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VERY Rare Disney Character To Make First Appearance In U.S. Park!

Disneyland Lunar New year
Credit: Disney

Every year, Disneyland Resort celebrates the Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure Park. This year, Lunar New Year will take place from January 20 through February 15. There will be new food offerings (a small food festival), special merchandise, a fun character cavalcade, and two very special characters! This Lunar New Year will celebrate both the Year of the Rabbit and the Year of the Cat, so Disneyland Resort Guests who visit DCA will have the chance to meet not only Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but also his girlfriend, Ortensia the Cat!

Oswald Disneyland

Credit: Disney

Both Oswald and Ortensia will be available for meet and greets over at the Paradise Garden Gazebo. Here’s more information on the special meet and greet, via The Orange County Register.

Ortensia and Oswald will make meet-and-greet appearances dressed in Lunar New Year attire in DCA’s Paradise Gardens gazebo — taking turns posing separately for photos and signing autographs during the month-long festival.

California Adventure

Credit: Disney

Ortensia was first introduced into the Disney World all the way back in 1927 — where she was Oswald’s girlfriend. Unfortunately, Disney lost the rights to Oswald for many year (only recently gotten back by Bob Iger), and both Oswald and Ortensia faded into the background as they were replaced with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

In addition to meeting Oswald and Ortensia in the Paradise Gardens area, Guests can venture under the sea with all of their favorite characters from The Little Mermaid in Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. They can also ride jellyfish on Jumpin’ Jellyfish (a nod to Sebastian), take in the sites on Silly Symphony Swings, and take a zany ride with Goofy on Goofy’s Sky School.

Goofy's Sky School

Credit: Disney

Disney has not said if they plan to keep Ortensia at Disney California Adventure after the Lunar New Year celebration ends in February. While Oswald is a rare character, Guests have been able to meet him in DCA in the past. If this meet and greet proves popular, Disney may decide that Oswald and his girlfriend should both remain a part of the theme park.

You can read more about Disneyland’s Lunar New Year celebration by clicking here.

About Krysten Swensen

A born and bred New England girl living the Disney life in Southern California. I love to read, to watch The Golden Girls, and love everything to do with Disney and Universal. I also love to share daily doses of Disney on my Disney Instagram @BrazzleDazzleDisney!