Characters are the Best Thing About Visiting Universal

You won’t believe how many characters are waiting to greet guests! Look at our guide to see details on who and where to meet characters at Universal Orlando and Islands of Adventure.

Universal Orlando Resort

At Universal Orlando Resort, visitors enjoy rides, shows, and snacks. You can also meet some of the most beloved characters here.

Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure offer a huge variety of characters from so many stories!

Before your visit, be sure and study the Universal Orlando Resort theme park maps if you’re not familiar with the layout. That will make it easier to find everything.

Universal Orlando Characters

At the entrance, you’ll find a cheery taxi cab driver ready to get you started on a positive note.

Hollywood

Look for this quirky and animated ghost on Hollywood Boulevard by saying his name three times. Beetlejuice usually hangs outside the Horror Make-Up Show.

The Mystery Gang, along with Scooby-Doo, often visit the Hollywood area beside their iconic van, The Mystery Machine. Join them to discover the latest mystery they are solving at Universal Studios. It’s so fun to chat with these cartoon characters!

I (Susan) visited during the Mardi Gras festival and found these characters in their festive accessories.

Hello Kitty greets guests throughout the day inside her store.

In the Hollywood section of Universal Orlando, you can meet characters from Scooby Doo, Beetlejuice, Back to the Future, Simpsons, and Hello Kitty.

Doc Brown from Back to the Future roams Hollywood Boulevard, tinkering with his latest science equipment. He looking for new friends to be involved in his latest experiments.  When I met him, we were planning a time travel adventure.

Last but not least, rotating Simpsons characters meet guests outside the Montmartre building. When we were there, Bart and Marge rotated with Homer. However, you may get different characters.

New York

The iconic Blues Brothers perform on a small stage nestled in front of a New York City building. Performance times are listed in the Universal app, but make sure you arrive early to see them driving up making an impressive entrance.

DreamWorks Character Zone: At DreamWorks Character Zone, guests can meet, greet, and interact with their favorite DreamWorks characters like Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse.

DreamWorks characters are located near Central Park until the new DreamWorks land opens in June 2024.

In addition, Shrek and Fiona send their best wishes from a Far Far Away Land from Central Park.

Puss in Boots greets guests after his latest adventure and sometimes appears with his partner Kitty Softpaws. Alex, Gloria, and King Julian from Madagascar bring the party to life here, too.

Poppy and Branch from Trolls enjoy dancing and interacting with guests!

At the exit of the Revenge of the Mummy attraction, you may spot Mummy pharaohs towering over you for a memorable photo!

If you watch the Tonight Show featuring Jimmy Fallon, then you probably know Hashtag the Panda. He loves to dance and is located in the queue of the Race Through New York Featuring Jimmy Fallon attraction.

Last, but certainly not least, you can meet Marilyn Monroe between New York and Hollywood next to The Revenge of the Mummy attraction or strolling down the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

More Locations

Just past the popular Minions Villian Con attraction, look for the Minion meet and greet to see your favorite Minions characters.

We met a Minion and the beloved supervillain Vector. A team member shared that Gru, Margo, Edith, and Agnes also rotate at this fun spot!

What makes it even harder to catch a specific character here is that Minion characters rotate with characters from the movie Sing. We met Johnny on our visit.

One of the most unique photo ops is with an actual Transformer. I (Susan) loved it when the music played and Bumblebee started dancing.

You’ll find Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, or Megatron in the alley near the Transformers 3D ride. These transformers rotate on a random basis.

To meet the most fun sea creatures ever, head inside the Spongebob Store located at the KidZone section of Univeral.

Patrick and Spongebob trade out with Squidward. Line up to meet them right outside the store.

And if you’re a Dora fan, then you’re in luck. She poses for pictures near Mel’s Diner with her map and backpack.

If you’re near the entrance of Diagon Alley in Universal Studios, be sure to check out the Knight Bus. Although you won’t be able to go inside the triple-decker purple bus, the driver and a magical talking head will amuse you with their friendly banter.

Don’t miss the Knight Bus driver with his humor and magical talking head.

Islands of Adventure Characters

If you love Marvel, you must visit the Marvel Super Hero Island! Inside the Spiderman Store, you can find a meet-up area for Spiderman. You will also see other famous superheroes such as Captain America, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Rogue.

To save time, book Universal’s Marvel Character dinner at Cafe 4 available on select nights.

If you’re a villain fan, look out for Doctor Doom and the Green Goblin as they roam around the area.

Dr. Seuss’s characters and attractions are located in the Seuss Landing section of Islands of Adventure. In this whimsical land, you’ll feel like you walked into the Dr. Seuss stories.

To avoid lengthy waits to meet Grinch and friends from the live-action movie during the Christmas holiday season, be sure to reserve the popular Grinch breakfast.

After the show, the Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Sam I Am, Thing One and Thing Two, and the Grinch meet with guests for photo ops.

Do you want to meet a dinosaur? Then, head to the Raptor Encounter and meet Blue the Velociraptor from the Jurassic World movies.

But be careful, even though Blue is trained, she can be a bit wild. If you approach her correctly, you might even get the chance to become a qualified Raptor trainer.

For another immersive character meet, check out Popeye and Olive Oyl at the Toon Lagoon.

From Kung Fu Panda movies, The Dragon Warriors Po, and Tigress greet guests at The Lost Continent.

In addition to Universal Studios Florida, this quirky lemur can also spotted in The Lost Continent. King Julian features dance parties throughout the day and afterward poses with guests.

Hogsmeade

You can’t miss the huge train looking like it crashed through the wall behind it. Here, you’ll find the Hogwarts Express Conductor at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade.

Ask him questions because he has a wealth of knowledge about this cool snow-capped village.

Then, check out the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students here. These students perform a colorful procession of magic at the Triwizard Spirit Rally.

After this fun show, they pose for a group photo and will also pose with guests.

City Walk

When you’ve finished at the theme park, then check out The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen for a one-of-a-kind dining experience.

While you’re enjoying your meal, be on the lookout for Penelope Toothsome and Jacques.

Penelope loves to share about her travels that inspired her to create the delicious dishes here and her co-entrepreneur is always by her side.

Character Tips

While it’s great that Universal has so many unique characters, it can be difficult to meet specific characters because so many of them rotate.

However, if you ask a team member near the character meet location, they have a sheet that tells set times for each character.

And be sure to keep your expectations realistic. There is so much to do at Universal and time can get away from you quickly. Pick your favorite characters to meet first and go from there.

Many characters end their sets in the afternoon so don’t wait too late to meet them.

Do you enjoy meeting characters at Universal? If so, which ones are your favorite? Let us know in the comments and share this post with a character-loving friend.