Obscure Disney knowledge might soon pay off romantically, thanks to a highly specific new dating site that wants to take you from this: 
 
 ...to this: 
 
 It's called Mouse Mingle, and it's a website where people can connect with one another over a shared love of all things Disney. Creator Dave Tavres tells Mashable that his website's been in the works since a 2011 trip to Disneyland with a few friends. 
 
 "As usual with my friends, they asked about my dating status and why I wasn't trying the online dating sites," he wrote in an email. "I told them I had tried them, but there was no way to narrow down the searches to find women in the right distance and age range who loved Disney. That was the inception moment." After some brainstorming, he registered the domain name that night. 
 
 See also: 8 ways introverts can crush online dating 
 
 The website features all the traditional elements of a dating site, with customizable profiles, photos and ratings. For $12.55 a month, users can private message and partake in online chats with other users. Where the website differs from other sites is in its questions, which ask users to share their favorite Disney songs, characters, parks and memories. 
 
 "My hope is that people literally around the world will find the site useful," Tavres said. "Just as there are big Disney fans near Disneyland and Disney World, that same single fan-base also lives near Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris and other Disney parks. However, there are countless single Disney fans that live in the spaces between Disney parks. Those people often have a greater passion for Disney, as they don't get to visit as often." 
 
 Mouse Mingle joins the ever-growing list of niche dating sites like Whovian Love (for Doctor Who fans) and Date Vampires (for...vampires?). 
 
 Go forth, Disney fans, and brush up on those Little Mermaid factoids. You'll need them on the first date. 
 
 
 
 
 
 [H/T: Los Angeles Magazine] ||||| The world’s first all-Disney dating website launched this morning. Mousemingle.com is the brainchild of Dave Tavres, a self-proclaimed “software geek” from Culver City, and it caters to those obsessed with all things Disney. “Niche dating sites are more common these days,” Tavres said. “There’s a dating site for pot lovers and JDate for Jewish people. The first time I saw Farmers Only I thought it was a Saturday Night Live sketch.” 
 
 Users are asked to check boxes asking about your favorite Disney songs, Disney shopping habits, and “Disney nerd level” in the hopes of finding a match. “All the normal sites,” according to Tavres, “don’t have Disney questions.” Anyone can view user profiles and photos, but contacting someone requires a $12.55 (the “55” is a nod to the year the park opened) monthly membership fee. 
 
 Tavres used to live in Anaheim and was even an engineer on the Disneyland Railroad but still had trouble finding dates. “I’m not the guy who hits on women at the park,and there’s no flag that says, ‘hey I’m single,’” Tavres says. “I found it hard to find women who were as interested in Disney as I am.” Good luck to Tavres, I hope he finds a date. What is that old saying abut the bare necessities being the mother of invention? ||||| A galaxy far, far away is coming to the happiest place on Earth. Walt Disney Co. announced Saturday that it will create 14-acre “Star Wars”-themed areas for Disneyland in Anaheim and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla. 
 
 The plans represent the largest expansions in the company’s history for a single-themed area, and in Anaheim they will require a major reconfiguration of the park, opened in 1955 by company co-founder Walt Disney. “We knew it needed to be big,” Disney Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Iger said as he announced the plans to 7,500 people gathered at Disney’s D23 fan expo at the Anaheim Convention Center. “We knew it needed to be great. And we knew it needed to be every bit as thrilling as the films are going to be. So we’re going to transport guests to a whole new planet.” 
 
 The new lands will burnish the legacy of Iger, who has audaciously expanded the company during his decade at the helm. Iger also has spearheaded the purchase of comics giant Marvel and animation hit maker Pixar, giving Disney enormous leverage — and cash flow — within multiple businesses. Disney’s stock price has more than quadrupled with Iger at the controls. 
 
 SIGN UP for the free Indie Focus movies newsletter >> 
 
 The “Star Wars” sci-fi franchise has had a presence within Disney’s parks in the form of the motion-simulator ride Star Tours. But the new themed areas are the most ambitious effort to incorporate the “Star Wars” universe into the parks since the company acquired Lucasfilm from George Lucas in a 2012 deal worth more than $4 billion. 
 
