Holiday Shopping for the Disney Fan
Picture yourself happening upon that perfect gift. Seeing it perfectly perched in the windowsill of a frosty glass, lamp-lit window of Dickensian era shop. It’s cold outside and you can see the steam from your mouth, but there, inside the tiny little shop owned by the old man who lives down the road, sits the elusive perfect gift that you have been hoping to find this entire holiday shopping season. You go in, purchase the gift, and the man wraps it in a gold paper with a bow on top, and sends you merrily on your way to the Christmas Eve party where you and the gift will be met with a warm hug and a warm toddy.
Wake up! It’s 2017, and the chances of that happening are slim to….let’s face it it’s not happening. Even though our shopping experiences look a little different this day and age, trying to snag that perfect gift can still be stressful. Which reminds me, shopping for the holidays coincides with the other 3 ‘S’ words that make the season so famous: snow, Santa, and stress. Have no fear! I asked Santa’s elves to collaborate with me on this article to help you choose a great gift (or two!) for the Disney fan on your shopping list. Let’s take a trip to the North Pole together-I mean shopdisney.com- where you’ll find the following merchandise items and much much more.
Toys Toys Toys
This year’s hottest toys from Disney are certainly the Toybox action figures. These figures stand about 5” and are modeled after the Disney Infinity statues that became somewhat of a collector’s item when the game was still in production. Disney has kept the design of those Infinity statues and added points of articulation and awesome accessories!
You can choose from 3 Star Wars figures (Rey, Kylo Ren, and First Order Stormtrooper), 3 Toy Story figures (Woody, Buzz, and Jesse), and 3 from the Marvel Universe (Thor, Hulk, and Iron Man). These figures are amazingly detailed and can pose in countless different positions, making them perfect for a collector or for someone who wants to play! I have a few of these figures myself and would certainly recommend them.
If you know the person you’re shopping for prefers plush to plastic, Disney has got you covered there too. There are plush toys from every imaginable corner of the Disney-sphere, including special edition holiday plush like Santa Mickey, holiday Minnie, Stitch in a red scarf, holiday Goofy, Chip and Dale, and a festive Olaf . If soft warm squishy cuddliness is a must-have, I would recommend the Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Dumbo plush.
Accessories
Every Disney loving guy and gal I know are all about the accessories. Luckily for you, there are ample choices available at the parks, in-store, and online at shopdisney.com.
Let’s start with electronics. OtterBox partnered with Disney to create brand new Symmetry series cases featuring Mickey and Minnie and Star Wars designs! The cases will keep your phone protected in Disney style and will put a huge smile on any Mickey or Darth Vader fans’ face. You can get some cool cases on shopdisney.com, but for the new designs you’ll have to go to OtterBox’s site…it’s worth it. These cases are made to fit iPhone 7/8, the plus models.
Dooney and Bourke offers a different kind of accessory: bags. Disney and Dooney, or is it Dooney and Disney? Either way, the two brands collaborate to make some fantastic bag designs that leave me drooling year-round. There are tons of designs and bag/wallet shapes to choose from so don’t worry about not finding a certain style of bag or design you’ll love! Of the current offerings my personal favorites are the Princess and the Frog bags and wallets. The photos online don’t do them justice, as they’re truly stunning in person. Newly available for the holiday season are Peter Pan and Snow White designs! If you’re in the parks, look for the 2017 holiday bags, available in the parks and around the resort!
Celebrate Animation, on the Christmas Tree!
Each year Disney is known for their selection of new and traditional ornaments perfect for adorning trees large and small. The Sketchbook ornaments tip their hat to Walt’s original passion: drawing and animating. The ornaments are beautifully designed and feature beloved characters and famous scenes like a singing Ariel ornament framed by a wave crash, Merida and her bow and arrow, and Elsa in her famous Let It Go dress!
The ornaments are really beautifully designed. But be careful, its nearly impossible to buy just one! More than one ornament makes for a beautiful collection.
The Lucky Ones
For those of you close to the parks this holiday season, know how envied you are. But I think you already know that. You have some additional options to choose from for gift-giving this season!
You can- and should- attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom Park, where exclusive merchandise will be available for party goers only! There are sweaters, t-shirts, mugs and of course an exclusive Magicband that can only be purchased by ticket holding partygoers.
Calling all Vinylmation fans! Anyone…is anyone alive out there…..can anyone hear me? For those of us refusing to give up on the Vinylmation dream Disney has thrown us a bone this year. This holiday season you can pick up a limited edition Goofy eachez Vinylmation at WDW and Disneyland resorts! While unfortunately I don’t think this is the big resurgence of the Vinylmation collectibles, you can surprise the Vinylmation fan in your life by gifting them with a parks-exclusive figure only those at the resorts can purchase!
Do you have any questions about what to buy this holiday season? Which merchandise items are you adding to your Disney collection this year? Let me know in the comments, and happy shopping!
Special thanks to Maria Salerno for writing this article: Hiya pal! I am a NYC-based writer/musician thrilled to be bringing you all things Disney! I’m a WDW Annual Passholder, so you can find me in the parks regularly throughout the year. In addition to being a Disney Parks loving girl, I’m also a Disney toy and merchandise collector, a runDisney enthusiast, and Disney music and movie aficionado. You can follow me on Instagram: NYCtoAP and find me on YouTube: NYCtoAP. Thanks for reading, hope to see ya real soon!
