New Pins Make the List at Mad T Party in Disney California Adventure Park

posted on November 9th, 2012 by Michelle Harker, Merchandise Marketing & Communications Project Manager, Disneyland Resort

Are you a fan of “Alice in Wonderland”? Or perhaps the Mad T Party, which lights up the night in Hollywood Land inside Disney California Adventure park? Well, hold on to your hats, because this collection designed by local Southern Californian artist Jeff Granito, in collaboration with Disney Theme Park Merchandise, is going to make your head spin.

The key (quite literally) to this first set of pins is that not only do they represent some of the iconic images in the Mad T Party, but they actually glow in the dark.

Mad T Party Guitar Pick Pin at Disney California Adventure Park

New Glow-in-the-Dark Cheshire Cat Pin at Mad T Party in Disney California Adventure Park

What else did Jeff have up his sleeve when designing these? How about a pin that comes with its very own Mad T Party guitar pick? It pops right out of the middle of the hat.

There’s a glow-in-the-dark Cheshire Cat pin that is simply a’MAZE’ing, a pocket watch reminding you it’s “Time to Trade,” an adjustable lanyard (which also serves as a functional guitar strap) and even a mystery pin set collection.

Last but not least, here are two others that, in my mind, take the cake – the un-birthday cake, that is. The first is an Annual Passholder exclusive that says “Password Please” and features the infamous Tweedle bouncers. The other is an actual guitar-style pin, complete with strap, and designed with what appears to be a teapot, but here’s the trick … it’s actually a pin-on-pin, and when the teapot is removed, it reveals “We’re All Mad Here” with the Cheshire Cat, which glows in the dark.

Want to meet the artist? Then you’re in luck. As part of the release on December 8, Artist Jeff Granito will be on hand for a special signing from 6-8 p.m. at Off the Page in Disney California Adventure park. It’s where the “Par T” is!

Check out these posts for more updates about Disney pins:

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Filed: Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland Resort

Merchandise for ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ at Disney Parks is 8-Bitastic

posted on October 29th, 2012 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager

I recently attended the Disney Parks Blog meet-up for “Wreck-It Ralph” with my son. We had a blast playing games at DisneyQuest, including the new Fix-It Felix, Jr. game (and Tron, of course!). We also attended a special screening of the film later that morning. As someone who spent countless hours playing video games as a child (hello, 1980s), I loved this film! Between the 8-bit inspired soundtrack, numerous video game character cameos, and a humorous and heartfelt story, I left the theater shouting, “I’m gonna see it again!” At Disney Parks, we’ve introduced some merchandise to celebrate the film’s release on November 2. I visited both Mouse Gear at Epcot and Once Upon A Toy at Downtown Disney Marketplace to survey the goods.

Similar to the release of Disney•Pixar’s “Brave” earlier this year, the Disney Theme Park Merchandise team partnered with the Disney Store and Disney Consumer Products for merchandise. There are a variety of new action figures, two story books (the “One Sweet Race” book is beautifully illustrated) and a rather detailed Vanellope Von Schweetz doll. The assortment also includes Fix-It Felix’s hammer and one of my favorite items that made for a fun morning at the office – Ralph’s “freakishly big” talking smash hands.

Disney Theme Park Merchandise developed a few items that will only be found at Disney Parks. Look for a boy’s shirt featuring an 8-bit version of Wreck-it Ralph and a mystery pin set containing images of characters from the film. There will also be a limited edition pin releasing on November 1 at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts.

The “most adorable merchandise” medal goes to these scented bean bag plush dolls inspired by the characters from the Sugar Rush game. They have such great names including (top row) Minty Zaki, Gloyd Orangeboar, Snowanna Rainbeau, Adorabeezle Winterpop, Jubileena Bing-Bing, (bottom row) Swizzle “The Swizz” Malarkey, Rancis Fluggerbutter, Taffyta Muttonfudge, Crumbelina DiCarmello, and Candle Head.

If you aren’t visiting Disney Parks soon, you can find many of these items on DisneyStore.com.

