Although a bit late to the party, we found a new Disney’s Animal Kingdom 25th Anniversary bucket hat during our latest trek to the wildest park of Walt Disney World.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom 25th Anniversary Bucket Hat – $34.99
Our adventures in Animal Kingdom took us to Island Mercantile in Discovery Island, where we spotted this new head-topper. The Disney’s Animal Kingdom 25th Anniversary bucket hat has an off-grey brim with a very light green top. Patterns of leaves and branches are printed all over the top.
The front bears a patch with the art we’ve seen on other Disney’s Animal Kingdom 25th Anniversary merchandise which released last month. The fourth and still-newest park at Walt Disney World opened on April 22, 1998, which makes 2023 its silver anniversary year! The patch features designs of an elephant, rhino, tiger, and bird with a 25 and the park’s logo below.
The rest of the hat features that same leafy design all-over, with no other notable inclusions of the 25th art. It’s 23 inches in circumference, meaning it ought to fit just about any size head.
As mentioned before, we found this in Island Mercantile at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. But hurry, this limited merchandise may not last long. Let us know if you’ll be protecting your head with this hat for the summer in the comments below.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom 25th Anniversary Celebration Resources
2023 marks the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and the park has announced various special offerings, snacks, merchandise and commemorations for the event.
The Animal Kingdom 25th Anniversary Collection released at Island Mercantile, Discovery Trading Company, and Mombasa Marketplace on Earth Day, April 22. This is the same day the park had its grand opening in 1998.
Disney PhotoPass offered both Earth Month and 25th anniversary photo ops around Animal Kingdom. These include special props, Magic Shots, and more. Another highly anticipated photo op — the Moana meet and greet — will begin on April 22.
Through April 23, Wilderness Explorers have the chance to earn a special badge by completing a limited-time nature challenge. More information is available at any of the Wilderness Explorer locations.
Character Meet and Greets, Food and Beverages
Special character meet and greets have been taking place to help with the celebration, too. Tinker Bell, Fawn, King Louie, Baloo, Goofy and Flik have been spotted greeting guests over the last week. A rare meet and greet opportunity featuring Terk and Jane from “Tarzan” even popped up.
These special meet and greet opportunities were all found on Discovery Island, across from Pizzafari and and beside the gardens surrounding the Tree of Life. Take a look at some of our photos and coverage:
- PHOTOS, VIDEO: Tinker Bell, Fawn, King Louie, and Baloo Meet and Greets at Disney’s Animal Kingdom 25th Anniversary Earth Day Celebration
- PHOTOS: Meet & Greet Featuring Terk and Jane for Disney’s Animal Kingdom 25th Anniversary Earth Day Celebration
- PHOTOS, VIDEO: Goofy in Throwback Camp Minnie-Mickey Costume and Flik Character Meet & Greets for Disney’s Animal Kingdom 25th Anniversary
Koda and Kenai from the film “Brother Bear” were also spotted cruising along on a flotilla:
If you haven’t yet, make sure you check out our full guide to the limited-time treats being offered at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and various hotels around Walt Disney World Resort for this occasion. We reviewed some of the special items available throughout the park right now, so make sure to take a look to see which treats we liked the most:
Did you visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom for its anniversary celebration? We’d love to read about your plans in the comments below.
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