Just ask any Marketing 101 class: Disney and Universal Parks are the places where memories are made! But of course, if you want to cement those memories, you’re probably going to need to bring something home with you, right? At least, that’s the increasing hope of Disney and Universal, who’ve discovered a gold mine the likes of which they never imagined.
Far beyond PhotoPass, popcorn buckets, and pins, the long-standing culture of paid-for memories and limited-edition collectibles has kicked into high gear as never before. As theme parks increasingly race to transport their guests into new worlds, an entire galaxy of in-universe snacks and souvenirs has turned the tides of the industry as fans eagerly reserve, wait in line, and pay top dollar for customized creations and technological tools that bring the parks (and their stories) to life.
Here are our Seven Wonders of the Souvenir World – both classics and contemporary! Altogether, the full haul might set you back nearly $500… but along the way, you’d collect some of the most sought-after souvenirs in the industry. Which are worth it and which aren’t? We’ll dig into the truth as we go…
1. Ollivander’s Fine Wands
PRICE: $55.00
BACKGROUND: There’s a reason that industry fans often say that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter changed everything at Disney and Universal Parks. While it might’ve been simpler for Universal to stock the land with gargantuan emporiums selling LEGO Harry Potter sets, video games, and action figures, Universal, Warner Bros., and J.K. Rowling instead did the unthinkable: insisting each shop sell only the “authentic” wares of the Wizarding World. From wizarding candy to Hogwarts house robes, guests were willing to wait in line for the chance to buy parchment, quills, text books, and Quidditch gear, proving that if you built guests a world they wanted to inhabit, they’d eat, shop, and play in it.
EXPERIENCE: Naturally, at the heart of the land’s clever merchandising magic is the wand. Ollivander’s (in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade) offers a short-and-sweet show wherein a visitor (usually a child, so don’t get too excited) is selected to experiment with a wand of their own before guests are ushered into the shop and set loose among crowded shelves of various woods and cores. Sorting through the cluttered shelves and oblong boxes to get a feel for each wand is fun in its own right.
The most fun thing about the wand, of course, is that it’s interactive. Throughout both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, bronze medallions embedded in the cobblestones instruct guests on how to flick the wand and the spell to speak aloud. It may take a few tries, but mastering the moves will cause window displays to spring to life, light chandeliers, unlock doors, or even send fire roaring from chimneys! Finding and testing out the spells is an attraction nearly as exciting as any other in the Wizarding World, and remains one of the coolest and most natural attempts at theme parks creating “interactive” experiences.
VALUE: In the marketplace of “signature” theme park souvenirs, Universal’s $55 interactive wands are somewhat of a bargain! After all, their interactivity brings the land to marvelous life. Even once you’ve left the parks, having a wand of one’s own makes for a great show-and-tell at school or work, and the commemorative Ollivander’s box and unfurling map of the land makes for a beautiful display on a desk or mantle. Even better, the wands are known to have quite extended lifetimes and can return to the parks on trip after trip… Any issues? An Ollivander’s assistant is likely to “tune up” your wand for free.
By the way, Universal does offer a catalog of non-interactive wands for $6 less… but we recommend you get the interactive type and drink one less Butterbeer to offset the cost.
2. Banshee
PRICE: $59.99
BACKGROUND: Pretty immediately after the announcement of Pandora, fans connected the dots and understood that the blockbuster cinematic land was meant to be Disney World’s response to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter just up the road. To that end, discussion boards lit up with debates about what the land’s “wand equivalent” would be. Blue tails? Na’vi ears? Nothing felt quite like the “must-have,” land-exclusive feature that seems like a prerequisite post-Potter.
Then, the land opened…
EXPERIENCE: Don’t think of it as a price – think of it as an adoption fee! In the Windtraders Shop in Pandora – The World of Avatar, the long-abandoned remains of a human military base have been overtaken by a sprawling canvas of vines and roots, transforming the space into a haven of Pandoran nature… including young banshees – the flying reptilian creatures that commune with the native Na’vi people in their rite of passage.
Within days of Alpha Centauri Expeditions launching its ecotourism trips to Pandora, the Banshees were all adopted (that is, sold out). The clever creatures cling to their adoptive parent’s shoulder where a concealable control allows the banshee’s wings to flap, its head to turn, and its mouth to open and close. It’s a magical, living reminder of your visit to a distant alien moon, and it’s pretty darn cute to boot…
VALUE: Banshees are definitely the “gee whiz” take-homes of Pandora, and they’re totally cute, “gotta-have-it” impulse purchases! That said, we’d probably argue that they’d be a better “value” at about half their current price. While they’re adorable, they somewhat lack the personalization, collectability, or extended play of some of the other souvenirs on this list.
