My guess is that you might see some merchandise start to trickle out before the 22nd, but the bulk of it probably won't appear until the official kick-off. I'd wouldn't be surprised if the limited edition/special release items are hold until the official kick-off date.
Same here with the diamond ears they are reputed to be doing-I have a set of golden ones for the 50th and they were purchased in April 2005, so here's hoping!
In the Q&A portion of the Merchandise announcement on the Disney Parks Blog was a question about when the merchandise would be available. The response indicated that some things may be available shortly before the 22nd. It doesn't say which items... http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...diamond-celebration-merchandise-art-revealed/
I think the 60th merchandise will start to trickle out any time now. I was there this last weekend and they debuted the first 60th pin on Saturday. A cast member at DCA told me about it and said it was only available at one location. I didn't make it over there to buy one though because I was on a tight schedule.
Our Authorized Disney Vacation Planners are here to provide personalized, expert advice, answer every question, and uncover the best discounts.
Let Dreams Unlimited Travel take care of all the details, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a stress-free vacation.