There are a lot of ways to become memorable in Magic Kingdom. You can rope drop TRON. You can cry during Happily Ever After. You can spend $19 on a popcorn bucket and pretend that was always the plan.
Laugh Floor
Or…you can become That Guy at Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.
And if you’ve never had the pleasure, let us explain: every show needs one unsuspecting human to become the recurring punchline. It is an honor. It is a curse. It is, frankly, one of the funniest things happening in Tomorrowland on any given day.
Laugh Floor Signage
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor is built on audience participation, so no two shows play out exactly the same. Mike Wazowski and friends are up there training to be the funniest monsters in Monstropolis, and sometimes that means lovingly roasting one random guest for several glorious minutes. If you’ve ever wondered how people end up with that distinction, we’ve got a few tips.
Monsters of Comedy Wall
No, it’s not an exact science. But if your dream is to get lightly bullied by cartoon monsters in front of a room full of strangers, there are definitely ways to improve your odds.
Wear the Joke
If you want to get picked, step one is simple: be easy to spot.
Laugh Floor
Bright colors, goofy hats, loud patterns, sparkly ears, birthday buttons, shirts with ridiculous slogans, anything that makes you pop in a dim theater full of people in standard park uniforms of gray tank tops and mild sun exhaustion. You don’t need to dress like you lost a bet, but it does help to look a little more visually interesting than the sea of neutral vacation wear around you.
See the laugh tank in the corner?
This is especially true if your outfit tells a story. A silly hat? A flashy shirt? A whole vibe? That’s comedy bait right there. Basically, if a camera operator can find you in half a second, you’re already ahead of the game.
Sit Like You Mean It
Location matters.
It’s getting ready to start!
If you really want a shot at becoming That Guy, try to get into the theater early enough to snag a seat in the front half of the room, ideally near the end of a row. You don’t have to be in the very first row like you’re accepting an award, but you do want to be somewhere easy for the camera to land on without a bunch of heads and shoulders in the way.
Laugh Floor has a Halloween makeover!
This is one of those cases where being a little strategic actually helps. Laugh Floor is not the place to drift into the back row and hope destiny finds you through three pairs of mouse ears and a balloon. Sit where you can be seen. Monstropolis cannot lovingly embarrass what it cannot locate.
Play It Cool
Now here’s where things get deliciously ironic. One of the easiest ways to get picked is to give off the energy that you absolutely, positively do not want to be picked. A little shy? A little awkward? Slightly horrified to be there? Congratulations, you may already be giving prime That Guy material.
Waiting to go in
The show works because the reactions are funny. If you look bashful, mildly panicked, or like you were dragged there against your will by an overly cheerful family member, that can read really well on camera. Monsters love contrast. The room loves contrast. Comedy loves contrast.
Time to go!
That does not mean you should be rude, pouty, or make a dramatic scene. This is not community theater for people who want to get escorted out. You’re aiming for “adorably reluctant,” not “man arguing with a lamp at a sports bar.”
Subtlety is your friend here.
Don’t Audition for It
This might be the most important tip of all. If you try too hard, there’s a decent chance you’ll torpedo the whole thing.
Special Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Laugh Floor is funniest when the audience interaction feels natural. So if you’re flailing, waving both arms, making faces, trying to out-joke the monsters, or broadcasting “PLEASE PICK ME, I HAVE PREPARED MATERIAL,” you may actually make yourself less appealing as a target. Nobody wants That Guy to feel like he’s been workshopping this moment in the mirror all morning.
The Mind-Reading Monster
The sweet spot is being visible, expressive, and game without turning into a one-person preshow. Let the monsters do the comedy. Your job is just to be a delightful canvas for it. Think “good reaction shot,” not “open mic night at Señor Frog’s.”
Commit to the Bit
If you do get picked, the absolute best thing you can do is go with it. Smile. Laugh. Lean in. Accept your fate with the dignity of someone who has just been chosen by Mike Wazowski himself.
Laugh Floor
Because once you are That Guy, you are not just getting one little shoutout and moving on with your life. You are very likely becoming a recurring gag throughout the show. Your face may pop up again. And again. And possibly again, just when you thought it was over.
