Disneyland Merchandise Update: Downtown Disney Expansion Now Open!

We’ve finally made it to October! Leaves on the trees are changing colors (though, that could be caused by the excessive heat yet again…), the stores are perfumed with cinnamon spice, and Halloween is around the corner! To celebrate, we’ve got a Merchandise Update for you packed with ghostly goods, villain-themed merchandise, a big addition to Downtown Disney, and more. Here we go . . . trick-or-treat . . . 

 

What’s New at Downtown Disney

Before we touch on all the exciting merchandise you can find at Downtown Disney, let’s talk briefly about some of the updates around the shopping district.

Stage 17 in Disney California Adventure’s Hollywood Land has been transformed into The Disneyland Resort Backlot Premiere Shop. That’s a mouthful! 

This shopping location serves as an overflow shopping location for Downtown Disney, and is filled with all sorts of merch from throughout Downtown Disney and that Disney had sitting in warehouses.  

The banners and signs have gone up in Downtown Disney letting guests know about the new pop-up venue. 

Virtual queuing will be used when needed (Which we assume will be most of the time).  

The entry to Stage 17 is accessed via the security tent, though, they’ve carved out a section so you don’t actually leave the secured area of Downtown Disney.  

Guests will briefly walk backstage behind Stage 17 to get into the building. Just look for the red carpet . . .

Once inside you’ll note that the shop is bare bones and not unlike a one of the stores at the D23 Expo. Projections on screens provide the only decoration. There are some mannequins, and they’ve created a few product displays.  

All in all, this isn’t a shop you’d rush to Downtown Disney to see. It carries the same merchandise you’d find elsewhere in the shopping district. But, if Downtown Disney is busy, this is a good overflow opportunity to scratch your shopping itch.  AND . . . it’s air-conditioned, which is very much appreciated in these hot days we’ve been having.

A Solution to Parking Woes

If you have visited Downtown Disney recently, you know that entering the shopping district can be quite an ordeal, especially if you are entering from the west side of the resort (near the Disneyland Hotel), where lines to enter tend to be longer. To make the experience a bit easier (because let’s face it, things are hard enough), MiceChat and The Anaheim Hotel have partnered up to bring you a special parking promotion (be sure to show the flyer below), offering $10 all-day parking Monday through Thursday at the hotel. The Anaheim Hotel is located on the West side of the Esplanade, giving you access to the typically-shorter entrance lines. (Full price parking on Friday throught Sunday, but still faster and much easier).  

Seasonal Sweets

Halloween isn’t Halloween without candy, am I right? Marceline’s Confectionery now has some limited-time treats themed to the holiday. For candy apple lovers, there’s Witch Minnie, Ursula, and Hades varieties. And in the rice crispy department, we have Witch Minnie (dang, that girl gets around) along the Magic Mirror from Snow White.

But be prepared to wait. This tiny location can’t serve very many guests at a time and therefore generates waits hours long. 

An Empty Void

The Virtual Reality experience The VOID has been closed for some time now, but the location’s overhead signage was only removed just recently. The place certainly looks ominous with the red backlight!

What would you like to see Disney put in this space? 

Halloween Goes HOME

Speaking of signs, Disney Home’s storefront signage is adorable in Jack-o’-Lantern style. It is nice that Disney at least attempted to add some Halloween spirit, especially since Disneyland won’t be open for Halloween this year. That said, Disney Home has many of the same Halloween merchandise (that’s decor or home related) as World of Disney, with a generally shorter wait.

I love this color-changing mug, which looks eerily similar to the poison apple seen in Snow White. Creepy!

This art figure set, titled “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” resembles Ursula’s victims that she keeps captive in her lair. They do look poor and unfortunate, don’t you think? We’ve never seen Disney Home sell collectible figures before (though it’s possible we just haven’t noticed!), but these little guys are the perfect creepy-cute decoration for a Little Mermaid fan.

Still Strange Over At The Star Wars Trading Post

Personally, I am not pleased that Disney decided to change its delightful Wonderground Gallery into a venue to sell merchandise from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but here it is: the Star Wars Trading Post.

This still looks like a temporary overlay to me, but additional theming was added to help set the mood (or at least, not make it look so much like the original Wonderground Gallery). New posters of concept art from Galaxy’s Edge now hang high on the walls. We’re glad to see something filling those massive windows. 

Heading inside, it’s hard to ignore how the store has treated the permanent fixtures and displays that don’t fit into the Star Wars theme: throwing patchwork tarps over them! Perhaps the point is to make the store feel like the marketplace in Galaxy’s Edge, but it just looks thrown together half-heartedly. If anything can convince us this Star Wars takeover is temporary, it’s this.

A ticket dispenser, like the kind found at the deli, is placed near the front of the store. If you want to take a look at the lightsabers available for purchase, you’ll need to wait for your number to be called.

For more about the Star Wars Trading Post, take a look at the article below.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Takes Over Wonderground Gallery at Downtown Disney

Now, onto the merchandise!

I’m a Mouse

What’s Halloween without a costume or, at least, a costume-like accessory? (If you’re ever in need of a costume, take a page from Mean Girls and just throw on a pair of mouse ears, and you’re set.) We saw several new Ear Headbands in a recent Disneyland Update as well as the previous Merchandise Update but World of Disney recently stocked even more designs for Mouse fans to collect. 

The first two Ear Headbands are both encrusted with sequins. There’s a silver and rose gold one for a glitzy, elegant style, along with a design that takes inspiration from Minnie’s flower-accented hat seen in older character art.

