Disney Store, the Death of an Era

It's no secret on this blog my love for Disney things.  When I was a kid the Bakersfield mall had a Disney Store.  It was a special place, magic outside of the parks.  A taste of Disneyland without the distance.  The store was an hour drive and all trips into the city involved a mall stop.

A few months ago the University Mall Disney Store closed.  It was sad, but at least the SLC store remained opened.  That was until I saw a news story stating that it would be closing in September.  Search "Disney Store Closing," and several stories, across the United States, will pop up.

There's two silly things I like to do when I travel internationally: Find a McDonald's to eat a Big Mac and go into a Disney Store.  I gave up a tour of the Opera de Paris to visit a Disney Store (debating if I regret that), but I've been to two Disney Stores in Tokyo, one in Dublin, York England outside the Shambles, and Cardiff Wales.  They were fun to step into and see if there were exclusive merchandise.  Tokyo has the BEST Disney merchandise.  Dublin had a cute set of Mickey and Minnie stuff seeing local sights and a shamrock.  Paris had a Tinker Bell candle you could only buy in their store.  

It's all a little melancholy.  The parks are getting more and more unattainable.  So expensive.  The Holiday Inn next to the Mickey and Friends parking garage at Disneyland is permanently closed.  All those memories.  Opening the curtains to watch cars drive up the ramps before heading to the parks, something I'll never do again.  It's true what they say: You never know the last time you do something.  You never know to take a step back in such moments and let them sink in, feeling them, saying goodbye.  That's the hard part, not being able to say goodbye. 

(I just did a search, and the Holiday Inn reopened!!!  And the guy on the IHG phoneline many, many months ago said it wouldn't.  Happy Days!!!  Some good news.  It's just so well located and reassembly priced. It's the one on South Walnut.  I want to go to Disneyland so bad right now.  Dang it.)

Well, I'm a little sad.  All good things must come to an end.  Toys "R" Us is closed. Pier 1 and Sizzlers closed as well.  I hate change.  Oh, I do.  

Disney Store, I'll miss you.  Shopping online isn't the same.

Sarah

P.S. Listening to "Someday" from the Hunchback of Notre Dame musical, performed by Ciara Renee and Andrew Samonsky.  I dare you to sing along with it and not cry.  Impossible!!!  Also, there needs to be more alto songs.  Got to embrace the ones we're given.  I should write some.

Anyone Can Cook! No, Really ;0)

I found "Anyone Can Cook!" at the Disney Store.

It isn't a cookbook, would have been awesome if it was, but a pretty thick journal instead, priced at $16.95.  I love how it's a full recreation of the book found in Pixar's Ratatouille with Auguste Gusteau on the cover, just like the movie.  Really fun.  So, instead of journaling, it would be cook to write out all the recipes I find online in various places.  This would be a handy little book to keep these recipes in, as I'll share or tag, and then they get buried, and I never make them.  Come on, wouldn't this be cute in any kitchen?  So cute.

February 2019 Disney Wisdom Collection: Mushu and Mulan

Disney Wisdom: Take Two!!

We are now on our second month of Disney Wisdom, the followup to Mickey Memories, and this years monthly series, released on the third Saturday of the month in the USA.  Europe and other places have a different release schedule.

Each month is a different movie with an inspirational quote.

And this month we have Mulan with a plush Mushu.

I love the quote: "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."  This quote got me through some hard times when I was younger, and as I love Mulan I needed the whole set.

This is the last month I'm getting the whole set.  I just don't have anymore room to display things, and I collect what I like.

I might just get the pins and journals in the future.

Below is the Plush, Pins, Mug, and Journal.  In addition to the series there's a wall print and shirt, which I have no desire to get.

The New Disney Wisdom Quote Series from the Disney Store: Dumbo

 "The very things that held you down are going to carry you up & up & up!" ~ Timothy Q Mouse

 Disney Store's Mickey Memories was a rush.  Crazy.  I didn't find out about it until the end of April sometime, but it was still insane how popular this series became.

This year, on the third Saturday in the U.S.A (except in December when it's the second Saturday), Disney Store is doing Disney Wisdom, a series of plushes and merchandise with favorite Disney quotes.  Last year with Mickey the full set consisted of a plush, pins, and mug.  This year Disney Wisdom has the plush, pins, and mug, but also has a t-shirt, wall art, and journal.  The t-shirt and wall art are online exclusives.

Also, with the pins, last year they released a book where you can slip the pins into clear pockets for page flipping viewing.  This year I was hoping they would do a pin book again, but instead they released a canvas wall hanging.  I ended up getting the wall hanging, but funny enough I won't display Disney Wisdom pins, instead showcasing my favorite pins that I've collected through the years from the parks. I have so many, but will only showcase my favorites in a clean, balanced way.

As of today, January 23, 2019, only the mug, t-shirt, and Disney Wisdom canvas pennant trading pin holder is available.  Everything else is sold out.

Disney stores in the U.K. sold this set the day before the U.S. did, and interestingly enough the pins were the first to sell out.  Here in the States the Dumbo plush sold out first.  Also, the store I went to only got 12 plushes, so they were the first to go.

 Waiting in line.  What I got.  My Mom also got the mug.

 Dumbo: $26.95

So cute!!

I wasn't going to get Dumbo, as he's rather large, but I knew where I would display him and couldn't resist.  He really is adorable.  And I like the stitch work on the ears.

 Disney Wisdom Dumbo Pins: $16.95

I do like these pins, and the pins are the only thing I'm going to collect each month.  Because of the silver you have to have the light reflect on it just right to see the lines, but other than that it's nice.

