily needed another publication about Disney, but because I knew there were people like me who wanted to keep that feeling alive long after the suitcases were unpacked.

People who love learning about the history of the parks. Who want to know what's happening at Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, or Shanghai Disney Resort, even if they haven't made it there yet. Who appreciate the incredible creativity behind an attraction, the little details hidden in plain sight, or the stories of the people who make the magic happen.

People who love the food, the music, the design, the traditions, the merchandise, and all those wonderfully specific things that only another Disney fan would understand.

And people who simply want a little more joy in their everyday lives.

I've also been a magazine lover for as long as I can remember. There is something wonderful about a new issue of a favorite publication. The anticipation of opening it, discovering what's inside, finding something unexpected, and already looking forward to the next one.

I wanted to bring that experience to Disney fans.

Not just another source for news or vacation planning, although we'll certainly have plenty of both.

I wanted to create a true Disney lifestyle magazine. Something beautiful, interesting, inspiring, and fun. A publication that celebrates the parks around the world, Disney Cruise Line, Aulani, Adventures by Disney, and the countless ways Disney finds its way into our homes, wardrobes, kitchens, memories, and imaginations.

A place for history and hidden details, recipes and style, interviews and inspiration, practical advice and a healthy dose of nostalgia.

Something you can enjoy whether your next park visit is next week, next year, or still just a dream.

Most of all, I wanted Mouse + Park to be a reminder of how you feel when you're there.

Because I don't think we should have to wait until our next vacation to feel a little of that joy.

Two Friends, One Very Big Dream

One of the best parts of bringing Mouse + Park to life has been getting to do it with my longtime friend, Aimee.

And when I say longtime, I mean eighth-grade longtime.

We've known each other through all the years and all the changes that come with growing up. We've also both loved Disney since childhood, visiting Disneyland and Walt Disney World with our families.

Funny enough, while we always knew we shared that love, it wasn't until I told Aimee about my plans for Mouse + Park that we realized just how deep that mutual obsession really went.

I mean, how could you not love Disney?

When we were younger, Aimee and I used to talk about how, when we grew up, we'd live next door to each other.

That never happened.

But now, all these years later, we're creating a magazine together, and I have to say, this might be even better.

There's something pretty wonderful about getting to chase a dream alongside someone who knew you long before you had any idea what your grown-up life would look like.

And I'm so excited to see where this adventure takes us.

The Courage to Dream

There's another reason Mouse + Park means so much to me, and it's perhaps the most personal one.

I've always admired Walt Disney.

Not simply because of the parks he created or the extraordinary things he accomplished, but because he was a dreamer.

A big dreamer.

The kind of person who could imagine something that didn't exist and believe in it long before anyone else understood what he was trying to do.

I've spent much of my life feeling a little outside the expected path. I've never been particularly good at accepting that life is supposed to look a certain way, or that dreams should become smaller or more practical as we get older.

And in those moments when I've been made to feel that perhaps I should just be a little more normal, I've often thought about Walt.

What if he had decided to be normal?

What if he'd listened to everyone who thought his ideas were too big, too unusual, or simply impossible?

Imagine what the world would have missed.

There's a quote attributed to Walt that has always meant something to me:

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

For years, Mouse + Park was an idea. A dream I kept coming back to, imagining what it could become.

And now, I'm choosing to pursue it.

Not because I know exactly where it will lead, but because I know how much joy Disney has brought into my life, and I can't think of a better thing to spend my time sharing with others.

Maybe that's what I've admired most about Walt all along. He didn't just dream of creating something wonderful for himself. He wanted other people to experience it, too.

That's what I hope to do, in my own little way, with Mouse + Park.

This Is My Love Letter

So here we are.

The very first issue of Mouse + Park.

A magazine born from childhood memories, decades of park visits, a lifelong appreciation for a good magazine, one very old friendship, and a dream that finally became too exciting not to chase.

My hope is that every issue brings you something worth looking forward to.

That you'll discover a story you didn't know, find inspiration you weren't expecting, laugh at something only a Disney fan would understand, and perhaps remember a little piece of your own childhood along the way.

I hope you'll see the care, creativity, and genuine love that goes into these pages.

And when you reach the last page, I hope you'll already be looking forward to the next issue.

Because Mouse + Park is more than a magazine about a place.

It's about the way those places make us feel.

It's about the memories we've made, the ones we're still dreaming of, and the simple joy of having something wonderful to look forward to.

It's for the little kid who once believed all of EPCOT could fit inside a giant silver ball.

For the grown-up who still gets butterflies walking down Main Street.

And for everyone who has ever come home from a Disney vacation and thought, I wish I could feel like that every day.

This is my love letter to the parks.

And I'm so happy you're here to share it.

With a little magic,

Charity Bowman

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Mouse + Park Magazine