May 18, 2013

I can’t wait for the upcoming all-night party that will kick off a Monstrous Summer at Disney Parks on May 24, 2013. I had a blast at last year’s 24-hour party with my fiancée, so I imagine this one will be even more “eye-mazing!” As part of Limited Time Magic, Disney Theme Park Merchandise has created some commemorative items featuring Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan, stars of Disney•Pixar’s upcoming film “Monsters University.” Here are some things you can expect starting May 24. We will have a new logo shirt featuring Mike, created just for the 24 hour party. The shirts will be similar on each coast except for a small logo change on the sleeve (either “Magic Kingdom” for guests in Florida or “Disneyland Resort” for guests in...

Apr 11, 2013

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen has been all-over the Walt Disney World Resort as of late and has a ton of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look: While most of the new parking lot at the Grand Floridian Villas is open, some is still closed to accommodate construction Work continues on the Villas at the Grand Floridian This appears to be the drop-off area Iron Man-O-Rail running Moving to the Magic Kingdom, work continues on the Main Street Bakery The new Dumbo popcorn bucket available on Main Street Purty Work continues on the exterior of the Adventureland Veranda The glass canopy on the other side of the building is still missing Some work happening at the Swiss Family Treehouse while it is open Kodak picture spots are still up around...

Mar 27, 2013

When Star Wars Weekends lands at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 17th, there will be an armada of new, exclusive merchandise for guests to purchase: The title scroll from the films play a big role this year We heard there wouldn’t be many more 9″ Vinylmation, but one of the last will be Jabba the Hutt with a Salacious Crumb 1.5″ junior Some logo merchandise… notice the green customizable name-tag for this year New action figures featuring Disney and Muppets characters playing… well, I guess they are now playing Disney characters… A poster calendar, carbonite Vinylmation, and a annual passholder exclusive black name tag among other items Jumbo pin The Star Wars Weekends logo characters in plush form Salacious Crumb...

By Steven Miller on the Disney Parks Blog: The start of a New Year brings many reasons to celebrate. This year, there are two months of back-to-back holidays including Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. I caught up with Monty Maldovan, long-time artist with Disney Design Group, about some of the new merchandise coming for Mickey Mouse’s bear, Duffy the Disney Bear. Monty recently celebrated the release of three original art pieces, including one featuring Mickey and Duffy, at the Art of Disney in Downtown Disney Marketplace. “I had a lot of fun designing some of the seasonal outfits for Duffy the Disney Bear this year,” said Monty. “We have some new things that our guests have told us they wanted including outfits for 17-inch bears and...

By Steven Miller on The Disney Parks Blog: When I served as project manager for Disney Pin Trading, I was often asked by guests which pins they should collect or trade. My best advice for someone starting a Disney pin collection is to pick a certain theme and trade for what you like. For years, we have offered mini-collections that are an easy way to jump start a collection. I spoke with Jeanne Lewis, merchandiser for Disney pins, about some of these new collections arriving in 2013. “We have new limited edition pin collections coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts next year,” explained Jeanne. “Some pins will be released each month, while others may be released every other month or once each quarter. I like these mini-collections because they...

Dec 31, 2012

By Steven Miller on the Disney Parks Blog: I generally believe I’m a lucky guy. I have two wonderful children, loving parents, an amazing girlfriend, and I work at the happiest place on Earth. While the New Year arrives with a number that some may consider unlucky, I believe that 2013 will be a lucky and magical year. Believing in magic is the theme that Disney Theme Park Merchandise selected for the 2013 dated art programs. The foundation for this new program is the style guide that Disney Design Group completed in November 2011. I recently took a closer look at the style guide to see what artwork is coming to merchandise in the New Year. The 2013 style guide contains a variety of logos, graphics and patterns that give one consistent look for the merchandise....

Conner went to the Disneyland Resort and captured some merchandise and gallery magic!   New Oswald MerchandiseHoliday Merchandise Themed Carmel Apples New Exhibit! Explanation of the new ride at Magic Kingdom.Construction continues.Check out the new exhibit for more artwork! Thanks...

For those going to Epcot’s 30th Anniversary festivities on October 1st, you’re probably still wondering how much money you are going to need to leave with all of the retro goodies that will be for sale. Well, we here at WDWNT are going to try to help you out with that before we arrive at the park on October 1st. The following information has been released through several official Disney websites and publications, as well as at the annual Pin Celebration at Epcot held a few weeks ago. We will continue to update this post as more info becomes available. Enjoy: Spaceship Earth Limited Edition of 500 Boxed Pin Set, $69.95 Retail, October 1st Release Date Annual Passholder Exclusive Pin – Retail TBA, October 1st Release Date 30th Anniversary Medal and...

From Steven Miller on the Disney Parks Blog: One celebration I’m looking forward to this fall is the 30th anniversary of Epcot, which takes place on October 1, 2012. A few months ago, I gave you a first look at artwork created by Disney Design Group for merchandise we will be releasing. While we haven’t finalized all items or release plans at this point, I’m happy to share another look at items that are coming soon. I caught up with product developer Mary Myers to learn more. In recent years, Mary has developed theme park logo merchandise for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot. She recently kicked off the 30th anniversary a little early by releasing new items under the “Epcot 82” banner. I found the shirts shown above...

WDWNT Reporter Jeff Lukas visited Downtown Disney on Sunday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look: They are pretty much rebuilding the entire top portion of the building Concept art of what it will look like when completed The conversion of this section to the Lava Lounge has begun The signage around marketplace was freshened up not too long ago I can’t believe this is still open… The former trading area outside of Disney’s Pin Traders is now a Ridemakerz demonstration area New shirts with the fab five… It’s a bit strange that Goofy looks modern and the others have a more classic look Some new tropical-themed shirts Phineas and Ferb shirts New Pirate shirts I really like these 2012...