Have you ever seen the new Disney Merchandise and thought, haven’t I seen that before? It’s happening more and more often as the Disney Products team seems to think they are fooling us by adding a slightly different hue to a set of Minnie Mouse Ears and releasing them as Limited Edition. Some of you might have joined me for our weekly Monday Merch Meeting, where we look at the freshly released items that have hit virtual shelves, and you may have noticed that my list of must-have items is getting smaller and smaller some weeks.
Yes, I believe in quality, not quantity, but I can’t bring myself to give any time on the shopping stage to ranges like Numios, where every accessory costs the better part of the adult-sized version. To combat this problem, I’ve made a list of items I would love to see Disney bring out, inspired mainly by my own Christmas shopping this year.
Shower Steamers in Disney Scents
We all know that the sensory experience of smelling Disney air is one of the most memorable parts of the park. Whether it’s the bakery smell down Main Street U.S.A., or the California Oranges from the original Soarin’ Over California, there are some scents that we could never forget.
Now that Disney has parted ways with H20, it’s the perfect time to bring these fragrances to life in a new bathroom line of Shower Steamers (like a bath bomb for your shower) that fizzes with delightful-smelling goodness as the water splashes on it. I’d love to see these in singles, sets, and even freebies left in the resort bathrooms for guests to try on launch. I’d buy them all, and the best part for Disney is that you would keep buying more as a consumable item.
Hand Sanitizer
Some of you might have been fooled into thinking that Hand Sanitizer is a pandemic-related item, though many of us well-seasoned travelers have been relying on it for decades. Before COVID was in the picture, it was too easy to pick up germs and bugs on an airplane or any public transport system. Sanitizer for your hands and surfaces is an absolute must. If you have ever seen Lisa Rinna wipe down every surface in her hotel room, that’s basically me, especially in cooler months when those germs can sit for longer in colder temperatures.
Since Disney is a tourist destination, they could enjoy that never-ending revenue from putting more effort into a range of personal sanitizers. Not just the boring mini ones you can collect at a counter but a line of products in a small spray bottle that smells like Churros, Pretzels, or Dole Whip! Singles or sets where everyone in the family gets their own, I would be in.
Disney Heels
A few of you might remember me raving over the years about my silver Mickey House Icon ballet flats that I used to have and wore out. They were amazing. Elegant with the most subtle Disney touch that meant something to me but also didn’t spoil my outfit.
I’d love to see more shoes come from Disney that could be paired up with the Disney dresses or added to any outfit to give it that extra pixie dusting for special occasions or even the office. In the same way that the latest Dooney & Bourke can be a bit much, a nice pair of heels or flats with a light dusting of Disney magic would be perfect.
Personal Fragrance for Men and Women
Every Disney fragrance I come across seems to be marketed toward children. They all smell like a bag of jelly candy slapping you in the face or undiluted syrup concentrate, which is usually quite disgusting. I’d love to see more grown-up scents for men and women without the novelty lolly water scent; instead, I would be inspired by characters and their adventures.
Maui could provide a fresh ocean scent reminiscent of coastal air with a hint of citrus. Aladdin could have more earthy tones of woody amber mixed with warm spices. Aurora would be floral notes of rose, peony, and white musk, and Tiana could offer pinches of grapefruit and magnolia grounded in bergamot.
Disney x Jelly Belly Flavors
I know this one is a stretch, but since the Disney100 merch is seeing a lot of major brand crossovers, I think now is my chance to put my wish out into the universe. I would love to see classic Disney flavors made into a special Jelly Belly x collab series! Picture this, Mickey Premium Bar, Dole Whip, Churro, Epcot School Bread, Mickey Waffle, Woody’s Lunch Box Tarts, etc. You can see where I am going with this one. Nostalgia-filled flavors, long shelf life, and being able to buy them from shopdisney.com would allow you to restock your yummy treats at any time.
Map Posters
Weird one coming up. One item I would really like to see sold from Disney is landscape poster-sized vintage park maps in any iteration of any park. Did you have a soft spot for your first visit to Magic Kingdom in 1983? No worries, you can now get the poster version of that specific map as a keepsake. These would be super economical, perhaps even printed to order once selected, and let’s face it, everyone loves a map.
My office wall could do with a few smaller ones side-by-side showing the growth of Disneyland in, say, decade increments from opening until now. It could be a new collector’s item that you can add the new one each time it changes.
Paper Goods and Calendars
Some of the items that I use constantly in my everyday life are paper goods. I live for my family calendar, which has a box for every person every day, and my diary, where I write all my work notes and details; these are a massive part of my organization routine. I also use countless notepads and notebooks where I do all my trip planning for all of our vacations.
Office supplies, in general, are big on my must-have list, and how much better would they be if they had a Disney theme? I m not sure why we don’t see more of these items from Disney, but they are missing out on a huge market that I would personally contribute to massively.
Miniature Attraction Replicas
This one is purely a collector’s shelf item. I would lose my mind if Disney started doing a limited edition range of attraction miniature statues. Maybe like 7 or 8 inches in height, which looks just like the outside of the attraction. M ybe they could have a little sidewalk along the front that lines up when you place them next to each other like a little street. Or even a light-up element?
I love the recent Funko Pop! Tower of Terror attraction they did and couldn’t help but think how cool a series in more detail would be. The Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain, I would want them all and line them up along the top of my bookshelves. Think Disney attractions meets the Polly Pocket houses from 1992!
Hand Soaps in Disney Scents
One item that I spend a lot of money on in my household is quality scented hand soap. I find that it is a great way to add a refreshing feel to your restroom experience while also providing a beautiful scent to each individual’s hands that can linger and make you feel great. As an added bonus, when my children were younger, it helped me identify when they had actually washed their hands as asked too.
I am a huge fan of the collection from Bath and Body Works; I kid you not; I own a cupboard that is just for my range of seasons, hand soaps, candles, and room sprays, changing out everything in each bathroom as we move through the year. If Disney were to take on this product range, I would indeed spend some decent money on a regular basis.
12-Month Limited Edition Collection: Disney Refresher Box
Disney loves a collectible 12-month series, though most of you know what I thought about the last one, Mickey Mouse: The Main Attraction. In my new position as Imaginary President of New Products that Don’t Exist, Yet, I would love to implement a few of the ideas above into one and create a monthly refresher box, a different scent each month that ties into the season, featuring Foaming Hand Soap, Shower Steamers, Room Spray and a Candle.
To make the process easier, it could be a subscription service making sure that everyone who has signed up gets one every month, with no staying up at night to fight for one before they go to eBay for double the price. You could join in at any time and commit to the rest of the year, and any leftovers can be released as single one-off boxes.
That’s my top ten list of merchandise I would like to see Disney get started on. What items do you wish you could see make their way into your Disney merch collection?
The post Disney Merch is Getting Repetitive; Here are 10 Unique Products I Want to See first appeared on DIS.