Deceptively delicious. That was my family’s conclusion after our first encounter with Tigger Tails in July.
Perhaps only Disney fans can understand each other’s emotional attachments (some would say obsessions) to various aspects of the Disney parks. In recent months a quiet controversy has been brewing over Tigger Tails at Disneyland’s Pooh Corner. And this has left some Disney enthusiasts and Tigger Tail lovers a bit, well, jumpy. It turns out there are two species (errr, varieties) of Tigger Tails and this has confused a number of Disney park visitors and online forum participants. I was at Disneyland last weekend and made it a point to go to Pooh Corner and get the story straight from the source – those who make and sell Tigger Tails at Disneyland.
A worried Tigger checks his tail…
So what are Tigger Tails?
Tigger Tails are a marshmallow-based confection made and sold only at Pooh Corner in Disneyland’s Critter Country. Tigger Tails are not available at any of the other Disney parks – including Walt Disney World in Florida – or any of the overseas parks (to the best of my knowledge).
As Tigger might say, the most wonderful thing about Tigger Tails is that Tigger Tails are wonderful things.
Some of the many confections at Pooh Corner…
I had my first Tigger Tail in July and if you are like me and my family, and have never had a Tigger Tail yourself, you are likely to dismiss this treat and the mini-controversy surrounding it as much ado about nothing. But that is only because you reside in the realm of the uninitiated!
How many Tiggers gave up their tails to create this plate of Tigger Tails???
I had read about Tigger Tails on the DIS Disneyland forum and, being the Disney fan that I am, was curious as to what they were about. We spent five days at Disneyland Resort in late July and when we finished up a ride on Splash Mountain one morning we stopped into Pooh Corner. I noticed the Tigger Tails and decided to buy one on a whim. Frankly they did not look that good, and my wife and teenage kids felt similarly. As we walked out I took a bite and, as I said earlier, it was deceptively delicious. I commented on how good it was and my wife and each of my kids decided to try a bite as well. They all had the same reaction – wow, that is good! The next morning they all wanted to buy more.
Young Tigger Tail lovers…
When we returned from our July trip I contributed to the Disneyland forum my thoughts on how we liked Tigger Tails and soon found out that the forum participants could not agree on exactly what Tigger Tails are. It soon became apparent that there are two species of Tigger Tails. Why is that? Well, after some investigation, I found out.
There are numerous photos posted on the DIS forums of the “other kind” of Tigger Tail.
The old species of Tigger Tail was covered by hardened orange chocolate…
The new species of Tigger Tail is covered with orange sprinkles and chocolate stripes…
Apparently, underneath each kind the same ingredients are used. Four marshmallows are placed on a stick, dipped in caramel and then white chocolate. The old kind was then dipped in orange chocolate and the new kind in orange sprinkles with chocolate stripes then added.
Please do not jump to conclusions about the orange-sprinkled version. They are not like “Peeps” – that marshmallow treat found in many children’s Easter basket. At first glance they do look like Peeps. And they do both have marshmallows underneath and sprinkles on top. But the similarity stops there. Personally, I could go the rest of my life without another Peep. Tigger Tails are not like Peeps.
A Tigger Tail creator at Disneyland’s Pooh Corner…
After conferring with Stefani – a knowledgable Cast Member who sells Tigger Tails in Pooh Corner – I discovered that the new species of Tigger Tail is closely related to another branch of the feline family tree – Cheshire Cat Tails. In fact, according to Stefani, interbreeding has resulted in them merging into the same treat – just with different colors. So aside from orange vs. hot pink colors on the outside, today there is no difference between Tigger Tails and Cheshire Cat Tails.
Cheshire Cat Tails at Pooh Corner…
This fact was further confirmed by a Bay Area couple I met at Pooh Corner. The woman (a British ex-pat by her accent and own admission) was a huge Tigger Tail fan and was disappointed to see her beloved orange chocolate Tigger Tails no longer available at Pooh Corner. She bought one of the new variety just to see if it was at all comparable and said it was absolutely not. This prompted a friendly discussion where I told her that I was planning to write a blog piece on Tigger Tails. They happily volunteered that they are regulars at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World and that Tigger Tails have been one of the highlights of her Disneyland trips. Her devotion went so far that her co-workers asked her to bring Tigger Tails back to her Bay Area office. She had even made them at home as well. After trying the new Tigger Tail she confirmed that it was in fact now the same as the Cheshire Cat Tails. I asked her if I could tell her story and use her photo, and she happily gave me permission.
Fans of the old orange chocolate-covered species of Tigger Tail – and not fans of the new species…
So are the old Tigger Tails ever coming back?
According to Cast Member Stefani, and unfortunately for the Bay Area couple above, the old Tigger Tails are never coming back. As many of you know, Disney parks have been changing their menus in recent years to get rid of the dreaded Trans Fat – and the old species of Tigger Tail has fallen victim to this decision. The hard orange chocolate covering had Trans Fat and the new covering does not.
Apparently the old kind of Tigger Tail was available as recently as July. In fact I have seen forum posts with photos of the old kind of Tigger Tail from the week before we visited Disneyland in late July. My best guess is the changeover happened sometime around July 20.
For me and my family the news is not bad at all. We never tried the old kind of Tigger Tail so I guess the Bay Area couple would say we do not know what we are missing. We love the new orange sprinkle Tigger Tails and are happy they are here to stay. At least until someone somewhere finds some excessively unhealthy ingredients in the orange sprinkles…
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