Littlebits by Emily Collette: Disney Parks Haul

I recently did a post on my second trip to Disney World, which was filled with new experiences and magical moments. For me, one of the many fun parts about taking a Disney trip is picking up a few special items in the shops, so I wanted to share what I bought this time around. I love watching Disney Hauls on YouTube and keeping up with the new items the parks are selling. It is fun to see what people like and what they pick up when they go to Disney!

The first thing I remember getting at Disneyland when I went as a kid was a pink Minnie Mouse brush, comb, and mirror set. We also have a clear ruler from Disneyland with Mickey and the gang that we continue to use to this day (and is still in great condition), despite the fact that it has to be about 20 years old. In recent years, I usually go for little items like mini figures, something artistic, or a pin of one of my favorite characters. For this recent trip, I really thought about what I wanted to buy in advance and was able to put aside some money for what I had in mind.

I’m not into using apps for everything, but did download the Shop Disney Parks App before our trip. This allows you to search for products (and characters) to check out what’s new, availability of items, as well as the locations of the items in the parks. You can also buy stuff directly on it. I did have a bit of a snag with the app, which I will share later in this haul, but did find that it came in handy a few times when tracking down an item.

Art Postcards (WonderGround Gallery in Disney Springs) $4.95 each

I went on our trip with the goal of getting three of these postcards. A few months prior, I had purchased a frame that I wanted to fill with something Disney. The frame had three openings, and I wanted to display it so that the images would be vertical. Because of this, I was a bit worried I wouldn’t find three images that I liked that would all fit the way I wanted.

I didn’t know exactly what they would have in stock until I was there, but I knew I for sure wanted the Up image (titled “An Unlikely Adventure”). When I was at Disney World the year before, they were selling that same image on a large canvas. Since that was too expensive for me, I was so excited to see they were selling postcards of it. The artist behind the artwork is Joey Chou. I love the style and brightness of his artwork, and did some research after I saw his name. He has done so many amazing Disney pieces (check out his website if you are interested in seeing more!).

I was interested in the Frozen design as well (titled “A Sister’s Journey”), but struggled to find a third option. There had been a Big Hero 6 image that was available a month or so before, and was also vertical, but it was no longer in stock when I was there. With what was available from Joey Chou, only the Frozen and Up postcard worked with my frame. So I then tried to mix it up and used combinations of other artist’s postcards, but nothing felt right. So I left without anything, and very dissappointed.

Three days later, on the last evening of our trip, we returned to Disney Springs. We had a little time before going to a showing of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, so we walked around a bit, and I decided to check out the WonderGround Gallery one more time. When I made it to the postcards, I literally gasped out loud because sitting on the stand was a vertical image of Mulan created by Joey Chou! Mulan is not only my favorite princess, but the fact that the image was vertical seemed too good to be true. I thought the Up, Frozen, and Mulan artwork would look perfect together and couldn’t wait to get it home to put them all up. Also new that day was a Matterhorn Bobsleds piece (titled “Auf Wiedersehen”) by Tercek. I fell in love with the image, and put it up on my bulletin board! The postcards are quite expensive if you treat them as actual postcards, but as little art prints they are both good quality and a more affordable way to decorate with Disney. The WonderGround Gallery is officially my favorite little shop for a souvenir (plus they have artist signings throughout each month)!

Tangled Framed Mini Print (WonderGround Gallery in Disney Springs) $24.95

During my first trip to Disney World, one of the bigger items I got was a Bambi and Thumper framed mini print. My mom bought it for me as a special way to remember our trip. This Tangled image was again something I had seen the previous year, but was only available in very large (and expensive) prints. This mini version, combined with my Bambi print and postcard artwork, look awesome hung up together in my bedroom! It is like a mini gallery.

Panda Phone Charm (China Pavilion in Epcot) $3.00

I’ve never understood phone charms, but I bought this to put on my bulletin board. There were many colors of string/bells available, so I just went with one with a pretty bright fuchsia pink bell.

Stickers (China Pavilion in Epcot) $3-$4

I’m a sucker for little stickers, but these stuck out to me because of how they were individually cut out, and especially because one of them looks like my dog! I think I would like to use a couple of these for making magnets, so I can preserve a few, instead of using them all up sticking them on things.

Panda Bookmark (China Pavilion in Epcot) $1.95

To go with my phone charm and stickers, I also got a Panda bookmark. Again, there were quite a few choices available, but I went with this Panda that was eating bamboo. I really like the unique red tassel!

Ratatouille Remy Plush (France Pavilion in Epcot) $16.95

This was an item I regretted not buying the previous year, so this time around I knew I had to get it. One of my biggest purchases during my last trip was a Ratatouille tote bag, but because that was a bit more pricey (about $25) I didn’t get this plush. As much as I love all the plushes you can buy at the parks, I don’t own any. I don’t even think I got one as a kid, which is weird now that I think about it. I had quite a few stuffed animals growing up, but I was always more into notebooks, little figures, pens, etc. My bookshelf is full of Disney figures and little plushes (and some Harry Potter), so I thought this Remy plush would fit in perfectly. I love his chef hat and apron!