 Disney Wisdom Dumbo Journal: $16.95

I'm not going to get all the journal's, only the ones with quotes I really like.  I really need to start journaling again.  I use to write all the time.  But I love this quote, and I love this design with the silver.  It's really nice.  Oh, I should have taken a picture of the binding, which says "Disney Wisdom Vol. 1" in blue.

 Disney Wisdom Dumbo Mug: $18.95

Rather expensive for a mug, but it's nice.

 Disney Wisdom canvas pennant trading pin holder: $19.95

And it came with a free pin with Walt Disney's quote:

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

I like the free pin.  And I do like the canvas holder, though I wonder how pins will look when I get my pins out and place them on this.  Will the weight affect the way it looks and hangs?  We'll see, but I'm not ready to tackle the task.

So, thoughts.  I like the first set.  I like the quote, which means a lot with what I'm trying to do with my life.  It's a good start of the year quote.  I will be getting the plush, pins, and journal next month as well, as the Mulan quote is one of my favorites.  From there I haven't a clue what I'll get each month.  I won't get all the plushes.  I will get all the pins.  I'm not sure I'll get all the journals.  We'll see.

Mickey Mouse Memories Come to a Close, and Disney Wisdom Gets Ready to Launch Next Year

This is the last month for Mickey Mouse Memories, a year long celebration the Disney Store did to celebrate Mickey for his 90th year.  Each month a different Mickey was sold with a decade theme.  I found out about this collection in May, just in time for the Mickey Mouse May 1950's atomic plush.  It's still my favorite.

The Mickey Mouse Memories set came with a plush, mug and pins, all sold separately.  I didn't collect any of the mugs, managed four plushes (May, October, November, and December), and seven pin sets (January, April, May, September, October, November, and December).

This morning I woke up around 1:30 am to get the plush and pins online.  The system was being super slow, spin-wheel of doom, but after 30 minutes the order went through.  Then I got to the mall by 7:00 am with my Mom and got a couple more plushes and pins, so this early morning purchase will be Christmas presents. 

As of this morning the plushes, pins, and mugs were still available.  And it wasn't too crazy at the mall.  Not too bad at all.

 

I love the quote on the bottom of Mickey's foot.

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." ~ Walt Disney

Only the first and last Mickey in the series got Disney quotes on his foot.

 Really beautiful pins.

And we got a free gift!  Only available at the store.

Playing card sized cards with each of this years Mickey's.

 If you turn the cards over and put them together they show next years theme.

 Disney Wisdom.

Each month, on the third Saturday, there will be a plush, pin, mug, and journal.

 I'm interested in the pins and journal.

 Dumbo is pretty cute, don't know if I'll get him, but I'm interested in Mushu.

 June is the hardest quote to read.

There was speculation that 2019 would be Minnie Mouse, but I like the Disney Wisdom idea.  I won't be getting all of them, though I do want all the pins.

Pin collecting is my favorite.

How I Got Three October Mickey Mouse Memory Plushes

So how did I get three October Mickey Mouse plushes?  Dumb luck, and being in Paris the day or so after its release.  So this is really a tale of how Europe benefited from Disney taking extra Mickeys from the China stores, as they don't have the demand and always have extra, and putting them in Europe/UK Disney Stores.  Meanwhile in the U.S.A. people camp outside stores and stay up late for the Mickey plush to sale out within minutes online.  Drama.

But seriously, the only other plush I've bought is the May plush.  The last few months have been crazy.  I collect what I like, not to sale, and being the nerd I am the October plush looks really cool, representing the year 2000.  It seemed impossible getting the plush and pin set this month, being in Europe, but it just so happened that our tour guide allowed us an hour and a half to wander around the Opera de Paris area, and there was a Disney Store right across the street in a shopping department store type place.  I wasn't even thinking they would have pins or plushes left, just assumed they would have sold out.

The main goal for visiting the Paris Disney Store was to see if they have exclusive Disney Store France items.  Dublin had notepads, bags, and mugs in the Irish spirit.  I didn't visit a Disney Store in London, but in YouTube videos I've watched they've showed London exclusive items.  The entire Tokyo stores are pretty much full of exclusives.  Japan has a lot of fun Disney merchandise.  In the Paris store they had a Minnie plush wearing a cute outfit and candles made in France.  I didn't get the Minnie plush, but I did get the Tinker Bell candle that smells so good and is really cute.

I wasn't even looking for Mickey Memories, getting distracted by 90th anniversary stuff, getting a small gold Mickey.

While in line for the check out my Mom was like, "Isn't that the monthly Mickey's?" I looked where she pointed and gasped, seeing several Mickey's hanging in green nerdy fashion, staring at me.  This is something you wouldn't see in a U.S.A. store.  We got one each, and when we were leaving I realized my brother Micheal, who's a computer programmer, would love a Mickey.  We asked if we could get another, and they let us!!  The U.S.A stores has a one plush per person policy.  The online store has a one plush per household policy, even stricter.

Really lucky.

The ceiling inside the shopping center.

The golden Mickey and candle I also got at the Paris Disney store.

I got the May Mickey Memories plush/pins and the September Mickey Memories pins online, not wanting to deal with the store crowd.  The only time this year I went to the Disney Store to get an exclusive LE item was for Mulan.  My Mom and I got there an hour early, 4th and 5th in line.  Nobody else came.  When the Disney employees let us in, they informed us they only got 5 Mulan dolls.  It was fortunate that everyone who showed up got one, and that no one missed out.