 Concept art from Disney Parks - Star Wars Launch Bay at Disneyland and Disney World Disney Parks The interactive Star Wars Launch Bay will take guests into the upcoming film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" with special exhibits and peeks behind the scenes, including opportunities to visit with new and favorite Star Wars characters, special merchandise and food offerings. Star Wars Launch Bay will be located in the Animation Courtyard at Disney World's Hollywood Studios and in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. The interactive Star Wars Launch Bay will take guests into the upcoming film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" with special exhibits and peeks behind the scenes, including opportunities to visit with new and favorite Star Wars characters, special merchandise and food offerings. Star Wars Launch Bay will be located in the Animation Courtyard at Disney World's Hollywood Studios and in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. (Disney Parks) (Disney Parks) 
 
 Not unlike Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the new “Star Wars” areas will be fashioned into an immersive environment evoking the franchise’s universe. Iger described it as a “remote port, one of the last stops before wild space,” complete with droids, aliens and humanoid characters — and, yes, a cantina. 
 
 “We’re currently casting for roles,” Iger said. “The attractions, the entertainment — everything we create will be part of our storytelling. Nothing will be out of character or stray from the mythology.” 
 
 Season of the Force at Disney Parks Disney Parks Season of the Force is a new seasonal event set to begin in early 2016. In Tomorrowland at Disneyland, guests will explore the Star Wars galaxy with special entertainment, themed food locations and more. Guests also can climb aboard Hyperspace Mountain, a reimagining of Space Mountain, in which guests will join an X-wing Starfighter battle. At Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, guests will close out weekend nights with a "Star Wars"-themed fireworks show. Season of the Force is a new seasonal event set to begin in early 2016. In Tomorrowland at Disneyland, guests will explore the Star Wars galaxy with special entertainment, themed food locations and more. Guests also can climb aboard Hyperspace Mountain, a reimagining of Space Mountain, in which guests will join an X-wing Starfighter battle. At Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, guests will close out weekend nights with a "Star Wars"-themed fireworks show. (Disney Parks) (Disney Parks) 
 
 Showing off a brief piece of concept video featuring spacecraft flying over an alien city, Iger said that the new “Star Wars”-themed areas will include a re-creation of the Millennium Falcon, in which guests can take the controls for a “customized secret mission,” along with an immersive attraction that will put attendees into “a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.” 
 
 The new land is targeted to replace Disneyland’s Big Thunder Ranch and take over backstage areas currently not accessible to guests, a company spokesperson said, adding that speculation “Star Wars” would replace or impinge on Mickey's Toontown was unfounded. 
 
 The new themed area had been anticipated after reports that Disney had purchased three parcels of land near its Anaheim resort, sparking speculation about an expansion involving “Star Wars” characters or the superheroes of Marvel, which Disney acquired in 2009. 
 
 Property records show that an arm of Walt Disney Co. bought the Carousel Inn and Suites at 1530 S. Harbor Blvd. in March and large office buildings at 1515 and 1585 S. Manchester Ave. last year. The properties total 14.7 acres, all connected, and sit across Harbor Boulevard from Disney California Adventure, although the company said this month that any expansion would not increase the footprint of Disneyland. 
 
 The company said Saturday that groundbreaking for the “Star Wars” lands will be in 2017. No opening date has been set. The move is just the latest sign of how vitally important the film franchise has become to Disney’s bottom line. Walt Disney Studios has an ambitious slate of “Star Wars” sequels and spinoff films planned for years into the future, beginning with the Dec. 18 release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the first new “Star Wars” film to hit theaters in a decade. 
 
 Dusty Sage, the founder of the Disney discussion site Micechat, predicted that the new lands will dwarf the impact that Harry Potter attractions had for Universal. 
 
 “People will travel from around the world to go to a ‘Star Wars’ land,” Sage said. 
 
 Sage noted that Disney has a reputation for moving deliberately — and sometimes far too slowly to satisfy impatient fans. 
 
 “Don’t expect ‘Star Wars Land’ to happen right away,” Sage said. 
 
 When new attractions are in place, they will echo the company’s leveraging of entertainment properties in Florida, said David Koenig, author of several books about Disney. 
 
