Last summer, I was reflecting on winter temperatures when I shared a look at Mouseketeer ear hat-inspired ornaments. As summer has recently descended on the Sunshine State, I’m again thinking about cooler temperatures with a first look at new ear hat ornaments. Aaron Babcock, Product Developer for seasonal merchandise, told me that last year’s ornaments were so popular that they expanded the collection.
“We were thrilled with the response from our guests about the porcelain ear hats,” said Aaron. “This year, we have significantly expanded the assortment to include hats inspired by villains, princesses, classic characters and even Pixar characters. We’ve also added a tremendous amount of detail to each new ornament.”
There are approximately 40 new ear hat ornaments. The majority of the hats were designed by Disney Design Group artist Costa Alavezos and professional intern Derrick Lirette. Artist Cody Reynolds contributed the princess ear hat designs. I spoke with Costa about the details found on the ornaments.
“This year, we made the ornaments out of resin,” explained Costa. “This material allowed us to capture lots of details. By using resin, we could add glitter, decals and other embellishments that can’t be added to porcelain. I was delightfully surprised to see the final hats as each hat has such personality.”
The hats will be introduced to Disney Parks in the coming weeks. They will also be found via the online Disney Parks Store. The best places to find them at Disney Parks are Disney’s Days of Christmas and World of Disney at Downtown Disney Marketplace in Florida, World of Disney in the Downtown Disney District in California. They will also be found in the Emporium location found on Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom Park, and the China Closet location in Disneyland park.
One detail I love is how the artists used the front and back of each hat (best seen with the Chip and Dale or WALL-E and Eve hats). I also thought the Princess Aurora design was clever (pink dress on one side and blue dress on the other). Rapunzel’s extra long hair was a nice touch.
Each hat is limited edition with the exception of the princess collection. Aaron said to watch for additional holiday and fashion-inspired hats coming in the next few months.
Get more news about upcoming merchandise at Disney Parks in the posts below:
Comments
Sorry for the additional question…I actually see there will be a raindeer pluto released in the near future. Yesterday 2 fashion ear hat ornaments were released on the DisneyStore website, but the Theme parks released the Christmas Tree Ornament, Minnie Witch Ornament & only 1 of the 2 fashion inspired disney ear hat ornaments (the black and white). Is there any reason why these releases aren’t synced? Will buyers at home still have a chance to purchase the LE Ear Hat Ornaments at DisneyStore for the ear hats that are released earlier at theme parks? Or is it better to just purchase directly from the theme park?
Thanks
Hey Steven
Just received my second order of ear hat ornaments and I love them as much as the first. Do you by chance know if there will ever be a “Pluto” Ear Hat Ornament? I think the Minnie, Chip & Dale & Goofy are really well done, but I’m missing my Pluto 🙁 lol.
I saw these yesterday at Disneyland. There was one that I have been unable to find a picture of online (and of course, I didn’t think to take a pic of it there) and none of the Cast Members could tell me what it was supposed to be. It was all shades of black and grey/silver with circular/swirly designs on it. Is this from the “fashion” set? The store I went to also did not have the Queen of Hearts, Eve or Tiana. I got the last Ariel.
MY SISTER-INLAW WORKS THERE OR DID,GEORIA
Bought some of the ear ornaments last week. Disappointed that no new ornaments were released online today
These are so cute, your Disney team never ceases to amaze me!! I bought them all but where is Mickey? Minnie is lonely!!
Hi Steven, I wanted to thank you again for telling us about these ornaments. Since my mom lives in Orlando, she was able to go to Downtown Disney today and pick up some of the ornaments for me. The minute that I saw they were being sold online I called her up and asked her if she could make the trip. My daughter is going to love the princess ones and I have my Maleficent waiting for me for when I visit FL in 2 weeks. I will be making a trip to Downtown Disney to see the other ones and maybe pick up some more. 🙂 Thanks Again!!
@Christine – That’s wonderful! Glad to have helped you. Have a safe trip.
STEVEN!!!
Last week I ordered my favorite ornaments from this set, that have been released so far, from Disneyland. I’m not sure why it was sent from Disneyland, I would think it’d be more practical to ship from FL to NY, but I guess its all about what’s in stock. I wanted to ensure I got them just in case they sold out online lol. I don’t regret spending slightly more to have it shipped from the theme park to have received it on the 24th though.
These ornaments are absolutely adorable. I ordered: Chernabog, Ursula, Maleficent, Hook, Evil Queen, WallE + Eve, Nemo, Buzz and Woody. I’m a big villain fan and this years villains merchandise is awesome. They’re probably a tad bit smaller than I expected, but nonetheless the detailing is on the money and the craftsmanship is very nice as well. Maleficent is my favorite because her glitter shines black and blue from different angles, Hook’s gems along the bottom remind me of buried treasure 🙂 Buzz and Nemo’s ornaments are definitely heavier too. Very good quality and weight to all of them.
Out of the 12 I purchased, 3 were doubles, 2 had very small imperfections that hardly took away from the beauty. I’m also very particular about my things so no one should take my word as a professional grader or what not lol. It’s ok though because the 2 with imperfections were doubled so they will be used for display while I treasure the duplicates and keep them safely stored. I love the hand-written edition numbers and the printed artists’ signatures.
I remember last year the online store and theme parks sold a small ornament tree. Will Disney be selling another tree this year? Do you know if there will be a 24-36″ sized one. I believe last year’s was only 12″. With all these ornaments I’m going to need a bigger ornament tree lol. I would say if anyone wants to display these ornaments on a their Christmas tree they should be very careful because they do hold some weight and I’m sure if they fell a good distance it would cause irreparable damage. Hence why I would only display mine on an actual solid ornament tree to support the weight.
Thanks Again for all your help Steven. This new merchandise and fashion inspired designing has totally recaptured my imagination. I can’t wait to see what more limited merchandise is to come. Hopefully purchasing it through Disney will be as smooth a transaction as this was. I’d also like to mention that the way in which these ornaments were shipped showed extreme care and outstanding preventative measures were taken to ensure these were delivered safely; each ornament carefully wrapped in tissue paper, than bubble-wrap, stored in 2 separate small boxes (each holding 6 ornaments) and shipped in one large box marked fragile and glass everywhere. I am very pleased and am now going to write my reviews on the Disney Store website as well as make another purchase for the online exclusive Cruella.
Thanks,
Michael
@Michael – Thank you for your extensive comments and review. Wow! I’m so glad to hear you were able to get the ornaments. I’ve shared your feedback with the development and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Merchandise Guest Services teams.
I spoke with Aaron about your question. He told me that last year we sold two different sized trees – 12″ and 18″. The 12″ tree had miniature ornaments while the larger had fiber optic lights. They have since decided to discontinue the 18″ tree. He also said they sell a metal, tree shaped ornament holder which is over 18” tall. Aaron is also considering creating a tree that will hold the new ear hat ornaments. No timing yet as to when/if that would be introduced.
I only see 26 in the pictures. Is there anyway to find out which 40 characters will be represented this year?
@Heather – Please see my response to Jamie’s question (#49). I provided a list of the ear hat ornaments that are known as of today. Hope this helps.
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