Disney World Teases Figment, Muppets, Minnie & Mickey Christmas News for Halfway to Holidays

Walt Disney World is Halfway to the Holidays with teases for upcoming Christmas in June announcements. This post covers what to expect, including our predictions about what will be announced: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Muppets at Jollywood Nights, Figment at EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, and more.

In case you missed it, Walt Disney World first teased announcements yesterday with a post on Twitter featuring a fireplace with 4 empty hooks for stockings, and the following caption: “’Twas the night before Halfway to the Holidays… the mantle stood still, With spaces to fill… and secrets to reveal.”

We took that to mean that the substantive Halfway to the Holidays announcements would be made this morning. Instead, it was a tease for a tease, with Disney Parks revealing one new stocking per hour over the course of Tuesday morning, with each holding clues hiding inside. With that in mind, let’s dig in and try to solve some mysteries…

Before we start speculating and solving mysteries, it’s worth noting that Halfway to the Holidays typically revolves around Walt Disney World, with a dash of Disneyland (usually just concept art for new character costumes), consumer products, and a restating of Disney Cruise Line’s Very Merrytime Cruises, along with what’s happening at the international parks.

While it’s technically a Disney Parks announcement event, the real news is skewed overwhelmingly towards Walt Disney World. In fact, the recent Halfway to Halloween was almost exclusively Florida updates, aside from merchandise.

Against that backdrop, here are Walt Disney World’s teases for Halfway to the Holidays along with our predictions for each:

Halfway to the Holidays Top Tease:

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care,
Just tap on each one… there’s a clue hiding there!
A sprinkle of magic, a festive preview,
With secrets revealed on June 24 for you

It is safe to say (we hope) that this means the Halfway to the Holidays substantive announcements will be made on June 24, 2026.

With that out of the way, here are the specifics for each character, along with our take on the baseline, better case, and best case scenarios for each…

Figment

Here’s the clue: “The third now appears, the pattern expands, with a festival of wonder from faraway lands.”

Base case: The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will return for 2026. Santa Claus will join storytellers from around the world as a part of the special event, which will likely run from November 27 to December 30, 2026. Figment will also be there, with a new merchandise line debuting for this year, consistent with what was offered last year.

Better case: All of the above, plus a new Figment popcorn bucket featuring the not-so-ugly Journey into Imagination Christmas sweater he wears. Maybe there’s also a Figment takeover of CommuniCore Hall or Figment’s Holiday Inspiration Station debuts at the Odyssey.

Best case: All of that, plus a fully-fledged Journey into Holiday Imagination ride overlay. Every Figment Audio Animatronics figure gets its own unique ugly Christmas sweater and other holiday props are added around the attraction, similar to Living with the Land.

This wouldn’t make any sense, story-wise, but does anyone really care? It’s not like the current incarnation of the attraction is the pinnacle of themed entertainment. Give it a badly-needed, decade-overdue shot in the arm with some holiday cheer! (This would also be a decent trial balloon for assessing the popularity of a ride reimagining.)

Kermit

Here’s the clue: “Where once there was space, now a stocking appears, with a jingle of bells softly ringing in ears.”

Base case: The Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas Party returns, starting on or around Saturday, November 7, 2026 and continuing several nights per week until around Monday, December 21, 2026. Kermit and the rest of the Muppets appear as part of the existing Disney Holidays in Hollywood variety show.

Better case: All of the above, plus ‘Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets: Holiday Mayhem’ ride overlay. This might seem like the best case, but consider this previous tease Walt Disney World made back when releasing the Muppets RnRC set list: “And like any great show, the fun doesn’t stop with the final note. We heard the band’s been working on some bonus tracks…”

While that tease might’ve been a throwaway that referred to something else (the post show?), we’re hoping it’s an expanded playlist. There’s also the recent precedent of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which debuted its one-and-done Holiday Remix the first year of its existence. Doing a holiday overlay to RnRC during a hard ticket event probably makes more sense than doing the overlay all day, which could disappoint regular guests expecting the regular music.

