"Out of Bounds"

Otherwise entitled, "So... is Santa Claus real?"

Warning: This is the only page on this Wikia that breaks character.

The term "out of bounds" is used on this wikia to identify certain aspects of Disney story elements which can only be reached by the fictional residents of that area and not by guests. A person, place or thing which is said to be "out of bounds" has some sort of evidence of its existance on Disney property, but does not exist beyond this evidence. This term was invented when the terms "fake" and "real" did not seem to capture the essence of what was really going on.

For example, when a guest walks down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, there are many stores and restaurants. The Emporium, the Harmony Barbershop and the Chapeau, to name a few. These are all on the first floors of the buildings. If one speaks to someone who "lives" on Main Street, she or he will tell you with a straight face that it's the year 1901 and that Casey's Corner is a good place to go for a hotdog. Makes sense.

However, on the second and third floors of the buildings are many shops as well which have advertisements painted on the windows. Pictured above is a second-story window of the "Meteor Cycles" company in Disneyland. Although in the universe of Main Street, USA, this is an actual company, Disneyland don't really sell bicycles. It's just an homage to Bob Gurr who designed many of the ride vehicles for the attractions. But to all of the citizens of Main Street, it's 1901 and that's a real business. To them, it's as real as Casey's Corner Hotdogs. However, if you ask someone where you can find the stairs to that business because you'd like to buy a velocipede, they will probably give you a strange look and change the subject.

The term "out of bounds" was invented to aleviate some of that confusion on this blog. Although Meteor Cycles isn't "fake" (you can see it with your own eyes) and this blog will talk about it and other decorative elements as if they are "real," there is definitely a difference between this business and the Main Street Bakery.

Many, if not most, "out of bounds" story elements at Disney are only partially so. For example, in Disney's Hollywood Studios, Sid's Cahuenga's house greets guests with unique Hollywood souvenirs sold out of Sid's living room. Guests can literally walk into the house and see items sold from the porch, living room and dining room. But even though the house is real, Sid's bedroom, bathroom and kitchen are "out of bounds." Since there would be no reason for Disney guests to go to those parts of the house, they exist only in the guests' imaginations Cast Members' references to them. In fact, Sid Cahuenga himself became "out of bounds" in 2005 when the beloved actor who had played him since 1989 died. This gets tricky when someone out-of-the-loop then asks, "Is Sid Cahuenga real?"

But rest assured, except when it is essential to explain connections to the real world (Sid was named after Sid Grauman (1879-1950) and Cahuenga Blvd, Hollywood), from the perspective of every Cast Member and, indeed, every page of this blog but this one, Sid Cahuenga is real. He's just stepped out.