On May 11, the newly reimagined Country Bear Musical Jamboree character, Romeo McGrowl, made his debut at Frontierland in Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom Park. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned.
Romeo McGrowl, a new version of the classic Country Bear Jamboree character Liver Lips McGrowl, had been given a fresh name and look in 2024 as part of the attraction’s update. The name change was made to distance the character from the previous associations with substance abuse. When the new show premiered last July, Big Al, Shaker, and Wendell returned to Frontierland to meet and greet guests, but Romeo, who used to meet guests under his old name, was nowhere to be seen.
Everything changed earlier this month when Walt Disney World Resort announced that the reimagined Country Bear Musical Jamboree character would make his debut in Frontierland. Scheduled to appear alongside Big Al at 9:15 a.m. on May 11, Romeo’s appearance was slightly delayed, with the characters showing up at 9:30 a.m. However, when the bears finally arrived, Romeo’s costume seemed off.
In a video shared by @fantasylandnewsblog on Instagram, Romeo McGrowl’s headpiece appeared to be falling off and shifting to one side. The character performer reached up multiple times to correct the issue, but it became evident that the costume malfunction was not going unnoticed by Walt Disney World Resort guests.
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The situation was promptly addressed by a character attendant, who escorted Romeo backstage to fix the issue. After a brief hiatus, Romeo returned to Frontierland to continue interacting with Disney Park guests.
Unlike other Walt Disney World Resort characters who have set meet-and-greet locations, the Country Bear Musical Jamboree characters roam freely around Frontierland at scheduled times, which makes it more challenging for guests to line up for photos or autographs. Visitors can keep an eye on the My Disney Experience app to find out when and where the characters will appear next.
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