You're Not a REAL Disney World Fan If You Don't Know Who Stanley Is

Okay, okay — I’m not here to yuck anyone else’s yum or tell you how to party.

There are plenty of different types of Disney fans and we all love the House of Mouse in our own ways. But, one of the best ways to really dive into your love of all things Disney is by going on a behind-the-scenes tour of the parks!

You’ll find lots of different tours at Disney World — from ones that take you underneath the Magic Kingdom to ones that let you get up close and personal with elephants — some of which are more expensive than others.

One of the most affordable tours at Disney World right now is EPCOT’s Behind the Seeds Tour of the Living with the Land attraction — which happens to be one of my absolute favorite rides in all of Disney World. I’m a plant nerd, so for my most recent birthday, I decided to do the Behind the Seeds Tour — which is where I met Stanley!

You see, you don’t get to meet Stanley when you’re on the normal Living with the Land ride — only when you take this backstage tour of all the different greenhouses and more that make up this attraction. Stanley isn’t a person or an animal — Stanley is a plant! A mimosa pudica plant to be precise, and he looks kinda like this:

He’s special because he’s one of the first plants you’re introduced to on the tour, and he also moves. That’s right — mimosa pudica is a sensitive plant, meaning its leaves fold up when touched or shaken before reopening a few moments later. And, mimosa pudica is nyctinastic, so the leaves also close up in darkness and open back up in the light.

So, now you can say you’re a REAL Disney World fan since you know who Stanley is! Stay tuned to AllEars for the latest insider info you might not already know about Disney World!