When you see the film, make sure you arrive early for the “Paperman” animated short (it’s wonderful!). Fans of video games should stay until the very end of the “Wreck-It Ralph” credits for a nice laugh.

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Merchandise for ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ at Disney Parks is 8-Bitastic

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‘Wreck-It Ralph’ Merchandise at Disney Parks

Read more about “Wreck-It Ralph” at Disney Parks in the posts below:

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Filed: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

The Mechanical Kingdom Inspires New Merchandise at Disney Parks

posted on October 10th, 2012 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager

One of my earliest articles for the Disney Parks Blog was introducing an art program called “The Mechanical Kingdom.” This steampunk-inspired artwork was created by the talented Disney Design Group artist Mike Sullivan. Since that first article in March 2010, steampunk designs have found their way to pin collections, Vinylmation figures and a D-Tech case for the iPhone 4/4S. I’m delighted to share that a few additional steampunk items are coming to Disney Parks, including some recently released Vinylmation figures. I asked Mike about the design process for these new open edition figures.

“I’m happy to finally see the Disney characters as Vinylmation figures wearing their steampunk attire,” explained Mike. “I created this artwork in 2009, and it’s been wonderful to see that it has inspired a variety of collectibles in recent years. For these new figures, I added a few accessories like Mickey Mouse’s ‘Steamboat Willie’ hat. Goofy was probably the most challenging figure to design, since he is tall. I created a stylized version of him in order to fit the three-inch, Mickey Mouse-shaped canvas.”

These figures were recently introduced in select locations at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. The series was also released via the Disney Parks online store, which is the only place to get the Ludwig Von Drake online exclusive figure. I think my favorite figure is Donald Duck (mostly due to his awesome pith helmet).

There are two steampunk-inspired open edition pins arriving at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort in November. I love the green jeweled attachment on the Mickey Mouse icon (which reminds me of the Port Discovery area at Tokyo DisneySea – how I want to visit there again!).

Steampunk fans will need to wait until spring 2013 to acquire some of the most amazing ear hat ornaments I’ve ever seen. You may recall that we introduced several beautifully detailed ornaments this past summer. These seven new steampunk ornaments were designed by Disney Design Group artist Costa Alavezos. The details on each limited edition ornament are incredible (some even have light up options). In the image above, you can see the fronts and backs of three different ornaments. I’m going to need a bigger tree!

Read these posts for more news about Vinylmation at Disney Parks:

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Tagged: DLR, Pins, Vinylmation, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

Haunting New Pins Debut This October at the Disneyland Resort

posted on September 25th, 2012 by Michelle Harker, Merchandise Marketing & Communications Project Manager, Disneyland Resort

Here’s a little something that I’m pretty sure is going to have you asking “What’s This?” every time you turn around. Why, you ask? Because this new collection of pins is titled just that. Inspired by the lyrics from one of the popular songs in “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” and Haunted Mansion Holiday, this collection has been designed to let you discover something whenever you open the hinge, slide the pin or make it spin.

What will you find? Take a look:

New Pins Inspired by 'Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas' and Haunted Mansion Holiday Coming to the Disneyland Resort

These limited edition pins are bound to be popular, so make “final” arrangements to add them to your collection when they debut October 12 at Disney’s Pin Traders in the Downtown Disney District.

Special Tip: Be on the lookout for a lanyard medal and pin set as well as this special “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” mystery pin set.

Now, as you know, every year anticipation builds as everyone clamors to see what the next gingerbread house will be in the ballroom scene of the Haunted Mansion Holiday attraction. I had the opportunity to chat briefly with Senior Designer for Disney Entertainment Creative Development Brian D. Sandahl, who gave me the ingredients on how he came up with this particular concept.

“There were a variety of things floating around in my brain,” said Brian, “but it was seeing a version of Jack Skellington’s house in Halloweentown that really got things underway, combined with a fellow colleague suggesting we include a train, which culminated in one of our best ideas yet: a ghost train.” It seems so fitting, doesn’t it? Well, the magic doesn’t end there, because our talented team of artists and product developers wanted you to be able to take a piece of this unimaginable gingerbread sculpture home with you, too. What came of it? See for yourselves:

This new design is a perfect addition to last year’s mystery collection, which was a huge hit amongst you Disney fans.