 “Most specifically Cars Land,” he said, “which showed that you could take one land and provide the opportunity to really live in that creative property.” 
 
 Among fans gathered at the convention, the news of the new Star Wars-themed park expansions was greeted mostly with excitement. 
 
 “It's definitely exciting as a Star Wars fan but I'm skeptical as to where they're going to put it in Disneyland; there’s not much room,” said Anaheim resident Oscar Barajas, 25. He would like to see Disney offer an entirely original attraction rather than simply capitalizing on its ever-expanding stable of film properties. 
 
 Orange resident Loren Diaz, 26, said she liked the idea of additions to the park but was concerned about how the new attractions might affect the old ones. 
 
 “That’s something that I hold near and dear to my heart,” Diaz said specifically of Toontown. “That’s was where my childhood was most spent when my parents took me to Disneyland.” 
 
 But Stedmond Crowder, 26, of Los Angeles expressed his enthusiasm for the new “Star Wars”-themed areas with full, unadulterated force. 
 
 “I usually head out to Disneyland once a year, but with this announcement I’m definitely going to want to come out more often,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be there whenever I’m not working, hanging out in the cantina.” 
 
 Times staff writers Todd Martens, Scott Collins and Meredith Woerner contributed to this report. 
 
 Twitter: @joshrottenberg ||||| Down a quiet street in the New Orleans Square section of Disneyland, far from the mouse-riddled streets of Downtown Disney, sits a secret clubhouse. This is no offshoot of the famed Mickey Mouse Club, though, nor is it a place to spot princesses eating breakfast. Instead, it’s an ultra-exclusive restaurant and bar for the Disneyland elite, possible investors, visiting dignitaries, and, of course, celebrities. 
 
 Club 33 is a meeting place for the rumored 500 members willing to pony up $25,000 for membership fees, plus $12,000 a year in dues for the privilege of eating and drinking in the shadow of Sleeping Beauty�?s Castle. 
 
 The speakeasy is not a new addition to the park. In fact, it was developed by Walt Disney himself and decorated with antiques and a French elevator chosen by Disney and his wife. Disney envisioned Club 33 as a place for VIPs to meet and greet far from the maddening crowds of Main Street U.S.A. The club officially opened in 1967, five months after Disney’s death, and has been hosting the Disneyland one percent ever since. While Disneyland has some big changes planned for the years to come, it’s unlikely that Club 33 is going anywhere. The concept has even spread from California to Japan, with a sister location in Tokyo Disneyland. 
 
 Tim Rue 
 
 According to fan site Disney Dose, which managed to score an invitation, Club 33 is lavishly decorated, filled with lush furniture, chandeliers, stained glass, and dark wood. There’s also a harpsichord that’s been played by both Paul McCartney and Elton John, according to the website Vine Pair. There’s a courtyard called the Court of Angels, an extensive wine cellar, a jazz club lounge featuring a hand-carved wood bar, and a main dining room serving a French Nouveau menu that includes items like sassafras-dusted duck breast, butter poached lobster, and flaming vanilla crème brulee (at least at the time that Disney Dose went for a visit). While the prix-fixe meal costs $100 per person, unlimited dessert is reportedly included, proving that the restaurant could be the happiest place inside the Happiest Place on Earth. 
 
 Because this is a Disney property, there are nods to the Magic Kingdom throughout, including a talking vulture perched on a grandfather clock in the reception area, original Disney artist drawings, and fanciful fairytale-filled artwork. 
 
 Unfortunately, most people will never be able to see the inside of the club. The membership is limited—rumored to have a waiting list with more than 800 names. While in past years, members had passes to share with friends, in 2015, Disneyland changed the Club 33 policy last year, and now only the member and a spouse or domestic partner can access the club benefits. Luckily, it’s possible to take a tour on YouTube and through fan photos. ||||| CLOSE Disneyland and other theme parks, concert arenas, sporting stadiums and museums are banning selfie sticks. So what's a snap-happy consumer to do? Jefferson Graham lays out some options. By Jefferson Graham 
 
 ASCOT, ENGLAND - JUNE 18: A woman uses a selfie stick to take a photograph on Ladies Day on day 3 of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2015 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 560082471 ORIG FILE ID: 477551942 (Photo: Chris Jackson, Getty Images) 
 
 If you're looking to create an artful self-portrait with that famous mouse at the Magic Kingdom, you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way -- with your arm. 
 
