Jollywood Nights Introduces “New Original Character”

The Disney Jollywood Nights opening night at Disney’s Hollywood Studios didn’t go as Disney planned. Many guests posted on social media their frustration with lines, chaos, and lack of magic throughout the evening.

One specific character from the event hit social media with storm as Disney advertised it as “the first original character at Disney since Figment.” This statement had many passionate Disney fans both confused and even more frustrated.

Credit: Disney

Jollywood Nights

Jollywood Nights is a special ticketed event that will be taking place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on select nights throughout November and December. The event costs anywhere from $159 to $179 per person.

With the ticket purchase, guests can enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios at 7:00 pm, with the party beginning at 8:30 pm.

The special event is a holiday celebration where the glamour of Hollywood meets the magic of the holiday season at Disney.

Saturday, November 11, was the opening night for Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Guests attending the first party of the season quickly took to social media to share their frustrations.

Credit: Disney and Canva

Party Struggles

The biggest struggle of the evening revolved around lines- for everything. Guests began the evening waiting to get into the park and then officially check into the party.

Related: Jollywood NIghts Called a “Complete Disaster” After Opening Night

Lines continued throughout the evening for snacks, entertainment, and characters. Popular characters such as the Fab Five in adorable new outfits and Phineas and Ferb show up for a rare meet and greet; however, wait times were close to two hours.

Words such as disaster, chaos, and not worth it all filled social media by guests attending the party. Despite the frustration, a few new experiences surprised guests throughout the evening.

This has to be a joke 😂 https://t.co/mtmi1EgZ5x

— Peter Sciretta (@PeterSciretta) November 12, 2023

New Disney Character

One of the biggest surprises of the evening was Ollie. Ollie is an adorable, well-dressed gingerbread man with guests waiting hours for a quick picture with his fantastic neon logo sign that welcomed guests into the party.

Although many guests quickly fell in love with Ollie, passionate Disney fans were also confused by him. Disney advertised Ollie as “the first original character at Disney since Figment.”

This statement had guests challenging Disney on many levels. New characters like Chuuby, the adorable bird created for Mickey and Mnnie’s Runaway Railway, Lagoona Gater, Duffy, and other original characters have been seen throughout Disney since Figment.

Figment arrived in 1983 and remains one of the most popular Disney characters. Fans waited hours to meet Figment again in EPCOT during their Walt Disney World vacations this year.

Oh hi hello …. He would like a word about “original” & recent #DHS characters… #Chuuby pic.twitter.com/VMcOblWTyH

— Alicia Lalone🟧 (@AliciaLalone) November 12, 2023

Fans seemed okay with Ollie but were frustrated with Disney’s PR pushing him as the first original character since Figment. One guest posted, “I’m getting real tired of current Disney parks & WDI regime trying to erase or not bother to acknowledge their history. It’s infuriating” @JeffRothman

You are super cute, Ollie, and you have a fantastic sign that fits the party vibe well, but let’s not forget all the other unforgettable characters Disney has released before. These characters, however big or small, are part of the magic.