Tip: Brian D. Sandahl will be on hand for a special appearance at Little Green Store Command on October 13 from 9-11 a.m. as we celebrate this new release.

Will you be adding these to your collection?

Read more news about Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort in these posts:

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Tagged: DLR, Halloween, Pins

Filed: Disneyland Resort

Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Epcot with New Merchandise Starting September 28

posted on September 25th, 2012 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager

Being a long time fan of Epcot, I’ve been looking forward to the 30th Anniversary celebration all year long. As October 1 draws near, here are some details about our release plans for the merchandise we’ve created.

For starters, we will release a handful of items beginning Friday, September 28 at select locations throughout Epcot. This “weekend of” collection will include a few previously discussed items such as the open edition pins, the “Epcot 30” logo shirts, the baseball cap, and the “toothpick holder” set.

We will also release new items including a 12-inch Duffy the Disney Bear and four D-Tech on Demand iPhone 4/4S cases each with an edition size of 300. Also look for 11 new World Showcase shirts that are so amazing I’m writing a separate article about them.

One of the more interesting items is something new called “Cover Your Ears.” This Spaceship Earth-inspired cover will fit over a regular Mickey Mouse ear hat. Additional special ear hat embroidery will be offered at Mouse Gear through October 1.

For this anniversary, we also commissioned Noah (of Epcot International Food & Wine Festival fame) to create a futuristic image that we will offer as a giclée and deluxe print.

On Monday, October 1, we will release several “day of” items including three shirts that have “October 1, 2012” and the “Epcot 30” logo, as seen in the first image above. For those who can’t attend that weekend, those three dated shirts and the 11 World Showcase shirts will be sold via the Disney Parks online store from September 28 through October 4.

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Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Epcot With New Merchandise Starting September 28

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Monday will also see the release of a commemorative framed coin set and the limited edition pin collection, including the “I Was There” pin. Noah has created a few custom 3-inch and 9-inch Vinylmation figures inspired by his Epcot image. Artist John Henselmeier also designed three, 9-inch custom figures and several 3-inch custom figures that will feature original Future World pavilion logos. All of these items will be released at MouseGear starting at park open on October 1.

Finally, if you trade pins, look for a special pin that will only be found on cast members’ lanyards at Epcot starting on October 1. I hope to see you there (I’ll be wearing my retro EPCOT Center hat with gold leaves).

Read these previous posts on the 30th anniversary of Epcot:

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Tagged: Epcot, Gallery, Pins, Vinylmation, WDW

Filed: Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort

Mickey’s Halloween Party Merchandise is a ‘Scream’ at the Disneyland Resort

posted on September 13th, 2012 by Michelle Harker, Merchandise Marketing & Communications Project Manager, Disneyland Resort

The official kick-off to Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort is only a day away. Now it’s time to get you ready, and what better way than with some frighteningly fun tees?

For those brave enough to venture out in the dark of night, my pick for you is “The Scream Team” tee, which is fun for the whole family. This image is set to appear on a variety of items, including a zip fleece jacket and adult tee – one to keep you warm on crisp cool nights, and the other just because you want to look cool. The little “monsters” will look ghoulish in our youth tee. Tip: As if this shirt wasn’t already a scream, what if I told you it even has some glow elements to it, too? Seriously cool!

Now, ladies, here’s a little something else that might just rock your world this Halloween. If you’re still trying to decide which side you are on (vampires or werewolves), and you’re leaning towards something you can sink your teeth into, then the “Vampires Rock” tee is for you.

These great new items will be available as we kick off Mickey’s Halloween Party on September 28. So where will you be able to find them? Try Disney Showcase, Emporium, Pieces of Eight, Pioneer Mercantile or Star Trader.

I have one more “trick” up my sleeve… Here’s a quick peek at a few of the pins that will debut on September 28 as well.

Pins Available for Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort

Which of these Mickey’s Halloween Party items will you add to your fall collection?

