Location-based mobile app Gowalla is officially a Mickey Mouse operation, as it announced the launch of Disney Parks on Gowalla, an initiative with Disney that adds more than 100 featured stamps to the app, with more on the way.
Gowalla added that it will retroactively issue stamps to the passports of users who have already visited Walt Disney World Resort in Florida or Disneyland Resort in California and checked in.
Director of business development Andy Ellwood told The New York Times‘ Bits:
That idea is not something that is isolated to urban hipsters in New York City and San Francisco: It’s open to anyone who wants to tell their story. Disney is a fantastic example of a place where people might begin to use Gowalla a little bit, and then understand the idea.
And co-founder and CEO Josh Williams wrote on the Gowalla Blog:
When we started building Gowalla a couple of years ago, there were three concepts that I was fascinated with. First was the idea of a digital passport that served as a travelogue of your life’s journeys. The second were the ski-area pins I had collected as a kid growing up. The third were Disney Parks, their attention to detail, and their ability to make a place seem rich with story. In fact, the collectible pins amassed by Disney park-goers were another metaphor we drew upon when imagining the concept of Gowalla.
