How do guests get popular Disney towel animals in their rooms?
Thu, 19 Aug 2010
 (Stephanie Bingle) While not exclusive to Disney properties, towel art is a surprise that adults and kids look forward to in the hotels and on the cruise ships.
Towel art is said to have its roots in origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. At Walt Disney World and on Disney Cruise Line, towel animals take on many shapes — from cakes to elephants, monkeys, swans, bunnies, ducks, sea creatures and more.
The creation of towel animals is at the discretion of Disney’s Mousekeepers, the cast members who clean the guest rooms. Towel animals are little surprises that may or may not appear in your resort hotel room each day, though cabin stewards do place them in cruise staterooms each night.
Some guests so look forward to the towel animals that the topic of whether daily tipping of the Mousekeepers affects the quantity of animals appears regularly on various Disney message boards. In a recent thread on Disboards.com here, one person posted a graph based on guest responses. It’s unscientific, of course, but interesting nevertheless.
Many commenters seem to think that the deciding factor is the Mousekeeper’s work load. If the cast member knows how to make the towel art and has the time, he or she is likely to do so. Some guests say that picking up after themselves and not leaving their rooms in shambles helped earn them towel art.
The other hot-button issue concerning Disney’s towel animals? Whether your pleading children can actually take them home. According to one official Disney Moms Panelist and many commenters who asked their Mousekeepers, the answer is “yes.” Guests are encouraged to take the creations home with them.
You can learn how to make an elephant and a swan here. For those really into towel art, this book is dedicated to the subject. Guests will recognize some of the creations that appear in Disney rooms. See more towel animals below.
 (Kristin Ford/Orlando Sentinel)
 (Kristin Ford/Orlando Sentinel)
 (Stephanie Bingle)
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