Read these posts for more about Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort:

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Tagged: DLR, Halloween, Pins

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Mickey’s Circus Trading Event Delighted Guests of All Ages at Epcot

posted on September 12th, 2012 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager

The annual Disney Trading celebration was recently held in World ShowPlace at Epcot from September 7-9, 2012. This was the twelfth year that we’ve held this event. You may recall from previous articles that this year’s theme was Mickey’s Circus, a nod to the Storybook Circus in New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park. I visited the experience on Friday and Sunday to capture some of the festivities.

The décor created for this event has always impressed me. This year, the display team used artwork from the event merchandise to create the circus-like atmosphere. My favorite things were the giant Ringmaster Mickey statue and the “Dumbo” scene found near a trading area.

Disney pin trading was the theme for Friday and Saturday, while Sunday was dedicated to Vinylmation. This annual event has turned into one big trading party with opportunities for guests to collect pins and Vinylmation from several unique trading activities, or to trade with each other in at massive trading area.

Guests also got to see new things coming from different divisions of the Walt Disney Company, including Hong Kong Disneyland Resort; Disneyland Paris; Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio Store in Hollywood, California; and, of course, Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts.

I loved seeing some of the unique one-of-a-kind Vinylmation figures created by several artists. I wish I had the talent to make something like the ones I saw.

More important to me was seeing many friends whom I’ve met over the years. I once again took a photo with Molly, a 94-year-old guest who has been attending this annual event for years. Seeing her and several others reminded me of how trading continues to bring people together.

If you missed this event, please mark your calendar for two merchandise events in 2013.

The first celebrates the 50th anniversary of my favorite attraction at Disneyland park – the Enchanted Tiki Room. This event will be held June 28-30, 2013, in California, and I cannot wait!

Then prepare for an appropriately themed Disney Villains event on September 13-15, 2013, at Epcot. How fortunate the event will start on Friday the 13th!

Watch the Disney Parks Blog for details as they become available.

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Mickey’s Circus Trading Event Delighted Guests of All Ages at Epcot

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Ringmaster Mickey at Mickey’s Circus Trading Event at Epcot

Vinylmation at Mickey’s Circus Trading Event at Epcot

A Circus Train of Pins at Mickey’s Circus Trading Event at Epcot

Pins at Mickey’s Circus Trading Event at Epcot

Check out these posts for more about Disney pins and Vinylmation:

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New Oswald The Lucky Rabbit Merchandise Coming to Disney Parks

posted on September 10th, 2012 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager

As my fellow author Jennifer Fickley-Baker recently shared, this week marks the debut of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. At Disney Theme Park Merchandise, we’ve introduced a variety of Oswald merchandise this past year in honor of his 85th anniversary. Being a fan of Walt Disney Company history, I find it wonderful to see so many new items featuring this classic character. Here is a quick look at some of the Oswald merchandise.

One of the more celebrated (and highly desired) items created this year was an Oswald hat. The hat was created for our partners with Disney Interactive Studios to celebrate the upcoming release of Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two on November 18. The hats were distributed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo and at San Diego Comic Con this past summer. I’m happy to report a Disney Parks version will be released in late October/early November. The hat features a different Oswald logo than the previous hat but is still just as awesome (I intend to wear it while playing the game).

This past summer also saw the opening of Oswald’s on Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure park. This new location contains a variety of “road trip essentials” including autograph books, hats, bag and more. During a recent visit to the park, I spotted the amazing vintage-inspired knitted Oswald plush. Denise Edelmaier, product developer for plush, said that the knitted plush was in development for about three years as they finally found a way to make the plush extra soft (early versions were too coarse).

Oswald also found his way onto a popular men’s tee-shirt and a collectible big figurine (or “big fig” as we sometimes call it) designed by Disney Design Group artist Randy Noble.

Disney pins started celebrating Oswald in January by releasing an 85th anniversary pin. We also released an open-edition pin, a limited-edition pin and a Hidden Mickey pin for Disneyland Resort. Look for another open-edition pin next spring.

But one of my favorite items (besides the hat) will be a new 3-inch Vinylmation figure from the Classic Collection series designed by Disney artist Eric Caszatt. Planned for release in early November, Oswald will be the mystery chaser figure. I know, it’s a spoiler but I couldn’t resist – the figure looks great!

