When Toy Story Mania at Disney's California Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios (the park formerly known as Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida) opens in spring 2008, a larger-than-life Mr. Potato Head--not that the famous spud is, technically, alive--will act as a midway barker for the attractions. My guess is that his shilling will be unnecessary. Toy Story Mania appears to be so much fun, the animatronic tater will probably serve more as a diversion to the throngs that will inevitably be jamming the queues than as a barker trying to drum up some business. A few days ago, I got to peer behind the construction walls at Disney's California Adventure and see an as-yet lifeless Mr. Potato Head during a preview of Toy Story Mania. The ride was not operating, and the walkthrough extended only as far as the load and unload area. The darkened corridor of the ride building gave no sense of the maniacal fun within, but a trek up to Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, California for a hands-on demo (or "play-test" in Imagineering parlance) offered a great peek at Toy Story Mania. Read my preview of Disney's nifty new interactive ride, Toy Story Mania.

• Toy Story Mania Preview Photo Gallery
• What's New at Disneyland Resort Overview
• What's New at Walt Disney World Overview

Photo: ©Arthur Levine, 2008. Licensed to About.com.