Your Disney park trip could be remembered in a famous museum. Here’s what to know

All those decades of smiling in front of the Disney castle could get tourists a spot in one of the most famous museums in the country.

People have been documenting their Disney theme park trips for years. From photos with beloved characters like Mickey Mouse to action shots on Splash Mountain, there could be enough photos to fill a museum with photos.

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., is trying to do that — kind of.

The famous museum is asking people to send in their old photos from trips to Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida for a new project it’s working on.

“Our team at the National Museum of American History is working on a future project, and we’re looking for images that capture your experiences as guests at Disneyland and Walt Disney World,” the museum said in a news release. “If you submit a photo and/or story, they might appear in the museum!”

More than a million objects are part of the museum. Soon your Disney photos could hang near Dorothy’s famous ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” gowns worn by first ladies or Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves.

The team is looking for photos of you, your friends and your family that tell a story. The photos can be from any time period, candid or posed, or even a little bit blurry.

“We want to see photographs that show Disney Parks as you experienced them: posing with characters, kids worn out and sleeping, families, couples, individuals, people of all abilities, ethnicities, ages, on rides, eating together, looking at maps—everyday stuff,” the museum team said.

The team also wants to hear a little bit about the story behind the photo, including what the visit may have meant to you. The project can’t feature every image it receives, and it needs explicit permission from the people in the photos.

“If you aren’t the child in the photo (or their guardian), we won’t be able to use photos in which a child’s face is identifiable,” the team said. “Same for Disney cast members.”

The deadline to submit photos for the museum project is Monday, Feb. 14.

Photos can be sent to NMAH-DisneyStories@si.edu with a paragraph about the photo. The sender should include their name and best form of contact.

The National Museum of American History gets millions of visitors each year. In 2018, at least 4 million people visited the museum.

This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Your Disney park trip could be remembered in a famous museum. Here’s what to know."