Disney Tattoo Guy - Disney's #1 Fan

Tuesday, February 9, 1999

Tattooed man Disney's No. 1 fan

By JENNIFER BROWN -- The Associated Press

George Reiger, of Bethlehem, Pa., shows off his tattoos Jan., 12, 1999, in Bethlehem, Pa.. Reiger is the world's self-proclaimed No. 1 Walt Disney fan. Reiger has 844 Disney tattoos.(CP PHOTO)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) -- To begin to understand George Reiger, ask him about the tattoos on his back -- 103 Dalmatians, not 101.

"We were in a rush and we lost count," he explains.

When it comes to anything Disney, Reiger just gets carried away.

Pinocchio's whale is indelibly inked on his stomach. On his upper arm is Alice in Wonderland, surrounded by the menacing playing cards. Snow White graces his linebacker-sized shoulder blades.

And on his forearm is his favourite -- a tattoo of the apprentice Mickey Mouse from the film Fantasia.

Reiger is the self-proclaimed world's No. 1 Walt Disney fan, devoting his life, his savings account and nearly every inch of his skin to the cartoonist who created an empire from a mouse.

"I know it's odd for a 44-year-old guy to be this devoted to Disney," he says. "It just makes you happy."

Reiger has 844 Disney tattoos, including those Dalmatians.

He owns more than 15,000 items of Disney memorabilia.

He visits one of the Disney theme parks at least once a month.

He is building a house where every fixture and doorway will be in the image of Mickey's ears.

"Disney is my life. It's my religion," says the postal worker and amateur magician who lives in this Pennsylvania city north of Philadelphia.

Reiger got his first tattoo -- the Mickey on his forearm -- when he was 18. In the last 26 years, he has had as many as six tattoos done in one day, spending an estimated $85,000 US on the permanent body art. His goal is to have 1,000 tattoos by 2000, though he doesn't ever plan to stop adding characters.

His body art follows themes: villains below the knees, rides above. Water characters are drawn on his stomach, logos on his chest. Winnie-the-Pooh characters are on his buttocks -- though those aren't for public display.

George Reiger has 844 Disney tattoos, and on his forearm is his favorite, a tattoo of the apprentice Mickey Mouse from the film Fantasia. (CP PHOTO)

Some areas are off limits, like his hands, feet, neck and face, so he can still cover up with a long-sleeved shirt and pants. He also has avoided tattooing the tenderest spots: under his arms, the backs of his knees and a few other places.

Disney spokeswoman Rena Callahan says some executives have heard of Reiger's hobby, but the company has no official comment.

Tattooist Sam Snyder says he has always been a fan of Disney, but he says he could not identify most of the characters he has drawn for Reiger.

"I had no idea there were this many Disney characters," says Snyder, who has drawn nearly all of Reiger's tattoos.

What do avid Disney fans think?

Todd Parker of Tustin, Calif., has visited Disneyland about 1,000 times and his wife owns more than 1,000 Fantasia collectibles. But he says, "There are some that are out there like George that just seem to go overboard."

Reiger estimates he has spent about $500,000 US, or about 90 per cent of his income over many years, on Disney items.

His 15,000 Disney souvenirs include one-of-a-kind sculptures, as well as posters, plates, stickers and flags.

He has visited the Magic Kingdom in Florida 153 times, Disneyland 97 times, and even the Disney parks in France and Japan a few times, he says. On each trip, Reiger follows ritual: he goes on the same rides, eats at the same restaurants, attends the same handful of dinner-theatre shows. And he kisses the ground each morning after entering the gates.

"The cast members watch me singing along, mouthing the words and they laugh along with me. . . . Yeah, it's still funny," Reiger says, describing his 85th visit to Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, a $100-per-seat Western dinner show in Disney World.

In a way, the stability and certainty of Disney are what inspires Reiger's skin shrine. He was abandoned by his parents, raised by his grandmother and has weathered six marriages since he was 18, the longest lasting 12 years, he says.

"People ask me, 'Why the devotion? Why the love?' Maybe because I wasn't getting the love through all these years," he says. "Disney provided that."

Some facts about George Reiger's 844 Disney tattoos

Hardest -- Epcot Centre on his upper thigh. It took 14 hours over two sessions.

Tiniest -- A goldfish in the mouth of Monstro the whale from Pinocchio.

Most abstract -- The Tree of Life on his side, which contains more than 100 animals in the brownish bark.

Most common character -- Mickey Mouse, on his own dozens of times and hidden in other images hundreds of times.

Annual redo -- The fireworks surrounding the Disney castle on his back must be re-tattooed each year because they fade after sunburns.

Wanted but didn't get -- Walt Disney portrait, which his tattooist cannot do with any success.

Newest -- Hopper, the villain from A Bug's Life.