Tis the season between seasons, at least on the theme park calendar. The pumpkins and plastic gore are already fading into memory. The wreaths are just waiting to get plugged in. Should any turkeys happen to wander by in the meantime, consider it a Thanksgiving miracle and turn up the Mariah Carey. Ready or not, Christmas is coming.
And so, too, is Christmas shopping. It may not be what you want to think about on your vacation, but there’s no better time to worry. Gifts from afar/Florida let loved/liked ones know they’re being thought of fondly even when you’re away from it all, them included. Picking up marquee presents in the parks, however, might strain the natural limits of carry-on and credit card alike. Fortunately, there’s more to souvenirs than that exclusive Lego set that costs more than a brand new carburetor. The following suggestions are cheaper and smaller but no less novel ways to fill out the stockings come December.
Mold-A-Rama
The newest souvenir in town isn’t new at all, let alone in town.
Mold-A-Rama machines first started minting made-to-order souvenirs at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. Even though business picked up across the following decade at further exhibitions, no new Mold-A-Rama has been produced since the 1960s.
So the handful that Universal has been festively updating the last few years? All antiques, including most of the molds – the Jurassic World Tribute Store’s waxy dinosaurs were first sculpted for a Sinclair Oil showcase in 1964. But that history, or at least a sense of it, is obvious – the machines tell it in real-time. They are 3D printers primeval, the magic process an attraction unto itself. Presto-chango – a piping hot souvenir to go.
Long before Universal made them a seasonal tradition, Mold-A-Ramas were cranking out affordable art at Busch Gardens Tampa and Gatorland. Both still offer their respective menageries of the animal kingdom in convenient, pocket-sized form year-round, so no visit to Central Florida need go un-molded.
At $5 to $6, these little sculptures are the most unique stocking stuffers anywhere near that price. For youngsters, they’re toys and showpieces fit for any bedroom shelf. For grown-ups, they’re kitsch history in a conveniently portable package. And really, who could resist a bespoke, plastic alligator on Christmas morning?
Sweets
Every retail establishment within a mile of wherever you’re reading this already has more Christmas candy for sale than any given family could eat in their collective lifetimes. Chocolate Santas are just part of the deal.
But instead of relying on M&M-filled candy canes to cushion the goods, why not make the sweet stuff a little more interesting?
No matter your timeframe, visiting two months out or two days prior, theme parks have you covered. There’s plenty of variety in even the simplest, shelf-stablest offerings.
Buying for a movie buff? Fortunately Universal sells candy bars in all the basic flavors – Jaws, Shrek, and Frankenstein. Solid chocolate E.T.s presiding over solid chocolate Universal Studios Florida logos provide a classier alternative. Harry Potter fans get their own entire food group, with Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Exploding Bon Bons, and the famed Chocolate Frogs, just to name a few necessities.
Down the highway, Goofy presides over every candy known to consumers. Sour. Sweet. Chewy. Powdered. They may not be chemically dissimilar from the same hang-bags you’d find at the corner convenience store, but they do carry a cartoon seal of approval. For any discerning buyers in search of a more authentic confection, you’d be hard-pressed to find a store on property that doesn’t sell those rainbow lollipops everybody’s tried but nobody’s finished. This isn’t even taking into account the literal world of possibilities represented by Epcot.
For anything fresher, use your best judgment; cookies with mouse ears and butterbeer fudge can help to make the season bright but also slightly nauseous if left out too long.
Collectible Coins
Pennies have been crushed in the name of fond memories since 1893, at an exposition commemorating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival. Like the Mold-A-Ramas to come, so-called “elongateds” didn’t make it much farther than the World’s Fair, at least for a while. It wasn’t until the mid-‘80s that penny presses made their way into theme parks – Disneyland flattened its first in 1987. Today, they’re about as common as any other vending machine.
Disney operates penny, dime, and quarter machines, though even the cheapest variety runs a dollar. There’s a pocket-change tribute for every animated character if you know where to look around the World. What Universal lacks in real estate, it makes up for in density – the resort is lousy with flat Lincolns. The hidden gems among that particular lot are memorials to past attractions, not always located where you might expect. There are also Forrest Gump coins, for very singular tastes. In both cases, coin books are readily available in most gift shops.
But it may be difficult to get family and friends excited about uncommon cents. Disney picked up some of that slack with collectible medallions. These run bigger, about an inch-and-a-half across, and more expensive at $5 per, but they’re much more substantial than the old standby. Because there are fewer machines to go around, the designs run more generic by default; Mickey’s complete wardrobe is present and accounted for. A little welcome variety comes in color, with select medallions struck in varying shades of precious metal. For that special someone with a distinct soft spot for Pluto or Pirates of the Caribbean, going for the gold might be just the thing.
Metal Earth Models
It’s hard to resist the cheese-grater shine of them in stores. Assembled, Metal Earth Models look like nothing else. Well, that’s not true. They all look like something – cars, buildings, etc. – but their style is one-of-a-kind. Its closest cousin is likely the time-honored Erector Set, just with tab-to-tab construction instead of hard engineering. The comparison only makes their component parts – no thicker than a credit card – that much more impressive.
Admittedly, at around $20, these teeter out of stocking into small gift territory, but for the right tinkerer, there’s nothing better. Most Walt Disney World landmarks like The Haunted Mansion and Cinderella Castle come in handheld form, some even in color. The line extends to certain franchises, too. Star Wars spacecrafts are available by the hangar. The titular treasure from Raiders of the Lost Ark comes in stunning gold.
Universal counters with its own line of unmistakables. The iconic globe and studio arches encourage, if not require, buying both. Instead of droids, it has extraterrestrials, namely that one on the bike, and whatever Minions are.
Though Metal Earth kits range in difficulty, they’re intended for older children at the youngest – they do call for tweezers, pliers, and, should disaster strike, glue.
Ornaments
If there’s an advantage to giving ornaments on Christmas, it’s the turnaround time. Open it. Appreciate it. Hang it up for all to see. No gift can possibly find use faster. Luckily, the parks have a dangling memento to suit every tree.
A complete set of Wizard Cards? You bet. An art deco cross-section of It’s a Small World? Available online, even. A coaster-sized ode to Kongfrontation? With a bow on it.
Disney’s Days of Christmas at the Springs boasts the best selection on property. Most princesses are represented at least twice. If somebody back home has an unusually soft spot for a particular hotel, there’s probably an ornament for it and it’s probably here.
Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure each has its own dedicated Christmas shop, though the latter is bigger and closer to the front of its respective park. Depending on the ornament’s inspiration, it might even be hanging around the emporiums and Citywalk outlets; the aforementioned classic ride series can be collected in the security rotunda before security.
On average, they tend around $25. If you want it personalized for the receiver, that’ll be extra. Especially elaborate examples push higher. Depending on the resort and store, there may be cheaper options, like Universal’s line of colorful glass globes.
Then again, as with all of these suggestions, Disney and Universal aren’t the beginning and end; Gatorland has the market cornered on alligators wearing ski caps.
And that’s what Christmas in Central Florida is all about.