So while you might carry it around for the rest of your Animal Kingdom day (removing it for rides), it might not inspire hours of fun after. More than likely, the banshee will make it home in a suitcase only to be sent to a toy box… a somewhat disappointing fate for a $60 souvenir.
3. “Custom Astromech Unit” Droid
PRICE: $99.99 (plus accessories)
BACKSTORY: Fans were quick to criticize Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for leaning a little too heavily into the Wizarding World model, placing not just one but several sought-after experiences behind “paywalls.” While there’s still plenty to enjoy along the streets of Black Spire Outpost, it’s true that three of the land’s “must-see” moments require a reservation and purchase…!
To that end, “Custom Astromech Units” are definitely one of those add-on, upcharge costs that can really put a damper on the plans of a thrifty family expecting to have an all-inclusive day for the cost of admission alone. Still, this Star Wars build-a-bot experience is the least expensive of the land’s two “signature” custom souvenir experiences… and probably produces a more useful and playful product on the other end.
EXPERIENCE: As with Olivander’s, what the Droid Depot has going for it is that Disney essentially turned a store into an experience. Inside, guests are given the choice of making an R-unit (think R2-D2) or a BB-unit (picture BB-8) Droid. In either case, they’re given a tray with blueprints of the parts they’ll need before saddling up to a conveyor belt littered with passing parts of different colors, shapes, and styles. With their chosen parts in hand, they move to a build station, assembling the pieces with real tools and – with the help of a roving Batuu scrapper – activating the Droid in a heart-warming introduction of beeps and boops.
The full experience takes less than a half hour, but it’s so much more memorable and spectacular than buying an off-the-shelf souvenir or even picking parts off shelves. And given the nature of Droids, it’s actually fun and surprisingly in-universe to see “what they’re made of” as you screw and snap decorative parts together around a robotic core. What’s more, the Droid isn’t some passive replica or a high-end display piece; it’s a member of the family! Just wait till you chase your cat with it, take it to work, or share it at show-and-tell!
VALUE: To our thinking, Droids are fairly priced for the product. After all, when The Force Awakens debuted in theaters, folks raced out to buy licensed BB-8s by tech company Sphero for $150 or more! For Disney’s lower cost, you not only get a larger figure (albeit, a less-technological, remote-control-based model), the 8(!) total batteries needed to power it, and a carrying box, but you also get the experience… The delight of choosing your own pieces and parts, assembling them with tools, and seeing your new Droid brought to life!
The only reasons to downgrade the Droid’s value are Disney’s inevitable (but admittedly clever!) add-on opportunities… Yes, $100 will get you a living, beeping Droid. But if you’re like us, you’re likely to get suckered into add-on fixtures for the R-series (like decals, stickers, and accessories), or a “Custom Astromech Unit” backpack in which to carry your new friend – “just” $49.99. The most “sucker punch” upcharge of all, though, must be personality chips which, for just $12.99, will align your Droid to the Resistance or First Order and change its sounds, attitude, and interactions with the land’s Bluetooth-ready interactives. (Trust us… your Droid will be plenty chatty without one.)
4. Mouse Ears
PRICE: $16.99 – $24.99
Perhaps the most classic must-have merchandise at any Disney Park, your age-old Mouse Ears are more than just a photo-op; they’re a long-standing historic favorite made famous by the original Mickey Mouse Club (1955 – 1956). Over the decades, thousands of different designs have graced the heads of Disneyland and Walt Disney World visitors, including a sought-after golden set released for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary in 2005, and the auspicious debut of Oswald Rabbit Ears alongside the reborn Disney California Adventure in 2012.
EXPERIENCE: Mouse Ears are mainstays of each park’s “Main Street” equivalent gift shops. Because so many styles are available (from head bands to ball caps to the classic elastic-strapped hat), everyone can find one they love. Whether worn proudly by locals at Disneyland or by first-time families giving into their childlike whims at Walt Disney World, purchasing and donning Ear Hats is a rite of passage.
VALUE: For as low as $16.99 for the classic set, there may be no better “signature souvenir” in Disney Parks. The legendary embroidering of names on the back costs just $3.00 (or $7.00 for a fancy font), making these a personalized souvenir and gift for a relatively low cost.
5. Spider-Bots
PRICE: TBD (Our expectation: $89.99)
BACKSTORY: While Star Wars and its Droids moved into Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, a similarly-epic intellectual property was assembling just a few hundred feet away in Disney California Adventure. There, the Marvel hero-themed Avengers Campus was crafted around a mythology all its own, inviting guests into a newly-commissioned Californian hero headquarters repurposing old Stark Automotive warehouses into a training center for the next generation of heroes – us.
