It’s hard to believe it, but 22 years ago, Daps Magic was founded as a positive place for Disney fans to come together in a safe space and share a love of Disney. Over two decades later, this core approach to Disney and fandom hasn’t changed. Things officially started 22 years ago today. At the time, I wanted a place where people would be treated with dignity, respect, and kindness as Disney fans. I’d seen a need for this in some experiences I had, and felt that something better, that was focused on this, should be created. Out of this need came what is now known as Daps Magic.
Keep Moving Forward
With the start of Daps Magic, there was a simple approach of creating a place where things would be positive, and put-downs would not be tolerated. As we got this venture started, we tried a lot of fun things (we still do). Some of these worked and have stuck around. Others haven’t, and we have moved on. Each of these things has helped build Daps Magic to where it is today. They also helped us learn to keep moving forward and to keep making things better.
This is a Place
At Daps Magic, we focus on giving accurate news and information about Disney and positive stuff. This is a place where critical thinking is encouraged, but personal attacks are not. It is a place where we can disagree without being disagreeable. This is a place where we celebrate the Disney story and share its history from different perspectives for different audiences. It is a place that recognizes that we should be celebrating and rooting for the success of the things we are fans of. Most importantly, this is a place where we focus on the positive and keep a culture of kindness (check out our #keepkind initiative here).
A Discussion About Daps Magic
For the 20th anniversary of Daps Magic, several of the team members sat down to discuss its origins, how they got involved, favorite memories, and more. This can be heard here:
Core Values
From the very beginning of Daps Magic in 2004, we have always had core values that define who we are. These core values have helped us make decisions through the years. They act as a guide for just about everything we do. For many years, there were seven core values. However, now, there are eight with #keepkind being core to who we are and who we strive to be. Here are the current core values of Daps Magic:
- FUN – Daps Magic believes that life is meant to be enjoyed. As a friend of Mr. Daps says, “If you’re not having fun, you’re done.” That is what it is all about! Let’s have fun together!
- POSITIVITY – Coverage will be positive and fair. Critical thinking and critical coverage is acceptable. Put-downs or attacks of any kind are not acceptable. If it isn’t nice, it shouldn’t be said or published.
- KINDNESS – We strive to have a culture of kindness that builds people up, whoever they are.
- MAGIC – All actions should both promote Disney magic and also maintain the integrity of the Disney magic.
- RESPECT – All people should be treated with respect. This includes respecting people’s dignity along with their privacy. This also applies to celebrities.
- FAMILY-FRIENDLY – All coverage and/or publications of any kind should be family-friendly.
- QUALITY – Coverage should be current, accurate, and meet journalistic standards. Other content should also reflect a high level of excellence as well.
- INTEGRITY – Daps Magic will strive to maintain the highest level of integrity in the way it runs every aspect of its website. This includes both honesty in any publication and also ethical and honest behavior by Daps Magic staff.
The Future Together
As Daps Magic passes this milestone of its 22nd anniversary, it’s hard to believe that something that started as a simple idea has grown into what it is today. Looking forward, there are lots of goals for where we want to go with Daps Magic! We look forward to going on this adventure with you! There will be more coverage, new types of coverage, and more opportunities to do all of this together. We can come together on social media, Daps Magic HQ, YouTube, Geeks Corner live on Tuesday nights, and in the parks. We will also use our community and influence for good. With this in mind, please consider joining the Daps Magic CHOC Walk team! We will be walking through the parks at the Disneyland Resort on August 2, 2026, to raise money for Rady Children’s Health Orange County, formerly the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
This coming year will be an exciting year! There will be a lot of Disney news, events, and more to cover. This includes D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event! This will be an exciting celebration of Disney, and we look forward to seeing you there! We also hope you will come up and say hi if you see us in the parks! Friends new and old make Daps Magic and the Disney community as a whole so much more fun!
22 Years
It’s hard to believe that a simple idea for something better 22 years ago has grown into what it is today. As we reach this milestone, I look back at all of the support, sacrifice, and passion that have been put into making Daps Magic what it is today. This isn’t something that just one person could do. It is the culmination of many people doing many different things. These different contributions and perspectives make everything so much better than anything I could have ever come up with myself. One of my favorite things about Daps Magic is the differences found within it. These differences lead to things like Disney This Day, 30 Years Ago at Disneyland, Geeks Corner, Photoniks, and Daps Travels (to name a few regular columns and shows). It also leads to new things coming in the future, some of which are known and some not yet announced. What is fun, though, is that our differences lead to a much stronger and more vibrant organization.
Daps Magic is a labor of love. We love getting to share the magic of Disney and positive stuff with our readers and viewers. Getting to document a piece of Disney history through our photos and videos over the years is also very near and dear to our hearts. Most importantly, we love the people that we get to do this with. This includes our own Daps Magic team, other fans who become friends, and the amazing teams at Disney. There are many very long workdays/nights, but they are all worth it because we believe that what we do matters and hopefully adds something that is a positive light to the world.
22 years later, I can still remember sitting with my dad and brother as we dreamed up what would become Daps Magic. This dream has only grown through the years, and it continues to grow. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
