The Bird Woman from Disney’s 1964 Mary Poppins made her debut as a brand-new character at Sunday’s runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon at Disney World.
Disney World has a new character, and she’s been waiting 62 years for her turn. The Bird Woman from Mary Poppins made her debut Sunday during the runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon.
She quietly showed up along the course in the early morning hours, WDW News Today reported. This year’s half marathon, which starts at EPCOT, is themed to the 1964 movie.
WDWNT called her a “brand-new face character.” That means she talks, chats and poses with guests, instead of wearing a big costume head.
Manny Runs Disney filmed the weekend’s 5K, balloon ladies and all:
Who is the Bird Woman in Mary Poppins?
She’s the woman on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral who sells bags of breadcrumbs to feed the pigeons.
In the movie, she gets exactly one line: “Feed the birds, tuppence a bag.”
She’s also the heart of “Feed the Birds,” the song Mary Poppins sings to Jane and Michael. Songwriter Richard Sherman, who wrote it with his brother Robert, often said it was Walt Disney’s favorite song.
Jane Darwell played her. It was the Oscar winner’s final film role.
Disney has had her on its mind this year. In February, Disney celebrated National Bird-Feeding Month with a post about Darwell’s Bird Woman, WDWNT reported.
What does the new Bird Woman character look like?
(Image: WDWNT)
A lot like the movie. She wears a floral dress layered with a lace doily, an open-knit sweater and a wool tartan shawl, according to WDWNT. She tops it off with fingerless black gloves and a black hat over a gray updo.
She sits on a set of stairs surrounded by paper bags of breadcrumbs, baskets and blankets. Behind her, a digital backdrop shows a London building with pigeons.
She invited runners to sit next to her and told them she’d never had so much attention, WDWNT reported. She also called one man a “handsome chap.”
What was the runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon theme?
Mary Poppins, with penguin waiters in the race’s key art, WDWNT said. The half marathon medal shows Mary Poppins flying above the London skyline.
The 2026 Wine & Dine weekend also included a 5K and a 10K at Disney World.
What happened at the runDisney Wine & Dine 5K?
It got a lot more serious than usual. As PNP reported Saturday, runDisney swept slower runners at Friday’s 5K, a race that used to be the relaxed one.
Now runners are talking about the character lines, too. Some waited about an hour to meet characters, especially the Aristocats kittens near the start, WDWNT reported.
Runners said Cast Members warned them that a 45-minute wait could get them swept, and told them to leave the line to finish, according to the same report. Swept runners still got a medal, but they lost credit toward a challenge medal.
The crowd was bigger, too. runDisney added up to 10,000 spots on top of the usual 14,000, and final totals reportedly landed between 21,000 and 24,000 runners, WDWNT said. The start moved 30 minutes earlier, to 4:30 a.m.
Disney has confirmed the balloon ladies will be used at future runDisney 5Ks to manage the bigger fields, according to WDWNT.
Where can you meet Mary Poppins at Disney World?
Mary Poppins has long met guests in EPCOT’s United Kingdom pavilion, so the Bird Woman would fit right in there if Disney ever brings her out on a regular park day.
For now, WDWNT called her a race-day debut, and Disney hasn’t said whether she’ll show up anywhere else.
When is the next runDisney race weekend?
The next big one is the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, which runDisney usually holds in January.
If you’re running, plan your character stops early and watch the clock. And keep an eye out for a lady on some steps with a few bags of breadcrumbs. She’d love the company.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
WDW News Today, Lauren Stracner (Oct. 25, 2026), the Bird Woman’s debut, look and interactions, and the half marathon theme and medal
WDW News Today, Lauren Stracner (Oct. 24, 2026), the 5K character lines, crowd size, start time and future balloon lady use
WDW News Today (Feb. 2026), Disney’s National Bird-Feeding Month post on Jane Darwell
Pirates & Princesses (Oct. 24, 2026), the 5K sweeps
Manny Runs Disney on YouTube (Oct. 23, 2026), the 5K video
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