Ratatouille Magnet (France Pavilion in Epcot) $5.95

To go along with my plush, I also got a magnet. I like how the spoon and hat are cutout and add some dimension to the image. It is also has a nice shiny, smooth finish.

Panda Mug (Japan Pavilion in Epcot) $12.00

I fell in love with this panda mug as soon as I saw it. Besides the adorable panda, I also really liked the size of the mug. Since bringing it home with me, I reach for this most days because it holds the perfect amount of liquid.

Panda Spoon (Japan Pavilion in Epcot) $4.00

After I found the panda mug, I walked over a bit and found a matching spoon! It is such a cute little set and the spoon is perfect for mixing up a cup of tea.

Rabbit Dish (Japan Pavilion in Epcot) $4.00

At the Japan Pavilion, I also got this little bunny dish. The color of the image matched the overall blue theme in my room, so I thought it would be useful for keeping my favorite earrings and watch on it.

Gold April Mickey Necklace (found all around the parks/resorts) $17.00

While my birthday isn’t in April (it’s December), I thought the plain diamond gem would be the best choice to go with many outfits. I also found a similar necklace that wasn’t labeled as birthday, but it cost two dollars more. I didn’t really notice anything different about it, so just went with the slightly cheaper option. On my previous trip I bought some dangling Mickey earrings from the same “birthday” line of jewelry, but instead of gold, I got it trimmed in silver.

Pin Mystery Two-Packs (found all around the parks/resorts) $14.00 each or 2 for $30

I was hesitant to buy these at first, since they are pretty pricey. I have never had the mystery pins before though, and thought I would give it a shot. I don’t really have a lot of Disney Parks pins, and I thought this would be a fun way to add a few to my little collection. I went with a princess pack (hoping for Mulan or Rapunzel) and a Beauty and the Beast pack. I felt quite lucky with my picks! The Mulan pin in the princess pack was such a nice surprise. I also think that The Princess and the Frog is one of the more underrated Disney films (I always encourage people to watch it if they haven’t!), so I was very happy with Tiana. For the Beauty and the Beast set, I was so excited to get peasant Belle. Gaston was in my top favorites from the set as well.

Mickey and Minnie Tile Coaster (found all around the parks/resorts) $7.95

What I liked about this was that it was an exact match for the color of my bedspread. So. this coaster was perfect for my nightstand. The pattern is really pretty (it was on other kitchen items as well). It is also quite sturdy and I like how it is a more subdued nod to Disney.

Princess Castles Mug (found all around the parks/resorts) $17.99

Here is where I hit a snag with the app. This mug was one of my top items I wanted to purchase during our trip, and I had seen they were in stock in many places for many weeks leading up to our trip. Naturally though, when we were actually there, they seemed to go out of stock according to the app. I was at the World of Disney Store in Disney Springs and double checked if they had any, and a kind cast member even looked in the back for any because she said she had seen them recently, but there was no luck. I was told that items (especially popular ones) can come and go very quickly, so I was disappointed, but figured I would manage to get it at some point. I checked the app two days later, and the mug reappeared and seemingly available only at a shop in the Contemporary Resort, and was only available to purchase in store. Since the resort was close to Magic Kingdom (where we were spending our day), we decided to take a break and take the monorail (my first time doing so) to check out the shop. We got there, didn’t see any mugs, and then inquired with a cast member. She couldn’t find any where we were, but said on the computer she checked on, it was available at a different shop in the Magic Kingdom. So we went back to the park and moseyed on over there, and were told they didn’t have any, but to check this other shop in Magic Kingdom. I honestly thought this was becoming a very stupid waste of time, but my mom said we should check. Again, no mug. I said we needed to give up and focus on actually doing something fun, so we tried to forget about it. As we were waiting for something at Animal Kingdom the following day though, the mug appeared on the app available at the Art of Animation Resort shop, and this time it was available to be ordered. So, I bought it from the app to be sent to our home address, with it arriving about a week later in the mail (shipping was also free). So all in all, I’m very happy with the mug, but it sort of showed that the app is not super reliable when it comes to an item low in stock. I decided to check on the app a few weeks after our trip and it was available all over the parks and resorts.

Back to the actual mug though, it is so perfect for Disney princess fans! What I love most about it is that it is a more subtle and adult than most of the princess offerings out there. My only gripe about the mug is that there is no Mulan reference on it, and since it covers princesses through Tangled, she deserves to be there. Pocahontas is represented through the weeping willow and leaves blowing through the wind, but no Mulan. They should have added some cherry blossoms or something! Other than that, the different castles are so brilliant and adorably illustrated. The inside quotes of "once upon a time" and "happily ever after" are also so quintessentially Disney.