The land’s family-friendly favorite will be Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, equipping guests with 3-D web-slinging abilities of their own. Their mission? To capture the rogue (but friendly!) sidekick Spider-Bots who’ve been accidentally replicated and released throughout the Worldwide Engineering Brigade facility. But as we might’ve expected from one of the first rides greenlit during Bob Chapek’s era as head of Parks, Experiences, and Products, your on-ride introduction to these robotic hero sidekicks is merely meant to whet your whistle… and send you straight into the gift shop.
EXPERIENCE: Just across from Spider-Man’s tech headquarters will be the W.E.B. Suppliers – a one-stop-shop for all manner of hero paraphernalia, stylized weaponry, Spider-Man LED goggles, web-shooting gauntlets, and more. And among its collection of buyables? Yep… Spider-Bots. You can take these delightful arachnoid androids home with you…!
Like Batuu’s Droids, some level of customization will be available, but rather than a build-your-own experience, these ‘bots appear to be limited to a base model with color schemes echoing heroes like Black Panther and Iron Man (above). Their remotes will indeed control their eight articulating arms, allowing them to move forwards and backwards… but in the new “add-on-and-upgrade” model, the fun doesn’t end there…
Instead, personalizing will take place via add-on “tactical devices,” plug-in chips, and exoskeleton pieces that will raise the mini-bot’s battle stats – like speed and strength – allowing two Spider-Bots to battle! It’s even expected that mini battle stadiums throughout the land will let guests test their interactive arachnids in remote-controlled battles until a losing bot’s exoskeleton pops off, signalling defeat. And Disney’s taken the idea of that $49.99 Droid-ready Batuu backpack and somehow made it even cuter, making a WEB-ready backpack (likely also $49.99 or more) as much a must-have as the bot itself.
VALUE: Naturally, we can’t say until we see Spider-Bots in action… or their official pricing. Maybe we’re naive for our estimate ($89.99) being $10 less than Batuu’s Droids, but without the customization, exclusivity, or the “show” element from the Droid Depot, it’s hard to imagine Disney matching the price of the two interactive robot shops between the two parks. In any case, it’s almost certain that the upgrades and add-ons will be the wallet-wringers here, once again establishing that Disney’s new souvenir strategy is a high-cost start up with extra cost bells-and-whistles increasing per capita spending to astronomical levels.
6. MagicBands
PRICE: $14.99 – $29.99+ (plus accessories)
BACKSTORY: When Walt Disney World launched the MyMagic+ project to the public in 2013, it was with an ambitious goal (and a staggering billion dollar price tag). The infrastructural initiative was designed to infuse technology throughout the resort, connecting reservations, bus systems, room keys, photos, park tickets, FastPass, transportation, and more into one place: the My Disney Experience app. While MyMagic+ definitely enhances the complexity of planning a Disney World vacation, it also makes elements of a stay more carefree and – dare we say? – magical, thanks in part to the MagicBand.
EXPERIENCE: Only Disney could manage to make information gathering and location tracking fun. After all, MagicBands are nothing more than simple silicone bracelets that contain RFID (radio frequency identification) chips that can work both short-range when tapped against Mickey-shaped touch-points (on hotel room doors, park turnstiles, or FastPass entrances) or long-range (tracking guests’ location, or assigning on-ride photos to any guest in a passing ride vehicle). MagicBands can also act as conduits to charging meals and souvenirs to resort rooms, personalizing ride experiences (think Test Track) and – theoretically at least – could let meet-and-greet characters know your name and birthday with a hug!
VALUE: Almost unbelievably, part of Disney’s push for pre-planning means that guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel receive MagicBands in the mail a month prior to their trip… at no additional cost! Guests staying offsite (or those who prefer to avoid the MagicBand’s long-range RFID antenna for security reasons) use RFID short-range cards instead. Orrrr…
Cha-ching! Yep, Disney took the somewhat dirty, dystopian, controversial business of wearable identification tech and turned it into a fashionable product guests are willing to pay for! From simple solid colors ($14.99) to seasonal, specialized, or character bands ($29.99+), customizable, print-on-demand bands, and Dooney & Bourke limited editions ($60.00), guests can purchase, upgrade, or swap MagicBands at any time. A single account can even be mapped to multiple, allowing you to choose the Band that fits your outfit and head to the parks!
From there, a number of official and fan-made “charms” can also be popped into the watch-like holes around the band’s exterior. And Disney’s newest generation of bands – MagicBand 2 – make the RFID-containing Mickey “icon” removable… and able to be popped into a key chain or lanyard-ready “MagicKeeper” accessory… on sale at ShopDisney. (Wink.)
