Disney Merchandise Trends of 2023 – The Hits & Misses!

The past year has brought a surprising number of changes to the realm of Disney merchandise in the Disney Parks and beyond. And over the course of 2023, we observed several trends, some good and some … well, not so great. But as we wait to do the final countdown to 2024, we wanted to share our views and ask for yours. So before we pull those party poppers and break out a fresh calendar, let’s reflect on Disney’s merchandise trends for 2023!

Disney Merchandise Trends We Loved

shopDisney Expands its Variety

Over the past year, shopDisney has not only offered a greater amount of Parks merchandise (which we are thrilled to see) but also extended its reach to offer more merchandise from other venues, like the Disney Cruise Line and Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii. However, in the past, these offerings seemed fewer and farther between. Performing a search on the store would, more often than not, leave you coming up empty-handed. But today, there are a handful of these items, which, while not a huge amount, is a promising start to hopefully even greater stock in the future.

Some of the merchandise, like the limited-edition Disney Cruise Line 25th Anniversary Shimmering Seas Loungefly Mini Backpack and Ear Headband, were an especially pleasant find, given how highly sought-after they were on the ships.

But other more “commonplace” items like the Disney Cruise Line Ship Playset are also appreciated as they allow collectors to purchase them without booking a cruise or visiting a Disney Park (we have occasionally spotted this one around the Disneyland Resort).

Interestingly, this Ear Headband from Aulani is a relatively new release at the resort, unlike Disney Cruise Line merchandise shown above. 

But perhaps most noteworthy of all is this Winnie the Pooh plush. It was originally created for Disney Stores in Japan, and unlike the nuiMOs plushes sold online and in the Parks, this isn’t part of a collection making its way to the States. We hope that its appearance means that Disney is testing the waters for international merchandise releases for North American collectors on shopDisney in the future.

More Collaborative Merchandise Collections

We love a good Disney collaborative collection, and 2023 was the year for them! Disney teamed up with more creative minds than ever, and tons of magical merchandise was born from their union. There were so many new partnerships this year that we can’t include them all, but here are a few of our favorites.

Joey Chou lent his artistic talents to a huge collection that was released at Disney Parks and on shopDisney in March of this year. It depicted Mickey and his friends, drawn in Joey’s charming art style, as they enjoyed a day at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

Then, in May, the athleticwear company Outdoor Voices released a colorful, character-filled line of apparel starring the Fab Five. Its release was timed perfectly with the arrival of Summer weather.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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And at Destination D23 in September, Disney announced its partnership with Lug, the bag and travel accessory company. So far, they have released a RunDisney collection, a Disneyland Hotel Collection, and a Minnie Mouse-themed one (this one is available on their site and is called the “Inspired-By Collection”). We look forward to many other collaborative collections in the future.

We won’t enjoy the results of this partnership until tomorrow, but Color Me Courtney‘s latest collection is for the posable, fashion-forward Disney nuiMOs plushes! You will be able to find these goodies on shopDisney and at Disney Parks.

Who would you like to see Disney collaborate with for a merchandise collection?

Obscure Characters See the Spotlight

This may be our favorite of 2023’s merchandise trends. Thanks to this year’s Disney100 Celebration, Disney began to experiment with older or what they perceive as less popular characters as options for merchandise. Nearly every collection created for the centennial celebration of Walt Disney Studios included these rare characters.

The Disney100 Special Moments Collection, which included the shirt see below, incorporated characters rarer characters with more familiar ones into its designs. These items were popular among guests.

The Disney 100 Decades Collection released new items every month in 2023 starting in March, each time themed to a different decade in the history of Walt Disney Studios. These monthly releases offered new opportunities for Disney to revisit older characters and transform them into merchandise, like this Fantasia Baby Pegasus plush set and Enchanted ear headband. Unfortunately, the especially character-based nature of this monthly collection led to some months selling much better than others. We sincerely hope this doesn’t dissuade Disney from venturing down the merchandise road less taken in the next year.

Beyond products created specifically for the Disney100 Celebration, lesser-known characters also popped up as other kinds of merchandise. For example, we were pleasantly surprised to see Giulia’s cat Machiavelli from Pixar’s Luca as a recent Cuddleez plush release.

What obscure characters would you love to see Disney use for merchandise?

