Minnie Mini: Pitt-Greensburg Freshman, April Pompura, Takes Her Love For Disney On The Road

Attentive students may have spotted a new car on campus this year. Decorated with black vinyl polka dots and a vanity plate that reads MN MOUSE, the red Smart Car is designed to resemble Minnie Mouse. 

“When people find out it’s my car, they are usually surprised,” says April Pompura, a freshman Spanish Education major.

Pompura and her family have visited Disney twice every year since 2009. 

“We are just really big Disney fans,” she says. “We found the car in 2019, and my dad suggested that we dress it up.”

The car has even been to Disney World in Orlando, Florida–pulled in a trailer behind the family’s main transportation. Even employees at the park get excited over the “Minnie Mouse mobile.”

It’s not all hair bows and polka dots, though. Pompura says there are some downsides to driving the car.  

“You have to get used to a lot of things with a car that small,” Pompura says. “You can’t actually go through a car wash because it can’t fit on the tracks.” Although, handwashing is not the same feat it may be for a larger car.

“Road rage is also a big factor in that car,” Pompura says. “People aren’t happy when they are stuck behind Minnie Mouse.”

Pompura’s car is not the only Disney-coded vehicle in the family. They also own a blue Smart Car with a plate reading “6TWO6,” a reference to another Disney character: Stitch from “Lilo & Stitch.”

“We haven’t decided yet if we are going to dress it up like we did to my car,” Pompura says.  

When asked how it feels to be the owner of such an iconic car on campus, Pompura says, “Some people know I drive it, and some people find out. It is what it is. Mostly, it just makes people happy.”