This is not the moment to shut down and stare into the middle distance like you’re questioning every life choice that led you here. The fun of the bit is in the audience reaction, and the better sport you are, the funnier the whole thing becomes.
Also, let’s be real: there are worse Disney vacation memories than “animated monsters publicly adopted me as their favorite punchline.”
Know What You’re Signing Up For
For some people, being That Guy is the dream. For others, it sounds like the social equivalent of being chased by a velociraptor through Tomorrowland. And both reactions are valid. If getting called out in a live show sounds like your personal nightmare, the easiest counter-strategy is basically the opposite of everything above: dress normally, sit farther back, avoid looking too reactive, and pray to the comedy gods that someone else in a neon Goofy bucket hat takes the hit for the team.
©Amazon
But if you’ve always secretly wanted your little brush with Monstropolis fame, this is one of the easiest places in Disney World to shoot your shot. No virtual queue. No lightning-fast fingers. No waking up at 6:55AM in a cold sweat.
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Just vibes, visibility, and a willingness to become part of the joke.
The Final Punchline
At the end of the day, there’s no foolproof formula for becoming That Guy at Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. The show is live, the monsters are chaotic, and comedy has always had a tiny streak of anarchy in it.
Text in your joke
But if you wear something memorable, sit where the camera can find you, act just a little bashful, and avoid trying to force the bit, your odds definitely get better. And if you do get picked? Congratulations. You are now part of the show. Part of the lore. Part of Monstropolis comedy history.
Let’s laugh
Try not to let it go to your head. While this might not guarantee that you will be selected, it can really help your chances! For more ride and attraction tips, follow the Disney Food Blog!
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If all else fails, ask a castmember, “Can I be that guy?” Sometimes, it works. That guy usually sits on the right side of the stage as you are facing the stage.
I always love “That Guy”! My daughter’s fiancé was picked one time and he had a blast. My nephew was picked and he got a free Mickey bar at one of the kiosks later. But I wonder if any woman are ever picked as “That Gal”?
When I’ve gone it’s always been someone in the middle, front half of the audience, closest to the right side, but nearest to the desk lamps so you’re illuminated well. Once we were picked as the two-headed monster because we were wearing our bride and groom hats and another time we were picked as people to talk to about where we were from. It wouldn’t have been as fun or as much of a surprise if we had asked them to pick us and I wouldn’t want to take the fun away from someone else because it’s so funny to watch their faces change to surprise when they’re picked.
My husband was picked as That Guy once about ten years ago. They gave him a sticker afterwards and he still carries it in his wallet. He’s also been picked as Randall and Sully several times, and I’ve done the mind reading “psychopathetic” bit a few times as well. We love Monsters Laugh Floor – it’s a must do on every visit.
LOL… while I’ve been to MK more times than I can count (annual pass holder), we only hit the laugh floor when all of our “kids” (now adults) are with us. I’d guess maybe 10 times lifetime. I have no desire whatsoever to be “that guy” and I don’t dress conspicuously, but I must otherwise fit the profile because I have 2 “that guy” stickers. My boys think it’s great. I’m mortified when it happens but try my best to play along as I know what is expected of “that guy”. Secretly, I covet both stickers. 🙂
I have had the good fortune to have been picked as “That Guy”, at least twice, maybe 3 times. Facing the stage, tight side, no mor than y seats in from the isle. It was great, I loved it, got a sticker saying I was that guy to wear, but no free Mickey bar. This attraction was exactly what Disney used to be all about. The unexpected expected or as Walt referred to it as the “gag” or punch line. Here, at the laughingstock factory, you are the gag, the Disney gift to you. Like the bees in the chair backs at the Bugs Life attraction, or the mice running past your feet at Honey I Shrunk them Audience, or the Dog Sneezing. Disney does not seem to play the pay,off punch card much any more, Too bad, I miss the Michael Eisner years.
My husband hates going in because he’s always picked as something. My father-in-law is the same. We all went in together several years ago and the two of them were saying “I always get picked”, “no, I always get picked”. This particular show, they both got picked!