Location-Exclusive Merchandise Moves In

In days long past, most shops around the Disneyland Resort sold merchandise that you could only find in that land or occasionally in that specific location. While that original concept remained true in places like Grizzly Peak’s Rushin’ River Outfitters and New Orleans Square’s Pieces of Eight, most items nowadays can be purchased in multiple places around the Resort. One might argue that it adds convenience to souvenir shopping, but, at the same time, it detracts from theming and that sense of wonder and surprise when you spot the item in its natural habitat.

In 2023, we noticed that Disney began reverting or, at least, making large movements to test guest reactions to the old-school location-based merchandise concept. An example of this is the large merchandise collection created for the opening of The Villas at the Disneyland Hotel. It included shirts, sweatshirts, two styles of bags (their first Disneyland Resort collaborative effort with Lug), an Ear Headband, a Tervis tumbler, and more. These can only be purchased at the Disneyland Hotel’s Fantasia Shop.

Another example is San Fansokyo Square, the Big Hero 6 re-theme of Disney California Adventure’s Pacific Wharf. It houses a small store called the San Fransokyo Maker’s Market, which gave Disney a golden opportunity to sell merchandise created specifically for the mini-land.

And, while some of the products sold within are not actually unique to the area, you will find plenty that are, like magnets, ornaments, iPhone and Airpod cases, and even shirts. Hopefully, we will see the shop’s catalog of exclusive items expand in the future.

Shadow Box Pin Trading Offered at Disneyland

Instituted in December 2023, the new Shadow Box method of Pin Trading eliminated the risk of potentially trading a genuine pin for a counterfeit one that another guest had left [Author’s note: I beg everyone not to do this!]. It is currently offered at a limited number of stores (although we expect it to expand), and it adheres to a strict set of rules:

• Trading is for 5 or 2 select mystery pin packs only
• Only 1 trade per pack
• No duplicates
• Pins must be purchased and opened at the store where they are being traded in front of a Cast Member (We noticed Cast Members enforcing this, so if you purchase packs intending to trade them, make sure you adhere to this rule.)
• Trades must be for the same pin set

This method does have a downside in that it requires the potential trader to purchase a new pin pack in order to make a trade. Had Disney done away with the original form of Pin Trading, this 2023 merchandise trend would have ended up in the following section. But thankfully, you still have the option to trade the old-fashioned way as well.

Disney Merchandise Trends We DIDN’T Love

Not Enough Limiting of High-Demand Merchandise Bulk Purchases

While this is certainly not a problem that started in the past year, Disney has yet to rectify the issue. During special events or holidays, or even just releases of especially cool-looking merchandise, it is not uncommon to see people grab armfuls (no, this is not an exaggeration; many of us have witnessed such an occurrence) of the desired product to purchase. We understand that people travel with children or have friends and family for whom they want to buy gifts, and that is perfectly reasonable. But when you are grabbing 8+ Spirit Jerseys in a design that was released yesterday, that raises some red flags. Moreover, it is unfair to other guests who are interested in purchasing one or even two of that same item for themselves.

Occasionally, Disney puts out purchase limits for specific items, but those items are frequently popcorn buckets or sippers (which, admittedly, also suffer the same issue). And those limits can usually be circumvented simply by getting back in line and starting a brand new purchase.

How can Disney fix this? We don’t believe that it should be up to the Cast Members to police these guests. Cast Members endure too much rudeness from guests already and don’t need more added to their plates. Instead, we would prefer to see purchase limits linked to your park admission. As for when to dole out these limits, that is a tougher nut to crack, and one which will hopefully also be addressed by Disney next year.

Artist in Residence Program Remains MIA

Prior to 2020, Downtown Disney’s Wonderground Gallery occasionally invited artists to perform live presentations of their craft for several days in a dedicated corner of the store as an artist-in-residence. The artists were also afforded the opportunity to share their works, both Disney-inspired and not, and answer guests’ questions. The program was a different experience than anything else offered at the Parks and one that we greatly enjoyed.

Reasonably, after the Disneyland Resort reopened, the Artist in Residence program did not return. We had hoped that when the Wonderground Gallery finished remodeling in April 2023, the program would make its grand return, but we were sadly disappointed. Maybe 2024 will be the year we see it return?

Let’s Hear from You

That wraps up our look back at 2023’s Disney merchandise trends. Did you notice any that I missed? How do you feel about Disney merchandise’s development over the past year? Are there any changes that you hope to see in 2024? Let us know in the comments below!

And from all of us at MiceChat, Happy New Year!

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