There is also this fuzzy, monochrome alternative. Which one is your favorite?

Are You a Fan of Fans?

It has been incredibly hot in Southern California lately— with temperatures of over 100 degrees! With that in mind, I can totally see these new fans available at World of Disney becoming popular.

There are two designs featuring Disney villains. The Dr. Facilier fan even stars some of his friends from the other side.

The Evil Queen doesn’t look all that pleased on this fan’s art but, then again, if I were dressed in her outfit in this weather, I wouldn’t be happy either.

For those seeking a more simple design, there is this vintage Disneyland logo option. 

I love that Disney continues to add more Rainbow merchandise and this fan is a welcome addition.

The Orange Bird fan design seems a little out of place since the citrus-flavored avian typically makes its home in Walt Disney World but I am still happy to see it stocked here. 

Merchandise From Regions Beyond

You may recognize this bat from the stanchions found in the Haunted Mansion queue. And now, they are also a design feature on this trinket dish.

As if those Downtown Disney reservation-only shopping events weren’t disappointing enough, the merchandise sold there are now cropping up in other places at Downtown Disney. The Funko POP! Victor Geist figure from the second event is now sold at World of Disney (and they have plenty).

Evil Imports

At World of Disney, you’ll find this lidded Maleficent mug. The design looks impressive but I can’t help wondering how hard it would be to clean. This could also just be one of the mugs you buy to keep on a shelf, silently judging you.

Being evil (or evil-ish) shouldn’t keep you from pampering your feet. This sock set includes five pairs of socks, each featuring a different villain. There are socks for the Evil Queen, Hades, Maleficent, Dr. Facilier, and Ursula.

The classic board game, Clue, gets a Villains makeover. The spin is that you have to figure out which villain stole which enchanted item and where they hid it. The villains used in the game are the Evil Queen, Dr. Facilier, Hades, Jafar, Maleficent, and Ursula.

Odds & Ends

And now for a quick summary of other merchandise around Downtown Disney.

We spotted a good number of pins that were sold at the first and second events. One would hope the fact that there are still so many of them left (not to mention the Funko POP! figure).

Here are some pins from the first event:

Along with the single pin available at the second one (it is the one of Fidget the bat, hung in the second row from the top):

While it’s no surprise humans get the majority of the best Disney merch, your furry companions aren’t left out! Disney Home has a pet section and, just in time for Halloween, they added this Tinker Bell costume for your favorite critter. It includes a dress with wings and a wig.

If that Tinker Bell pet costume seems a tad over-the-top for Fido, an earlier design is also sold at Disney Home. It is just a simple pet shirt with art that looks like Tink’s dress and wings on it.

The Poison Apple Mug mentioned earlier isn’t the only new mug sold at Disney Home. There is also this lidded Grape Soda one, inspired by the Ellie Badge from Up (in fact, that’s the lid!).

Transitioning back to World of Disney, this Loungefly Mini Backpack is similar in design to a previous model. Although, the ears on the bag make it stand out from its counterpart.

It is still Disneyland’s 65th Anniversary and just in case we forgot, World of Disney recently added this new phone case with art found on other commemorative merchandise. 

The year 2020 is slowly winding down (can you believe it?!) and to help make way for any upcoming 2021 goodies, World of Disney continues to hold a “Buy One, Get One” offer on select dated merchandise.

LA Comic Con

Los Angeles Comic Con is hoping to take place this year, from December 11 through 13. This is, of course, depending on the state of the pandemic around that time. If the Los Angeles Department of Public Health does not approve of the event or at any time deems it unsafe, the in-person experience will be canceled. There is still a digital portion of the con, which includes live streams of all Main Stage and Panel sessions. If you are not comfortable going to a convention just yet (which is completely understandable), there are Digital-Only Passes available. And for those purchasing a Day ticket, a Digital Pass for that day is included.

Additional safety measures will be implemented during Los Angeles Comic Con 2020. That includes:

• More space – By adding West and Petree Halls, the total floor space for the con will be over 85,000 square feet, which will make it easier to social distance.
• Maximum density – Another measure to aid in social distancing, at least 28 square feet (a diameter of 6 feet), is assigned to each attendee.
• Limited capacity – A maximum of 12,000 tickets will be sold for any given day, which is less than 1/3 of the capacity of the previous year.
• Additional space for waiting – over 400,000 square feet both inside and outside of the convention center are allotted to allow for social distancing while in lines. Additionally, the number of entrances with magnetometers (those security devices) will be tripled.
• Face masks must be worn by everyone at all times.

Shopping in the Exhibit Hall as well as celebrity autographs and photos will look a bit different this year. The Exhibit Hall will still feature over 500 vendors but will now also take up the entirety of South Hall to allow space for one-direction aisles. Petree Hall will be the dedicated to celebrity interaction. When attendees purchase an autograph or photo, they are assigned a 30 minutes pick-up window. Con-exclusive merchandise will be handled in a similar fashion.

Tickets for Los Angeles Comic Con are on sale now. 

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Let’s Hear from You

Well, that’s it for today. What do you think about using DCA’s Stage 17 for Downtown Disney shopping? How are you feeling about Star Wars Trading Post’s attempt at theming? And did any of today’s merchandise draw your attention? Let us know in the comments below!

Related Readings

And don’t miss some important coverage from your favorite parks . . . 

Disneyland Update – It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye

Walt Disney World Update – The Long Goodbye

Disneyland Merchandise Update: Downtown Disney Doings

Disneyland News – Bob Iger Leaves State Taskforce in Advance of Disadvantageous Theme Park Reopening Guidelines