The President, the Pope, and Mickey Mouse Want Your Baby's Birth Announcement
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Courtesy of Mary A. Behre
Most new parents plan to send birth announcements to family members and close friends, but what about saving a few for the president, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, or even the Pope? Yes, you can send them your birth announcements and be guaranteed to receive a response from the White House, the Magic Kingdom, and the Vatican! We asked some new parents who did.
"I had about 10 or so announcements left over, and I was wracking my brain to think of more people to send them to. I had thought it would be funny to try to send them to someone famous or even the president. I started Googling and realized I wasn't the only person who had thought of sending something to the president," says Ashley Berrie, a professional photographer and mom to a son in Atlanta. Once she found the White House mailing address, she sent her son's announcement—which included his picture, birth date, time of birth, and birthweight and length—along with a personal note. "I even wrote 'Meet our future President!'" she says. When Berrie received the President's response she "took pictures of the response and blogged" before putting the response in a scrapbook.
After first sending her wedding invitation to the White House, Mary Larsen, a mom blogger at Tall Mom Tiny Baby in Providence, knew she'd share her birth announcement with the First Family as well. Within six weeks of sending it, she received a signed note on White House stationery that welcomed her baby to the world. "It is a unique and special card," Larsen says. "We have put it inside of our son's baby book."
The White House
Send announcements to the White House at the following address:
President Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Disney World and Disneyland
Both Larsen and Berrie also sent birth announcements to Disney, and Berrie received a postcard with the autographs of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, and Pluto. You can use the same addresses below to write to other favorite Disney characters (like Prince Charming and Cinderella), but Minnie and Mickey are your best bets for a quick response.
Send announcements to Disney at the following addresses:
Mickey and Minnie Mouse
Walt Disney World
1675 N Buena Vista Dr.
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Mickey and Minnie Mouse
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, California 91521
The Vatican
If you're of the Catholic faith, you can request a papal blessing from Pope Francis, which is offered for special occasions, such as baptisms. Before writing to the Pope, though, contact your parish for detailed information and help filling out a letter, on parish letterhead, or a request form that includes the necessary contact info (the name of the recipient and the occasion for the papal blessing), the parish seal, and the parish priest's signature. Papal blessings come in two forms (a printed certificate or a parchment scroll with calligraphy) with different costs ($25 to 40 Euro, or roughly $34 to $54 US). The blessings can take between four to six months to be issued, but they'll include the name of the recipient and the occasion for which they're receiving a blessing. When you send your request, do not write Italy on the address, as the Vatican is its own city-state.
Request a papal blessing at this address:
Apostolic Blessings Office of Papal Charities
00120 Vatican City
If you don't want a papal blessing, try sending a birth announcement directly to the Pope at the address below and see if a response is mailed back:
His Holiness, Pope Francis
Apostolic Palace
00120 Vatican City
