Since it opened, Epcot has had an unofficial mascot who has outlasted even his own original attraction to become an icon of the park. But who is Figment? We are going to give you a basic guide to his history and backstory in Walt Disney World.
Figment was originally a character proposed for two never built Disney attractions, Discovery Bay, and Blueprints of Nature, before becoming a part of the original Journey Into Imagination attraction shortly after the opening of Epcot Center.
In the original version of the attraction, Figment was a creation of the character Dreamfinder, being made during the first scene of the ride. He then follows Dreamfinder through the scenes of the ride, serving as a curious and youthful sidekick to the more parental Dreamfinder.
Throughout the original Journey Into Imagination, Figment tries out different creative tasks alongside Dreamfinder as he explores all the Imagination can do.
During this time, the two characters could also be seen walking around the Imagination Pavilion, wandering the pathways just surrounding it. Dreamfinder would walk around holding Figment, who had a playful and mischievous spirit, and while he would never talk, he had a habit of grabbing and throwing hats.
Eventually, this attraction would be removed, and Figment would get a mere cameo in the new short-lived Journey Into Your Imagination version, but he would return in the next version Journey Into Imagination With Figment, after complaints of his absence forced Disney to bring him back.
This new version featured Nigel Channing in place of Dreamfinder. The new character had first appeared in Honey I Shrunk The Audience and became the star of Journey Into Your Imagination.
In this new version of the ride, Figment is a discovery of Nigel Channing at the Imagination Institute. Channing attempts to give a tour of the institute based on the five senses, and Figment interrupts every test with his mischievous magic and a verse of the ride's theme song One Little Spark.
This version of the character is the current one, and is just as lovable as the original, although a little less youthful.
He has rarely appeared in a more gigantic meetable form, although this has been absent for years.
What Figment became in his return to the park, is the mascot of sorts for Epcot. Even though his ride is not the best, he appears on endless amounts of merchandise and has become one of the park's most recognizable features. He has grown beyond his one attraction to represent Epcot as a whole, and the playful and curious spirit it has always represented.
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