7. Savi’s Handbuilt Lightsabers
PRICE: $199.99 (plus accessories)
BACKSTORY: From the moment Disney announced their intentions to build Star Wars-themed lands at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there was simply no way to imagine such a land without Lightsabers as the signature souvenir. Perhaps the only “must-have” movie prop that can match the Wizarding World’s wands, fans eagerly imagined the ways that these ancient Jedi weapons would be bought and used in the land. What few expected was the enormity of the price tag. You could equip your whole family with wands for the price of a single Lightsaber. But of course, there’s a reason…
EXPERIENCE: Moreso than any other experience on this list, gaining a Lightsaber is an attraction. Hidden in the streets of Black Spire Outpost, Savi’s Workshop is a secret, unmarked place where “Gatherers” collect the scrap metal pieces needed to forge these ancient weapons. Guests choose one of four styles from the start – essentially, Jedi, Sith, ancient, or natural – and, in a show-like, ceremonial setting of just fourteen builders, are given the choice of “kyber crystal,” the ancient stone whose power gives each saber its color and energy source. Then, they’re given time to select and assemble their sword’s hilt however they like, selecting sleeves, activators, pommels, and emitters from their chosen suite of scrap metal.
In a mini-show known to bring grown men to tears, the weapon’s blade is magically fused onto the guest-created hilt and – in a glowing, stirring ceremony – the new generation of Lightsaber wielders raises their swords together in a moving and spectacular moment of triumph and emotion. It must be especially emotional for Disney executives, given that just two shows an hour net the company $5,600 – over $67,000 in a typical operating day, or $24.5 million in a year.
The price paid covers one builder (and their observing guests; limited to one at Disney World and two at Disneyland). A credit card is required to hold the reservation, and a no-show or last-minute drop-out incurs a cancellation fee of… $200. Disney requires at least one member of the party to be over the age of 14, but says the experience is appropriate for children as young as 5. We assume they mean as observers… Children younger than 10 would likely struggle with the building process (or even seeing over the counter). And as the $200 price tag implies, the resulting saber is not a toy.
VALUE: Is the Lightsaber a good value? This is the toughest question yet. $200 is… a lot of money. For the same price, you could purchase a banshee, a wand, and a Droid, or just buy two friends tickets to Galaxy’s Edge for the day!
But to be fair, if you visit Dok Ondar’s shop next door, you can purchase a pre-made character-model “legacy” lightsaber hilt (which starts at $129) that can’t change colors or swap pieces. It also wouldn’t come with a blade; that’d set you back another $50. So for “just” $20 more, you get a customized lightsaber with a Kyber crystal, a very substantial carrying bag to sling over your shoulder, and (yet again) an ultra-interactive, very-individualized show that stars you.
Naturally, the resulting Lightsaber can then be personalized and upgraded in various ways. The most popular is by purchasing one-off Kyber crystals for $12.99 each, which can be easily swapped into your Lightsaber’s hilt to “magically” change the blade’s color and sounds (another RFID shout-out!). Disney also sells “scrap metal” (one-off hilt pieces to mix and match) for $19.99, but with ever-changing caveats to weed out eBay resellers. Another popular upgrade? Having the awkwardly-shaped weapon shipped home for around $20 (though, after a few weeks of case-by-case treatment, the TSA did officially approve lightsabers for airplane carry-on… we recommend a bag that accounts for the 31-inch blade).
Unlike the wands, there’s no benefit to having a Lightsaber in the land aside from photo-ops, spontaneous character interactions, adding to the land’s nighttime glow, and becoming a part of the original mythology that surrounds and permeates Galaxy’s Edge.
Disney will quickly quell any attempt at a battle, even among family. Though supposedly they can be battled with at home (and in fact, they produce a white impact flash when crossed), the price should imply what differentiates this from a Droid: it’s really not meant to be a toy, but an impressive, interactive collector’s item. In fact, many Star Wars enthusiasts call the Galaxy’s Edge versions among the best collectable lightsabers in the industry for the price, with comparable glow and craftsmanship to $600 replicas. So is it a value? Depends if it sounds like one to you!
Gotta-have-it?
Looking to take home one of each of the souvenirs we’ve surveyed? It’ll set you back more than $500 – an admittedly hefty price tag on top of admission, food, and a hotel stay. But in the increasing age of social media and “gotta-have-it” virality, Disney and Universal have figured out the formula: Snapchat-ready, Facebook-shareable, interactive, personalized, reservation-required, ultra-take-homes with “add-on” and “upgrade” options that test your wallet and exponentially increase per-cap spending.
At least for fans and families who want it all, admission is no longer all-inclusive. Rather, Disney and Universal have found new ways to extend the “must-have” merchandise of yesteryear into interactive, Instagrammable, memory-making experiences that enhance visits and act as attractions unto themselves. That’s our theory at least… Do you buy it?
