Save VMK Campaign

A special thanks to AmberDaze and Vary of the DIS Community for their help and ideas.

In an effort to demonstrate our commitment to Virtual Magic Kingdom, and to send a clear message to The Walt Disney Internet Group, we are announcing this new AVATAR MAILING PROJECT. We need everyone to send a flat or cutout of their VMK character to three important Disney executives. This is a critical step in our efforts to Save VMK, so try your best to participate.

Kids, remember to speak with your parents or guardian first!

To make this an easy and fun event, we have three design options. So if you don't have a printer, or simply can't get a good pic of your avatar, try one of the three options that suit your situation best. All accomplish the same goal, so the choice is yours!

Just follow these four easy steps and you're on your way to making a difference and supporting the campaign!

Chose one of the options, and click "more info" for how-to steps.

Option 1: Using your own Avatar! Click for more info.

a. Choose your favorite outfit for your avatar and visit a room with a white background, such as the Expedition Everest Guest Room.

b. Take a screen shot of your avatar. If you need how-to info, click the screen shot button a little below this for further help.

c. Paste your screen shot into your favorite paint/design program such as Microsoft Paint, Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro to edit. Crop your character out using the program.

d. Print your avatar on photo paper, if unavailable just use any paper you have. Under the printer settings, go with PhotoBest, Premier or Best for image quality. If you have a black and white printer, no problem - we encourage you to fill your avatar in with color using crayons or colored pencils.

e. You might need your parents to help you cut out your avatar. After you've printed and let the paper dry (usually just a few minutes), you can begin to cut your avatar out. Cut as close to the edge as possible, to create the most realistic appearance. Alternatively, if you don't have a heavier paper like photo paper, glue/paste your avatar print out to a thin cardboard like an old cereal box, and cut it out.

f. Add some shine, time to laminate. Either go to Kinkos, Staples or any office shop and get your three avatars laminated for just a few dollars. Otherwise, take some clear packaging tape (test it out before you use on your final work) and cover your avatar to give it that glossy look. If neither is an option, just skip this step.

Option 2: Using one of our Gallery Avatars! Click for more info.

a. Choose an avatar from our Gallery, by clicking here. We have both boys and girls to choose from.

b. Print your avatar on photo paper, if unavailable just use any paper you have. Under the printer settings, go with PhotoBest, Premier or Best for image quality. If you have a black and white printer, no problem - we encourage you to fill your avatar in with color using crayons, markers or colored pencils.

c. You might need your parents to help you cut out your avatar. After you've printed and let the paper dry (usually just a few minutes), you can begin to cut your avatar out. Cut as close to the edge as possible, to create the most realistic appearance. Alternatively, if you don't have a heavier paper like photo paper, glue/paste your avatar print out to a thin cardboard like an old cereal box, and cut it out.

d. Add some shine, time to laminate. Either go to Kinkos, Staples or any office shop and get your three avatars laminated for just a few dollars. Otherwise, take some clear packaging tape (test it out before you use on your final work) and cover your avatar to give it that glossy look. If neither is an option, just skip this step.

Option 3: Drawing your own Avatar! Click for more info.

a. Take any kind of paper, construction paper is a good choice and draw and color in your avatar by hand.

b. You might need your parents to help you cut out your avatar. Cut as close to the edge as possible, to create the most realistic appearance. If you are using thin paper, you can always glue/paste your avatar drawing to a thin cardboard like an old cereal box, and cut it out. This will make it more durable.

c. Add some shine, time to laminate. Either go to Kinkos, Staples or any office shop and get your three avatars laminated for just a few dollars. Otherwise, take some clear packaging tape (test it out before you use on your final work) and cover your avatar to give it that glossy look. If neither is an option, just skip this step.

Screen shot help. Click for more info.

How to take a screen shot:

a. If you're using VMK Pal: click the Camera icon to take a picture, then click the photo album icon and scroll down to find your picture. Select 'save to file' and save it someplace on your computer you can find it easily, such as your desktop.

b. In Windows: Find your "Prt Scr" or "Print Screen" button. Pressing that will copy whatever you see on the screen to your clipboard. Then you can paste it wherever you want.

c. If you're using a Mac: Press Command + Shift + #3 key all at once to take a picture of the entire screen. Pressing Command + Shift + #4 keys all at once will allow you to take a picture of whatever area you select with the mouse. The pictures will be saved in the main level of your hard drive, and it will be called "Picture 1," then "Picture 2," etc. Screen shots are saved in PICT format.

Photo editing program help. Click for more info.

a. If you're using PAINT (if you have windows, you should already have this program): Open the program and click "Edit" in the menu bar, then select "Paste," from the dropdown menu (or find and open your saved image if you used VMK Pal.) Your image will appear in the Paint window. Next you'll need to crop the image down so it only shows your vmk character; you won't want to waste ink printing all the rest of it! Click the 'select' icon in your toolbar. It looks like a little dotted box, and should be right at the top next to the little dotted star. Next, use your cursor to drag a little box arround your avatar. Now go back to the edit menu and select 'cut'. Open a new paint window. Paste again, in the new window. You should have a little picture with just your avatar in it. From there you can preview your image (Click "File", then select "Preview" from the dropdown menu), and Print if you like the size of your current image. If you would like to enlarge or reduce the size of your image, you can play with the 'Stretch' option under 'Image' in the menu bar. To keep your image in proportion, be sure to use the same percentage for 'horizontal' and 'vertical'. Enlarging it 400% should give you a good sized picture without hurting the quality much. Then go to the File menu and click print!

b. If using a program such as PAINT SHOP PRO (PSP): Click "Edit," then "Paste," or find and open your saved image. Your image will appear in the PSP window. Now you can do many things to your image, including sharpening the focus, enlarging or reducing to a size you specify, and taking out the background image or color. Newer versions of PSP easily allow you do one click changes. Changing the size of your image in PSP: I have made my flats about 4" high. You can make yours larger or smaller -- it's all a matter of preference. If you would like to enlarge your image, click "Image" --> "Resize." The locations of actions may be different in different versions of PSP, but you can run a search in there to find out where "resize" is for example. You can crop your image to remove excess background, then choose what size to make your image, and remove the background completely using the background eraser tool (in PSP X).

Keep it simple, be honest and sincere and let them know how you feel about VMK. It can be a longer letter or a small little note. Remember to be polite, we want to convince them to keep VMK open!

Now it's time to mail your notes, and avatar flats to three important Disney executives. Please mail these no later than April 21st, that gives everyone one full week to take part in this fun creative project to help Save VMK!

Walt Disney Company
Attn: Robert Iger
500 S. Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521-9722

Walt Disney Internet Group
Attn: Paul Yanover
5161 Lankershim Blvd., 4th Fl.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online
Attn: Edward Kummer
1025 Grand Central Ave.
Glendale, CA 91201

It's all about you - having fun! So have some fun, get creative and be original. Turn this effort into a fun project, and even make yourself one as a keepsake. If possible, scan or take pictures of your finished work, we'll post a gallery next week with a few submissions. Visit the contact section for details on how to submit content to us.

If you get stuck at anypoint, or have a question, send an email to this address: avatarhelp@savevmktoday.com. Remember, this email address is only for questions or help regarding the Avatar Mailing Project.

Sign the Petition!

Links

Save VMK Campaign