Pluto Brings the Halloween ‘Paw-ty’ to Downtown Disney District

Matt Nixon

by , Internal Communications Specialist, Disneyland Resort

Halloween Time is back at the Disneyland Resort with a howling new offering in the Downtown Disney District: Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit. Guests can search throughout the district for character-themed pumpkins, fill a game board with stickers and redeem it for a spooky prize.

“I love Downtown Disney because every year we get to decorate it totally differently for each season,” said Sara Dehghan, the Resort Enhancement team lead who managed the project. “There’s a lot of space for creativity.”

Sara’s team was tasked with a new challenge:  choosing pumpkins to be transformed into classic Disney characters. “For Goofy, we picked a taller pumpkin, Mickey is more round and Stitch had to be smaller than Lilo,” Sara said. The team worked with partners to ensure each character’s unique features came through on the pumpkins — from Pluto’s distinctive ears and nose to Moana’s handcrafted necklace.

The team also got to choose where to safely place each pumpkin—making sure to show off their best angles in the most appropriate areas for the characters they represent. For instance, Mrs. Potts is brewing outside Starbucks East, Princess Tiana is playing at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen and BB-8 is hiding out at Star Wars Trading Post. Resort Enhancement cast will continue to check on each pumpkin nightly to make sure they always look their best for Guests.

“I’m extremely proud of my team,” said Sara. “I can’t wait for our guests to find these pumpkins and enjoy the transformations into Disney characters.”

Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit is available Sept. 9-Oct. 31, while supplies last. Guests can join in on the fun by purchasing game boards with stickers ($9.99) at select merchandise locations, including World of Disney, Disney’s Pin Traders, Disney Home, The Disney Dress Shop and WonderGround Gallery. Guests can redeem their game boards at World of Disney or Disney’s Pin Traders.

See the Halloween magic in action for yourself: