Minnie Ear Headbands have, over time, surpassed all other Disney Parks accessories as a quintessential element of Disney style. With new styles being released on a near-monthly basis, there are tons of different designs to choose from, and up until now, adding another pair to your collection was usually a no-brainer. Well, as with many other food and merchandise items across property, it appears price increases have reached the popular parks accessory.
Once priced at a standard $27.99 across property, Minnie Ear Headbands now retail for a solid $29.99. That’s a $2 increase in price per ear, making each ear just over $30 with tax.
While it may seem like a small increase in this day and age of $600 designer ears and $500 boxed hat sets, it’ll definitely make parks fans and guests alike think twice before buying the next new release.
Signage across larger stores, like the Emporium on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, has been inconsistent, with some of the older signs displaying the old price still left unswapped.
The ear headbands themselves have tags with just barcodes, but no listed prices.
Price increases have already taken over shopDisney as well.
What do you think of all the latest price increases sweeping Walt Disney World? Is the $2 Minnie Ear Headband inconsequential or enough to make you step back on your headband hoarding? Let us know in the comments.
I think these price hikes are getting ridiculous. At what point does it reach a peak. My kids are pin collectors and we’ve already decreased how many pins we buy on a trip because of how ridiculous it’s getting. If the price increases continue at this frequency we’ll see $40 mouse wears by 2021!
Too much no matter how nice. I would really think twice about paying that price.
I love Disney but the corporation is making it harder and harder for the average working person to afford the parks. I don’t think Walt would approve.
I dont understand why people keep repeating this nonsense. By all accounts Walt Disney was 100% for commercialization and monetary profit. It’s the main reason why Disney World even exists. To bring in as much money as possible.
Walt didn’t intend for it to be this out of control.
If you can sell it and they will buy it, sell it for twice as much- Walt Disney
If you can dream it, you can do it- Walt Disney
My first pair of Minnie ears was 15.99 in 2011. I LOVE getting new ear headbands at the parks, I have over 15 pairs but 29.99 is really pushing it. No more mouse ears for me :(
They were $24.99 not too long ago. The constant price gouging across the board is ridiculous. At least for repeat visitors. For those on their once in a lifetime vacation it is what it is. I hate to be so price conscious on vacation but you have to be realistic, especially with niche souvenirs that will get no “real world” wear.
Yes, at this point, I’d rather drop an extra $5 or $10 on a shirt that will get much more repeat wearing, than blingy ears that will sit on a shelf and gather dust… :(
It will make me step back. I have ears so that will be good enough. I had wanted another pair but now I don’t want to pay even more. Ugh!
More Disney greed! 30 bucks for a dollars worth of material and Chinese labor. No thanks.
Really? A week before I arrive?! More and more designs will end up in the outlets for $4.99 so why would anyone pay such extortionate prices in the parks? Plus the UK/US exchange rate at the moment is making everything much more expensive for us Brits. 🙁
Thank goodness for the many talaent people on etsy. I remember when ears were $15 and there were only a handful of options. I know it is all the tariffs but one would think they would sell more by dropping the price $2 and make up for the tariff in volume.
I know i still cant believe the tariff increase on park tickets every year.
I am becoming more and more disillusioned with Disney. We have been coming to WDW FOR more than 40 years and were early purchasers of vacation club ownership. While I understand that they are a business and need to make a profit, it seems that they are unnecessarily price gouging to the point where ordinary folks won’t be able to afford coming here. It truly saddens me that Walt’s dream of a place where families can come together and enjoy seems to be getting lost.
1972, my parents took us to WDW. we stayed st the Polynesian for $38 a nite. I wanted to go this year, just to stay there, and reminisce. $700 a nite.. Poor walt is rolling in his grave. I’m so disappointed in WDW.. Universal prices have them beat.. Just not what a family park should cost.. And then pay to park at your own hotel.. Geeze!
Disney World is expensive. It always has been so it’s really nothing new. Most people only go once maybe twice a year. On vacation, you expect to pay a lot for stuff. Especially at a world tourist destination. If you don’t want the ears, don’t buy ’em. If you are going every month like my wife and I do, thanks to the Florida resident discounts and our annual passes, we don’t buy souvenirs.
I live in Florida also but the price of full annual passes now make it even unpalatable to enjoy Disney especially with the increase in all other prices.
Buy them on Etsy! I love the Mary Poppins’ Sunday in the Park ones I purchased for my trip last year. Packaged perfectly for travel in your suitcase!
I am very disappointed to hear that the price has gone up with the Minnie Ears. Disney is my favorite place to go on vacation. It definitely makes it harder for the average person to afford the ears wit the increase in price. Will think twice before considering to buy more in the future. I believe Walt wouldn’t have wanted it this way. I am a super fan of Mickey Mouse and I also am a pin collector to, and have noticed that one of my favorite hobbies is getting to be very pricey. Hope this isn’t the trend for us future collectors.
There is no way I would spend 30 on these damn things. I’ll just get some on Amazon or make some myself. That is insanely expensive. If people would stop paying these prices, they would be forced to reduce them.
You can find some really cute ones on Etsy for half the price. They’ll get my money from now own.
If people weren’t willing to pay it, they would have to lower the price. Simple economics, if people will pay $30 they’re going to charge $30.
I just came from Epcot today and I was looking for a certain pair of ears. I noticed the price was 29 almost 30 dollars. In my head I was thinking “wow I thought they used to be like 24 or something” this just proves that I wasn’t going crazy.
It’s too high for me now. I don’t think I’ll be buying. With everything going up so much it’s not going to be as fun shopping. I’ll be doing a lot of looking. With annual passes going up and food and merchandise going up and cuts in entertainment and no night time parades. Not sure how much longer I’ll be a AP. It used to be such fun at a decent price
Disney has been jacking up prices of everything for quite a while, while making the guest experience worse.
But you still keep going there and you keep giving them your hard earned money.
When will you all learn? Disney will continue to raise prices as long as people keep going there and spending a ton of money.
My family and I used to go to Disney World twice a year, staying on property… For years. I quit Disney 3 years ago, the price kept going up and the guest experience kept getting worse. Now we go to Universal twice a year. Universal is a much better value and a much more relaxing vacation experience.
Ultimately, all of you have the power to reign in Disney’s prices and improve the guest experience… Stop going there and stop giving them your money. It’s that simple.
Complaining about it is not enough.
When will you learn?
My daughter did buy a lot of them..but will now only buy with the family’s 40% discount over the holidays…we no longer eat there…we buy Disney stuff at Walmart..
Any one with any crafting ability at all can make their own!! Would be a fun, excitement-building, build-up project for your trip!! And you would have your own UNIQUE ears to brag on!! Any search engine can help you DIY!!
The price increases in alot of Disney is getting out of hand.
In 2016 they were $24.99 so that’s a $5.00 increase over 3 years. By them from eBay or wait until they are at the outlet stores.