Ducky Momo Lost and Found

The day began like any other day at Disneyland.  The happiest place on earth.  No one suspected the horrors that would await.

We got Cinnamon Rolls at the Jolly Holiday bakery, but my wife took a really long time on account of her coffee, and so we had to hurry to get to the Pirate’s League.  Unfortunately, in the rush, I left my Ducky Momo backpack just hanging on the back of the chair, which contained Ducky Momo himself, as well as our autograph books so far.

It was not until we were all done our daughter’s Pirate’s League makeover and I was getting the stroller that I realized I had no idea where my Ducky Momo backpack was.  I told ran back to the café.  Not there.  Heart thumping, I immediately went to the City Hall for help.  They directed me to the Lost & Found outside the gates.

Now, I actually expected them to have it in fairly short order, because we visited in 2011, left our daughter’s Tinker Bell jacket in the World of Color viewing area, and they found it and returned it to us.  So, spoiled by the excellent Disney service, how quick on the ball they were last time, I wasn’t too worried as of yet.  But they didn’t have it, and had heard nothing about it.  By now it has been at least 45 minutes since it was lost.  They had me fill out a form and said they would call if it turned up.

I went back to the café to do my own investigation.  I asked the first cast member I saw, a man sweeping the area where we had been sitting, and lo and behold, he said that he indeed saw it, and turned it in to security because it had been left so long.  Here’s where it gets weird.

He was really upset with me!  Like I did it on purpose to ruin his day!  He was angry and defensive at the same time, upset with me, but also acted like he thought I was going to punch him or something. “I waited as long as I could, usually people come back right away but finally I called security.”  Of course he turned it into security, that was the right thing to do.  Why would I be upset?  It was my screwup to leave it there.  I tried to not be offended at his attitude, imagining he must deal with awful people and get all tense about it.

Relieved that at least security had it, we went back to the hotel room as our little pirate was quite tired (she can go from 8am – midnight no problem, but this was our 4th day there, and lack of sleep had caught up).

We returned to the park in costumes for Mickey’s Halloween Party.  Myself – pirate, to match the offspring.  My wife was Mabel from Gravity Falls.  On the way in, we checked with the lost and found, nada.  They called security, no report, no information.  It has been several hours now, so I started to get real worried.  They suggested the manager of the café might have it in her office.

I went there and the manager said that they don’t do that, and was surprised they’d suggest such a thing (passing the buck?) but she’d check it out for me.  She ended up a calling security guy and the cleaning lead too.  They asked about the guy I talked to earlier, that admitted turning it into security.  I told them I didn’t think the guy who talked to me earlier was dressed like the café workers, but in the white outfit of the street cleaners.  But maybe I just thought that because he was sweeping.  They said a street sweeper would never be on the steps of the café.  Later in the day I started to think they were right and it was a café worker, but I don’t have a great memory for people and so I really have no idea anymore.

So three cast members, café manager, security, cleaning lead, all making calls, disappearing and returning, while I pace back and forth full of anxiety and guilt, and my wife and child sit around not sure what to do, should they go try to have some fun, or wait for the resolution?

Eventually they came with tentative smiles and showed me a picture on a phone, texted from security elsewhere in the park, and there was Ducky Momo!  I identified the backpack, and the contents as well, and then it was just a few more minutes until they brought it.  I was so relieved!  He was safe!  The backpack I could get a new one, but Ducky Momo himself is irreplaceable, and the autograph books could not be replaced either; my daughter would be heartbroken if she didn’t have Stitch’s autograph, after he wiped his nose on it and everything.

I thanked the three cast members profusely and asked them to sign my autograph book, which they did.  I asked to take their picture holding Ducky Momo.  The rescuers!  I was so grateful.  Now these are not face characters, so there is no tacit consent to be published on the internet, so I have cropped our their faces and put little Momos on their ID badges.

Behold, the three saviors of Ducky Momo!

The manager of the café offered us some free snacks and my wife took them up on it, scoring coffee and a pastry.  Considering the whole mess was my fault, getting offered free stuff made me feel pretty awful, but this seemed, well, pretty tacky, but I finally gave in and got a macaroon.

Ducky Momo is safe thanks to the amazing people of Disney!

DuckyMomoFanboy12 — August 12, 2019 @ 3:22 am

Me and the boys really enjoyed this story.

P.S. Ducky Momo thicc af

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