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D23 EXPO: Shopping Disney at the Expo!

expoloozaby Alyssa Wiseman

As much as I love to shop for all things Disney, there was no way that I could have written a post about all of the Expo merchandise that they had.  I also knew that if I wrote a blog about the items they offered, no one would be able to purchase them any longer.  I did, however, want to write about some items that were for sale and I decided to just do a brief write-up of the items that Brandon and I purchased.

Mickey’s of Glendale: Mickeys

This shopping area was our favorite one by far and also the store where we ended up spending the most money.  There was about a 25 minute wait to get in, but the line was moving and you were just so excited it didn’t matter.

For those readers who are not aware of the importance of Mickey’s of Glendale store, let me give you a little background: This store is located on the Walt Disney Imagineering campus and, usually, reserved only for Imagineers (I say usually because many people who have taken tours led by both Disney and D23 have been granted access).  While most of the products are branded with the Imagineering logo, they also have many very limited merchandise that is offered.  For example, many of the pins that are available at Mickey’s of Glendale are not offered anywhere else, so they are very valuable.

As soon as Brandon and I get in the door we start looking for any items that we might want (honestly, by this point we were tired and had shopped all week at Disneyland with no purchases and we had also shopped through the Dream Store with no luck either) and were we surprised at how much we ended up with.  At first it was your basic shirts and such, but then you would begin finding items that I have not seen at Disney stores.

Alyssa’s Purchases:

I ended up with a zip-up hoodie that is the most comfortable jacket I have ever owned.  As pictured below it has the blueprint details of the Sleeping Beauty Castle on the back and  says: “Walt Disney Imagineering” on the front.

Hoodie frontHoodie back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also purchased a reusable shopping bag with the Imagineers 60-year celebration logo “Journey Into Imagineering.”  They had lots of other merchandise that used the same logo and wording, but I just wanted this cute tote!

tote

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon’s Purchases:

My husband does not frequently make purchases while we are on vacation (so I usually spend enough for the both of us), but I knew that this store would be the one that would interest him the most and I was right!

Most of the items that that Brandon purchased were for a professional setting.  He purchased both a notebook and iPad cover with the Imagineering logo on the front.  Since Brandon is an attorney these items allow him to take his love of Disney to work and still look a little professional!

notebookcover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other purchase that Brandon found, but that I thought he mainly because I use so many of these was a plastic tumbler with a straw!  I know it isn’t that exciting, but this one has a curly straw!

His best find at the store was a “secret” mouse for his computer.  We were already checking out at the register when he mentioned that he liked the computer mouse that the lady was using and would buy one if they were for sale.  She responded that they were not out on the sale floor!!  We bought one, but it is one of the smaller travel-size ones, so Brandon will be waiting to use it while traveling.

cupmouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those are most of the purchases that we made while in Mickey’s of Glendale and we absolutely love all of them.  I think overall we spent about $150 for everything and found it quite comparable to any other Disney store.

As a side note, we are not pin collectors, but if we were this would have been heaven for us.

 

Alyssa’s New Love….Alex and Ani

I don’t know if any of you have heard about this designer before, but they make bracelets and other jewelry.  I had never heard of them before, but found out at the Dream Store that they sell Disney bracelets!  Alex and Ani have a website, but the only place they sell the Disney ones is on Disney property.  The flyer that I got while making the purchase said that they are available at the following stores:

Walt Disney World:

MK – Uptown Jewelers

DHS – Keystone Clothiers, Once Upon a Time

EPCOT – MouseGear

DTD – World of Disney, Tren-D

And the following resorts: Contemporary, Polynesian, Boardwalk, Yacht, Grand Floridian

Disneyland:

DL – New Century Jewelry, Pieces of Eightbracelet

DCA – Elias & Co.

And the following resorts: Disneyland, Grand Californian

The Disney-themed bracelets that they offered were the two castles, Mickey, and Minnie (they also had a filigree Mickey that was sold out at the time).  Here is a picture of the one that I bought and I love it.

 

The price for this bracelet was only $35 and I have already worn it several times at home.

I know that I did not do a good job of covering all of the products they were offering, but honestly there was so much at the Expo and I didn’t want an expired-themed review!  So, I hope you have enjoyed this limited peek into some of the Expo merchandise and as always, keep shopping Disney style!

 

Alyssa Wiseman (also known as ajwiseman09 in the box) and her husband Brandon reside in central Indiana (too far from Disney) with their 4 year shih tzu London Bridget and brand new Bulldog, Maggie Mae.  Alyssa and Brandon enjoy traveling to Disney several times a year to see what is new and enjoy classic Disney.  While traveling, and at home, Alyssa is frequently shopping for Disney products and making a list of items to buy while in the parks.  Please follow Alyssa on twitter @ajwiseman09.

shopDisney is a bi-weekly blog that will focus on Disney merchandise and products sold in the parks, in Disney stores, and in other retail markets.  We will explore product reviews, affordability, and to whom the products are marketed.  Like any other good product review, we will conclude with a rating scale for several different key components: price, age group, and whether the product is a “must have.”

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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