Some friends of mine just took a trip to Disney World and for some reason that got me thinking about Mickey Mouse. Well, not Mickey Mouse exactly but those people who dress up as Mickey Mouse and wander around Walt Disney World all day, pose for pictures with tourists, and get paid.

I mean this is this a job or a career choice? Who are these people? Are they old, young, middle age. Is this a part time job or have some of the same people been Mickey Mouse for years?

You have to admit, that being Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, or Goofy has got to be considered an unusual job. I wonder how people apply for such jobs, and what skills are needed to get the job. I assume you can’t really say you are a people person if you want to be a mouse. But do you have to like cheese?

I did find that characters at Walt Disney world are currently making between $7.70 and $11.75 per hour and may be eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as getting paid vacations and sick leave.

It seems a little ironic to me that I don’t get a paid vacation but Duck’s and mice who work in vacation resorts do!

On the other hand it seems like it can’t always be a lot of fun living inside a big rubber mask, and taking on a personality that is not your own for hour after hour a day. Not to mention having to mention be world famous and yet completely anonymous.

Imagine appearing in thousands of pictures, all over the world and no one really knowing what you look like! Can you imagine showing your grandchildren your scrapbook one day and saying “I use to be a mouse.”

Still a job is a job and this economy, everyone needs work, and it seems this job is certainly one “Of Mice and Men.”