Figment, the star of the Journey Into Imagination attraction and de facto mascot of EPCOT, will appear in a Little Golden Book for the first time. Originally reported by Mousesteps, this new publication will become available in January next year, 2024, and feature the “One Little Spark” lyrics penned by the Sherman Brothers.
Both digital Kindle and physical hardcover copies will are currently available for pre-order and priced at $5.99. The cover art has not been released yet.
While this may be a first for Figment, there have been Little Golden Books related to Disney attractions before, including this $29.95 box set from May 2022, with entries based on the Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Orange Bird, and “it’s a small world.” Each of them are also sold individually, at the same price as the new Figment book. A set of 12 Little Golden Books commemorating the 100th anniversary of Disney as a company was also released in December last year.
40 Years of Sparks
Figment has been a staple of EPCOT since 1983, cherished and beloved by guests from past and present. Imagineers Tony Baxter and Steve Kirk led the development of a new, elaborate, adventurous dark ride for all ages at a time in which many visitors felt the park was lacking an experience children could appreciate as much as adults. Journey Into Imagination was born, and a little purple dragon became the central figure, along with the mystical Dreamfinder, who would help riders learn to explore and appreciate the limitless power and potential of their own creative minds.
Our indigo friend has had a rough go of it over the years, enduring three immensely different iterations of the ride to varying degrees of success, failure, love, and pure, loathsome hatred. Generally, the public regards the original version as overwhelmingly superior, the second as one of the worst attractions of all time, with the third and current design somewhere in between. Our full and in-depth Figment history is available here, in honor of Imagination’s 40th anniversary.
As the major overhaul of EPCOT began, it was rumored that a new attraction in the space would feature characters from Pixar’s “Inside Out” alongside Figment, who was featured briefly in an Easter egg in the film; however, no ride change was ever announced. Joy from “Inside Out” does now meet guests in ImageWorks.
While Figment’s home attraction continues to see its popularity wane and fade over time, the character continues to expand in popularity and presence across EPCOT and general media. In September 2022, Deadline broke the news that Disney is developing a movie based on Figment. The feature film will be produced by Seth Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures, with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit (“Pokémon Detective Pikachu”) serving as writers.
Are you excited for this upcoming book, and a chance to introduce an iconic mascot to a new generation of young readers? Let us know in the comments.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The post Figment Little Golden Book Debuting in January 2024 appeared first on WDW News Today.