Best case: All of that, plus the triumphant return of the Muppets Christmas Caroling Coach as part of a fully-fledged Muppets Holiday Courtyard. This wouldn’t even need to be in coach form, as Walt Disney World used to show “The Muppets Present… Great Moments in American History” in Liberty Square. There was a scaled-back version of that way back at Christmas 2020 that could be done somewhere between RnRC and Villains Unfairly Ever After.

It is also worth noting that during the media event for the debut of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets, the Electric Mayhem and many other Muppets performed live on stage. Something like this could make a return, with the band playing the soundtrack from The Muppet Christmas Carol. Something like that would earn “shut up and take my money” status from me.

Mickey Mouse

Here’s the clue: “The second now joins, the mystery grows, with three little shapes that everyone knows.”

Base case: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party returns, starting on or around Friday, November 6, 2026 and continuing several nights per week until around Sunday, December 20, 2026. It’s Mickey Mouse’s event, so obviously he’ll be there.

Better case: All of the above, plus new character costumes for Minnie & Mickey Mouse. (This is a given for Disneyland albeit maybe not as part of tomorrow’s announcements. It’s really just a question of whether Magic Kingdom also gets some.)

Best case: The return of the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, illuminated by a new stage show featuring Mickey Mouse as opposed to the Frozen Holiday Surprise. If you peruse social media responses to the Mickey Mouse tease, most of the “guesses” are the Dream Lights. Those might be wishful thinking more than guesses, though, as there’s not really anything in this clue suggesting a return of the Dream Lights. This probably concerns MVMCP and/or character costumes.

Minnie Mouse

Here’s the clue: “Now four stockings shine where the clues once were few, with holiday treasures made just for you.”

Base case: New Christmas merchandise.

Better case: New Christmas merchandise…that’s well-designed! 

Best case: An updated version of Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, featuring a giant Santa Mickey/Minnie or Sandy Claws puppet (or Daisy, since she’s in the tease) along with nods to Holiday Wishes with projections and other effects.

Although this newer fireworks show has its moments and has grown on us a lot over the years, it’s nothing special. It could definitely stand to be plussed, which would give fans a reason to return to MVMCP this year. I doubt this will happen, but I don’t know what else would be the “best case” for a Minnie tease. There’s a 98% chance this is merchandise.

Ultimately, the most likely outcome is the baseline scenarios for each of these four stockings. That’s what we’re expecting, and would caution anyone against getting their hopes up too much. This is probably just going to be the same slate of announcements that Walt Disney World makes every year during Halfway to the Holidays, but with new 2026 dates. Possibly some details that are totally disconnected from the above teases.

At the same time, it is fair to expect a little more. After all, Walt Disney World did make a tease for a tease, and it would be incredibly anticlimactic to get a tease-ception for the same news as normal. While I don’t really think it’s plausible that there’s any big surprise involving Minnie Mouse (that’s almost certainly merchandise), the other characters do present intriguing possibilities.

An expanded Figment presence at the 2026 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays just makes sense, especially given how well that merchandise has sold the last two years. Pulling from the Living with the Land playbook could give the ride itself a shot in the arm, too. New character costumes at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party also makes sense, and is something that should be happening every single year. Disneyland does it, and without a paywall!

Most likely of all is a Muppets-related addition to Disney Jollywood Nights. Given Walt Disney World’s previous tease of bonus tracks plus the success of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets thus far plus the practical reality that Jollywood Nights still sells slower than MVMCP, this one really seems like a no-brainer.

Whether that new addition is music on the ride itself or outside the attraction remains to be seen. But Jollywood Nights could definitely use something, and given that this stocking features Kermit as opposed to Toy Story or Star Wars characters (the even more logical lands for enhancements), that’s our guess. Check back tomorrow to find out what actually ends up being announced!

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you expect to be announced during Halfway to the Holidays? Expect any news about Figment, Kermit, Minnie or Mickey Mouse? Or will this just be the usual concerning Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights dates and ticket sales starting soon? Will the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights make a surprise return? Predictions as to pricing or other changes? Agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!