A new character quietly debuted in the wee hours of the morning during runDisney’s Mary Poppins-themed 2026 Wine & Dine Half Marathon in EPCOT: the Bird Woman.
Bird Woman Debuts During ‘Mary Poppins’ Half Marathon
The titular race of the 2026 Walt Disney World Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend was themed to Disney’s 1964 Julie Andrews-starring classic Mary Poppins, with key art of the penguin waiters and a race medal featuring a silhouetted Mary flying above the London skyline, with her signature umbrella top and handle incorporated into the medal’s border.
Naturally, the theme meant that Mary Poppins characters would be stationed along the race route, but it was a pleasant surprise to see a brand-new face character among them: the Bird Woman (also sometimes called the Bird Lady).
In the film, the Bird Woman sells breadcrumbs and has only one line: “Feed the birds, tuppence a bag.” Walt Disney himself personally cast Jane Darwell, an Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress in The Grapes of Wrath (1940), to play the small but affecting role.
For her debut appearance, the Bird Woman is wearing a floral dress and wrapped in multiple layers of different fabric, including a lace doily, an open-knit sweater, and a woolen tartan shawl. She also has fingerless black gloves and a round-brimmed black hat fastened atop a gray updo.
She sits on a set of stairs surrounded by paper bags of breadcrumbs, baskets, and several blankets, against a digital backdrop depicting a London building with pigeons flying by.
Instagram user battsontherun shared a video of the Bird Woman interacting with runners from her perch. Along with cooing her signature line of “Feed the birds, tuppence,” she also invites participants to sit next to her, smiles and waves, and comments that she’s never had so much attention in her life.
The Bird Woman also has a sweet conversation with a runner dressed as Mary Poppins, commenting on a nearby “handsome chap,” asking Mary if the “lad” is “one of her beaus,” and saying she “hopes the wind brings you back again someday!” as a farewell.
The Bird Woman is obviously not forgotten at Disney. In February of this year, the Disney Archives commemorated National Bird-Feeding Month with a post about actress Jane Darwell, known for playing the Bird Woman in Mary Poppins.
2026 runDisney Wine & Dine 5K Criticism
Earlier this weekend, 2026 runDisney Wine & Dine 5K participants had a very different character experience. Runners hoping to snap a photo with the Aristocats kittens were greeted with two unwelcome surprises: incredibly long character lines and race-ending “balloon ladies,” who have not previously been present at runDisney 5Ks.
Did you meet the Bird Woman during your half-marathon this morning? Let us know on social media.
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The post ‘Bird Woman’ from ‘Mary Poppins’ Debuts as New Character During runDisney 2026 Wine & Dine Half Marathon appeared first on WDW News Today.