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Tagged: DLR, Pins, Vinylmation, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

Frankenweenie Merchandise Comes to Life at Disney California Adventure Park

posted on August 27th, 2012 by Michelle Harker, Merchandise Marketing & Communications Project Manager, Disneyland Resort

A few weeks back, friend and fellow Disney Parks Blog author Erin Glover announced that “The Art of Frankenweenie Exhibition” will be making a stop on its worldwide tour right here at Disney California Adventure park on September 14. So naturally my detective-like instincts kicked into gear and here’s what I was able to dig up in the way of merchandise.

Right off the bat, I knew there were a few things that would spark your interest. You will definitely want to fetch the cute and cuddly plush of Sparky and Persephone. It’s “ruff,” but someone had to show them to you.

Frankenweenie Books and CDs Coming to Disney California Adventure Park, Including 'Frankenweenie Unleashed'

Frankenweenie Pins Coming to Disney California Adventure Park

Other things you might find electrifying are a few media items including a cinematic storybook on the film, a novel, the official film soundtrack and the “Frankenweenie Unleashed” CD. We have also created two pins that will only be found at Disney Parks. The limited edition pin has an edition size of 1,000 and celebrates the opening day of the film; the other pin is an open edition logo pin. Both pins will be released in late September.

Now if you’re wondering what else we’ve brought to life then try on some of our “Frankenweenie”-inspired tees.

So grab your “best friends” and head to Disney California Adventure park to check out the new exhibition and of course all of our frightfully fun “Frankenweenie” merchandise. It will be available at Off the Page beginning September 14 for a limited time before making its way to other locations throughout the Disneyland Resort.

Passholders Tip! Be sure to watch the Disney Parks Blog this week for a special announcement about opportunities to preview this new exhibit.

Read more about Disney California Adventure in the posts below:

Tagged: DCA, DLR, Pins

Filed: Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland Resort

Hauntingly Fun Halloween Merchandise Features the Haunted Mansion at Disney Parks

posted on August 20th, 2012 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager

As summer winds down, I’m anticipating the arrival of my favorite season. Fall is host to many things I love, including college football and my birthday. At Disney Parks, fall signifies the return of Halloween, a two-month celebration that includes special events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Park in Florida or the amazing holiday makeover for the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland park. Speaking of the Haunted Mansion, this classic attraction will be prominently featured in new Halloween merchandise arriving in August. You may recall my conversation with Cody Reynolds, Senior Character Artist with Disney Design Group, about last year’s playful artwork. Cody explained that collaboration was a key ingredient in creating this year’s designs.

“This year’s art program has been in development for about 18 months,” said Cody. “Disney Theme Park Merchandise partnered with Walt Disney Imagineering, Entertainment and the Food and Beverage division in order to create one cohesive visual story for Halloween that will be used in several ways at Disney Parks.”

As we talked, Cody showed me the progression of concepts for this year’s art.

“We worked through concepts that had characters wearing a variety of costumes,” continued Cody. “We dressed them as pirates, princesses, clowns and more. We finally settled on their theme park attire with a fun Halloween twist, like Minnie’s classic polka dot dress done in black and orange.”

This artwork will be used on a variety of merchandise items, including decorative items, mugs, pins, shirts, hats, Vinylmation, and much more. We are also introducing a line of Haunted Mansion-inspired items that will be carried year round. (I gave a first look at these items a few months ago.)

I particularly like how the Mansion’s gates were used as the place where the characters and Mansion residents meet.

“We intentionally chose the gates as a meeting place,” Cody explained. “They worked really well for the story we were telling, as they are a common feature found at the Haunted Mansion attractions.”

Cody drew the characters, while Disney Design Group artist Darren Wilson created the “ghostly” type font. Disney artist Patty Landing contributed the great patterns and graphic elements (like that stylized Haunted Mansion wallpaper!).

I think one of my favorite new items is the “Countdown to Halloween” figurine. Now I just need to figure out what costume to wear this year.