Need some good souvenir ideas

[Atrain13]

I don't really know what all Disney has, besides the typical theme park stuff. What do people on here suggest, something that screams DISNEY.

 

[DisneyDetective]

I've just started a pressed penny collection. I bought a collection book and started to fill it up. Really enjoy getting different themes like characters and theme park themed ones.

 

[davedmaine]

We collect 1 or 2 fancy (embossed) coffee mugs whenever we go down and a couple pins. We typically avoid the collectible collectibles that Disney is pushing at whatever point in time (vinylmation comes to mind)

 

[Sparrow624]

Is this for you or a child?

We have bought a lot of "crap" over our 4 trips to Disney (things that I look back on and am like, why?)..But, there are a few things we have been glad we bought:

- We buy one Disney "Figurine" from MK each trip to go on bookshelves (Snow and a dwarf, Maleficent, Through the looking glass, Mickey) This has been a fun tradition.
- Mickey wizard hat. I wear this thing every Halloween.
- PHOTOPASS. The best thing we pay for. Pictures together are invaluable to us.

 

[lisacdm]

A few things that we have purchased in the past and still use:
Magnets, Keychains, Picture frame, wheeled duffel bag, beach towels, small snow globe (3" x 1.5"), Christmas ornaments.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

I mostly stick to Magnets, Christmas ornaments and charms for my chamilia bracelet. I just don't need a lot of stuff. I do love my Mickey candy bowl and Donald vase from Aribas Bros.

 

[Legendteri]

The Japan Pavillion in Epcot has a fun experience called Pick a Pearl. THey have a large water tank filled with oysters and you pick the oyster you want and the will open it up and take out it's pearl. They also have some Disney themed jewelry you can buy to put your pearl in.

Also, Epcot sells passport books for children where they can get a stamp in each country.

 

[ditsypixie]

I always buy an ornament for my Mickey head only tree and then the kids get an ornament for their small trees in their room. I try to find ones that are not so "cartoon." Something that will stay with them.

I also bought a Mickey and Walt Disney black and white coffee mug that I used for several years until I broke it a few weeks ago I am sooo hoping I can find a replacement.

We also bought my son a engraved bat last year at Team Mickey that hangs in his room. He is really into baseball.

 

[Phil'sFrontier]

My wife and DD love the Disney scrapbook we got! We also have a few pins(not a lot), a couple vinylmations(one is a white nine inch with autographs of princess's and the characters). I also have a few Disney baseballs...weird I know.

 

[GoHerbie]

On our December trip we all did pin trading, which turned into pin keeping. We have our lanyards hanging at home on a push pin which is a nice way to keep them visible.

We have our drawings of Mickey & Goofy from the HS animation academy framed on the wall.

DW likes the Mickey dish towell hanging on the stove or the Mickey ear teaspoons.

Nothing screams DISNEY more than a calendar of your photopass photos hanging in the kitchen! For our 2013 calendar I also uploaded some of our best personal shots which are a nice combination with the posed photopass pics.

 

[MrsJD]

Things that scream Disney:

Vinylmation
Coffee Mugs, I prefer the travel ones
Mickey Antenna topper
Magnets

And I agree with the Calendar. I bought the official parks calenda for 2011 and was not overly impressed with the photos. I actually made my own with vacation pics and it was way better! When I was at the parks I looked for specific shots for the calendar.

 

[ToddyLu]

I always look for music. I havent seen a new CD at the park's in a while but there is always time to look on the next trip....three weeks away. I can listen to my music over and over again. I usually get an ornament...or two...or six. DH usually gets a T-shirt.

 

[princessSunshine]

I love my Disney coffee mug and use it everyday - worth the $ and my kids love looking at it, remembering each ride it shows on it....tee-shirts are a must for us too, yearly use out of those as well. Plus I love my pick-a-pearl in Japan at Epcot - it's become a new tradition for us (done it two years running) and is a nice memento of Disney. If people notice my pearls I tell them about the experience/routine the Japanese ladies do and how much fun it is. So I would suggest buying things that you can use everyday and enjoy Disney all year long

 

[Reddog1134]

Something that screams Disney?

Ear hats.

Personally, I collect pins and I'm thinking about getting the new miniature ear hats.

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

For years I collected a different color of a Lucky Cat from the gift shop in Japan at Epcot... until I had all the colors. I also bought a bunch of the smallest ones for gifts for all kinds of people back home. They were fairly inexpensive & not TOO Disney for those that didn't want everything covered in mouse ears.

I don't wear many t-shirts, so I collect shot glasses! I keep them in a case & they are small reminders of all of the places I've been. I pick a glass for a different attraction/theme each time we go & it's always fun recalling the trips later when people ask about all the different glasses. (I try to get different sizes, colors, shapes)

DD loves pressed pennies!

To me, nothing SCREAMS Disney more than personalized Mouse Ears! But I'm another vote for the Christmas ornaments.... I've spent hours selecting the perfect ornament for myself & others!

 

[FancyNancy]

My daughter loves the pressed pennies!

 

[Atrain13]

I think the calendar is a perfect idea for my fiance's office and a personalized Christmas ornament would be perfect for us, even more for her because she collects them. Just wondering though, what's this " vinylmation" people are bringing up? I dont think I've heard of it.

 

[RedfromNL]

I am going in may. We'll see what we run into but I definitley want a disney suitcase. I've seen one in the online store I liked. Christmas ornaments and perhaps a t-shirt or vest to wear.

Mostly stuff we can use when we get home.

Vinylmation is a collectible vinyl series featuring small figures with designs on them,available in 3" and 9" sizes.Basically it's a small puppet with mouse-ears with a different "coat" for every one. Like a flag, ice-cream, text, animals, national dress, whatever.

It's really a collectible just for collecting.

 

[parkhopping]

Whenever you buy a souvenir at any location or on any vacation, I think it helps to think about what you will actually get use out of. Disney has TONS of merch (of course) and it's easy to get sucked into buying something that may end up sitting in a closet for months. I agree about skipping things like Vinylmation (has no interest for me anyway), and I think the PP's ideas about creating a tradition with a new figurine or mug each time is great.

Things I've bought or seen that I think have high use potential:

-Mugs (if you drink coffee/tea regularly)
-Tshirts and graphic tees - just be sure it's a design you really like and see yourself wanting to wear!
-Magnets
-Antenna toppers/car decals
-Jewelry
-Christmas ornaments

Things that just say "Disney":

-Mouse ears
-Antenna toppers

Also, consider the gift shops in the World Showcase at Epcot. As a PP mentioned, Japan has the pick-a-pearl option. Their gift shop is HUGE and has nice Japanese dishes, art, etc. France also has some really nice things. The things you get there may not be explicitly Disney, but they will remind you of your trip and all the fun memories when you use them

Oh, and you can get free buttons at the parks that say things like "I'm Celebrating!", "Happy Anniversary!", etc. I'm a passholder, and I get one of these every time I visit. I then write the date and occasion or who I was with on the button in sharpie. I used to have my collection at my cubicle, but I recently quit my job - now I need to get a corkboard to display them at home! The best thing is that they are FREE

 

[Atrain13]

Are the buttons park specific by anychance? Or if I get one at MK would it be the same at Epcot.