 The land of Mickey and Minnie Mouse is banning the selfie stick. 
 
 Word on the popular "selfie" device came from Disney officials Friday. 
 
 Citing safety concerns, the sticks will no longer be allowed inside any of Walt Disney World's four Florida parks and two Disneyland parks in California, as well as DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive in Orlando. Disney hotels and resorts will still allow the devices. 
 
 The selfie-stick ban in Disney's U.S. parks starts Tuesday. The sticks will be banned from Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disney on July 1. 
 
 "We strive to provide a great experience for the entire family, and unfortunately selfie sticks have become a growing safety concern for both our guests and cast," Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said in a statement. 
 
 Selfie sticks – which attach to smartphones or cameras and allow users to take self-portraits, or "selfies" – have steadily grown in popularity the past few years, especially among vacationers wishing to capture their special moments and post them to social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
 
 Disney joins a growing list of attractions and stadiums around the world banning selfie sticks, citing safety hazards or view obstructions. They include: the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, all 19 Smithsonian museums and galleries, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Getty Center in Los Angeles, Rome's Colosseum, Brazilian soccer stadiums, the Kentucky Derby, the Wimbledon tennis championships, and the Lollapalooza and Coachella music festivals. 
 
 They have been the subject of growing concern at Disney's theme parks. On Wednesday, Disney California Adventure's California Screamin' roller coaster was stopped mid-ride when a passenger pulled out a selfie stick. Passengers were evacuated from the ride, which was stopped for more than an hour. 
 
 Disney World's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster has had to be stopped several times when passengers pulled out selfie sticks. 
 
 The sticks have always been banned on rides and earlier this year Disney officials began posting "No Selfie Sticks" signs at the entrances to attractions to remind guests, but the park-wide ban will keep them off the premises entirely. Guests bringing selfie sticks to the gates at the parks' entrances will be asked to check the devices there, according to Disney. 
 
 The move was mostly applauded on social media, with users equating the new rule with Friday's Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriages. 
 
 2 victories for the U.S. today. Marriage equality and the banning of selfie sticks at Disney — Will (@WillMitchellIV) June 26, 2015 
 
 Great day in American history! Selfie Sticks officially banned from Disneyland and ALL Disney Parks. — Popeye Vasquez (@PopeyeOC) June 26, 2015 
 
 Pizza Hut took the growing concern over selfie sticks to a new level recently with a mock-public safety announcement online video. In the video, a female narrator warns of "selfie stick abuse" as images show elongated sticks protruding from convertible cars and overturning roadside lemonade stands or breaking through windows at parties. 
 
 "Bigger parties mean bigger selfies which lead to bigger selfie sticks which lead to bigger parties and bigger pizzas," an anxious pizza delivery man says in the video. 
 
 The narrator adds: "When can we say, 'Enough is enough?'" The video ends with the plea: "Please Selfie Responsibly." 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1LAlX1Z
– Looking for your Prince Charming or Cinderella? Set your sights on the new dating website exclusively for Disney fans: MouseMingle.com. Creator Dave Tavres—a former engineer on the Disneyland Railroad—says "the inception moment" for the site came back in 2011 when he was telling friends how hard it was to find women who loved Disney as much as he did, per Mashable. He adds the project isn't all that unusual when you consider there are already dating sites that cater to marijuana users and even Doctor Who fans. In this case, users rate their favorite Disney songs, characters, parks, and movies, as well as their "Disney nerd level." Anyone can create a profile, but you'll need to pay a $12.55 monthly membership fee to contact other Disney buffs, reports Los Angeles magazine. (The 55 in the price is a wink at the year the first Disney park opened.) "Traditional [Internet] dating sites don't understand the passion people have for all things Disney. But we do," the site says. Many user photos already up on the site show people dressed as their favorite prince or princess.