DIY: Personalizing Disney MagicBands

by Elizabeth Van Allen  for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com

Me at the Magic Kingdom, chatting 
with a few of my favorite characters 
about my MagicBand.  They wanted
to know why I painted the Cheshire
Cat instead of their cat Lucifer!

I love Disney World.  
What's not to love?  Between the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and my personal favorite EPCOT, there's something for everyone.  The staff is friendly, the properties are clean, and the company wants you to have a good time.  I have stayed on-property three times in the last six years and, like all tourist destinations, the Disney World parks and hotels have been going through some changes.  One of the most obvious changes in Disney protocol is a new way that attractions and amenities can be accessed: the MagicBand.  

Our newly re-designed MagicBands
in their original packaging

MagicBands are Disney's version of a wearable digital access pass.  These waterproof, non-latex wristbands are the newest and most high-tech Disney accessory du jour.  On the outside they are streamlined and simply designed, suitable for even the most conservative among Disney's guests.  About the size of a wristwatch, they are available in a variety of colors (except for purple- they need to do something about that) and can be made child-sized by simply detaching the removable black border.  Tucked safely inside the MagicBand's streamlined exterior is an RFID chip, coiled antennae, and a battery.  The activated Magic Band can function as a room key, credit card, park ticket, and/or FastPass, allowing you instant access to just about 

A Disney Fingerprint Scanner
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-nirenberg/
no-security-mickey-mousep_b_4987896.html

anything on the property without having to find your wallet.  Whether you are all for added convenience and security or wary of this increase in tracking and monitoring, it looks as if the MagicBands, coordinating MyDisneyExperience planning page & mobile app, and fingerprint scanners at the front gates are here to stay.

As soon as I received my MagicBand I NEEDED to personalize it.  While I appreciate the one-design-fits-all styling, as many of you know I'm a little compulsive about making things mine.  After exhaustive research, (a.k.a. obsessive pinterest and image searches) it seems that I'm not the only one out there with that idea.  In addition to the many official Disney licensed MagicBand-specific accessories (MagicBandits and MagicSliders), many people were adding temporary tattoos or painting them with nail polish.  Being the crafty artist that I am, I chose the nail polish route to style not only my MagicBand, but my Mother- and Father- in-law's bands too!

My amazing M-I-L Marilyn, modeling her
stylishly redesigned MagicBand at the
Hollywood Studios '50's Prime Time Cafe

DIY: Personalizing Your MagicBand 

Materials:

Paper for planning and covering your working surface

Pencil & Eraser

Nail Polish in assorted colors

Toothpicks or something else pointy (I used the stylus from an old scratch art set)

Nail Polish Remover & cotton swabs just in case

Directions:

Step 2:
Draw or transfer
your design onto
the MagicBand
with a pencil.

Step 1:
Choose a theme (mine
was Alice in Wonderland),
then sketch up ideas
for your MagicBand

Step 3:
Carefully fill in areas of solid color.
Be sure to give the paint enough time to dry!

Step 4: 
Add Outlines,

Step 4:
Shading,

Step 4:
and Details


(see right)
Behold, the finished
Cheshire Cat MagicBand!

(above) My Father-in-law
requested a NY Giants 
theme for his band.



(left) the Sorcerer's 
Apprentice theme
was an especially
fulfilling challenge!

The Sorcerer's Apprentice