The 50th Anniversary decorations are set to come down beginning this weekend, but the golden Fab 50 character statues introduced as part of the celebration are expected to remain across Walt Disney World, at least for now.
The removal of EARidescent décor will continue this weekend, including the phased removal of the 50th decor donning Cinderella Castle. While much of the decor will disappear, Disney has confirmed that there is no plan to remove the golden Fab 50 statue collection anytime soon.
There are 50 characters, but only 36 statues, as many of the characters are paired. All of these statues were installed in September 2021 as part of “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” to celebrate the resort’s fiftieth anniversary. The statues are interactive, allowing guests to interact with each statue by waving their MagicBand nearby. As guests approach and wave, the statues come to life with music and various phrases from the Disney characters.
The platforms for these classic characters are colored EARidescent to match the anniversary decorations on Cinderella Castle, while the statues and 50th medallion are gold. Check out the full list of each golden character statue within the Fab 50 collection across Walt Disney World.
The statues were updated with special interactive sounds for both Halloween and Christmas seasons this year. There is no official word on just how long they will remain, leaving some guests hopeful for new interactivity in celebration of the Walt Disney Company’s 100 Years of Wonder celebration as it makes its way into Walt Disney World. Read more about MagicBand+ interactions with Fab 50 statues.
The statues were such a large component of the anniversary celebration that a number of merchandise lines were introduced, allowing guests to bring home a bit of the World’s Most Magical Celebration. Mystery figurine packs of the Disney Fab 50 Character Collection came in waves last year. Ornament sets were also available for guests to bring the statues home. Throughout the celebration, even Walt Disney World theme park tickets featured EARidescent 50th anniversary designs that showcased the Fab 50 statues.
Walt Disney World has announced monthly themes for their own version of the Disney 100th anniversary celebration, which will begin now that the 50th Anniversary celebration has ended. To kick off the Disney100 celebration at Walt Disney World, special commemorative pennies have appeared across property. We’ve already prepared a full list of each collectible character penny and their locations.
Are you excited to see these character statues stick around after the close of the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebration? Let us know what you think of the golden Fab 50 statues in the comments below!
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.