Everything you Need to Know About the Citizens of Hollywood

The Citizens of Hollywood are easily the best part of Hollywood Studios. These performers walk the streets of Hollywood performing skits, magic, and talking to guests. They’re a must-see on your next visit!

We have launched the first every line of Citizen of Hollywood merchandise. You can grab your Citizen of Hollywood pins here. In honor of actress Stacy Fulford, who played Mimi, 50% of the profits from the Mimi pin will be donated to her favorite charity, A Better Life rescue.

If you know us, you know that we are die-hard Citizens of Hollywood fans. When we go to Hollywood Studios, we try to catch every show and walk the streets of Hollywood looking for them! We find that when we mention the Citizens, not as many Disney fans watch them as we would think. Well, you’re missing out! Here’s everything you need to know about the Citizens, including who they are, what they do, and why you should watch them each trip!

Who are they?

Who are the Citizens of Hollywood? To put it simply, they are Streetmosphere performers at Disney’s Hollywood Studios who walk (or drive) through the streets of Hollywood Studios performing skits, magic, and just interacting with guests. They are old-Hollywood era based, and the actors have experience with a range of talents: improv, acting, singing, dancing, comedy, and more. Each Citizen is a specific character with a personality, history, love-interest, job, and more. For example, Juan Scenario is always a movie director, Betty Shambles is always the new girl in Hollywood, and Dorma Nesmond is always a famous but fading star from the silent film era.

Today, there are about 20 citizens, some out more regularly than others. If you are looking for the Citizens, check Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood Boulevard, or look for their classic old cars driving around!

Citizens Driving

What do they do?

The Citizens come out during the daytime at Hollywood Studios and perform skits, magic, and individual acts. In the morning, you might catch a skit in the front of the park. Later, you might see Jack Diamond performing magic, or the classic 99 skit where they tell jokes in “99” form.

99 pencils walked into a bar and the bartender said: “hey, we can’t serve you pencils in here, get out!” and the pencils say: “there’s no point to what you’re saying, we’re not leaving.”

The Citizens walk around, and drive old fashioned vehicles through the streets. If you see them, don’t be afraid to talk to them! They are absolutely hilarious, and we’ve had some of our best Disney memories talking to them. Here’s a picture of us with Dorma Nesmond, one of our favorite Citizens!

 

Dorma

You can also find a Citizen at lunch and dinner time in the Brown Derby restaurant. They aren’t always there, but they’ll be sure to make your dinner a memorable experience if they are!

Why you should watch the Citizens

Why should you take the time to watch the Citizens? Maybe you’re a passholder who has been to the parks hundreds of times. Should you really watch the Citizens more than once or twice?

Or, you’re a family who’s coming down for a week-long vacation. Between Toy Story Land, Tower of Terror, and all the other attractions, should you really allocate time to watch them?

The answer is yes! The Citizens will make you laugh, smile, cry, and may very well become your favorite part of Walt Disney World! Citizens walking around alone or in twos will take the time to talk to any guest who wants to talk to them. The skits with larger groups incorporate several guests, and are absolutely worth watching. They change every time, and we could honestly watch them every day!

Betty Shambles

Here’s a video of one of our favorite ’99 skits the Citizens did. This features Stone Granite, Jack Diamond, Oscar Meyer Weiner, Betty Shambles, Paige Turner, and Mimi Kaboom. For more videos about the Citizens, definitely browse through YouTube, there’s some great ones!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can you find the Citizens?

The Citizens can be found on Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard. As of September 2019, the showtimes are 9:15, 10:15, 12:15, 2, and 3. The 3 o’clock show is the Funniest Citizen of Hollywood Contest, in front of Reel Vogue on Sunset Boulevard. At the other showtimes, you can find the Citizens driving in their cars or walking around Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard. They might stop and perform a skit, so be sure to watch!

What times are they out?

As of September 2019, the Citizens are out at 9:15, 10:15, 12:15, 2, and 3! You’ll also see a Citizen at the Brown Derby Restaurant certain times of day!

What Citizens are in Studios on what days?

Every day is different at DHS so you’ll never know what Citizens you’ll see! The Citizens are in DHS every day.

What about when it rains?

The Citizens don’t come out in the rain. They hide in restaurants and attractions. Sometimes you can catch them hanging out at the exit of Tower of Terror, in the TOT gift shop, Mama Melrose, Brown Derby, or the Tune-in Lounge. If there is thunder and lightning, they won’t come out at all.

How long are the skits?

The skits are between 15-30 minutes long.

Can I get pictures and autographs with them?

You can! The best time to get pictures or autographs with them is while they are in the cars driving around. They can sign autographs, but they won’t in the middle of a skit. So, be sure to catch them after they are done for a quick photo or autograph! They also can’t before Cavalcade starts or after it ends because they needs to set up quickly and clean up quickly.

Citizens of Hollywood

Wrapping It Up

Whether you go to Disney once a year, or once a week, we highly recommend you take a minute to watch the Citizens. You won’t be disappointed! If you watch them for the first time, let us know what you think in the comments!

And, if you are a current Citizen of Hollywood fan, please consider writing a #castcompliment on Twitter to @wdwguestservice and @wdwtoday to show your love and appreciation!