While there have been numerous announcements of many changes coming to Walt Disney World, there may be some solace in seeing all of the great new merchandise arriving as well. With the closure of the Great Movie Ride on the horizon, there will be farewell merchandise released for it, but there’s more. Epcot’s 35th anniversary is quickly approaching, and Disney is going retro for the awesome merchandise that will be available to help guests celebrate.
The 50th anniversary of Magic Kingdom and all of Walt Disney World will take place in 2021, but Epcot is going to turn 35-years-old in just a couple of months. As the park hits a milestone anniversary on October 1, there will be lots of new merchandise released to celebrate, and it is awesome.
The Disney Parks Blog released a sneak peek at a lot of the merchandise that will be released later this year at Epcot, and while it is technically new, it’s also quite old. Almost everything has a retro feel that will take Disney fans back in time to fond memories of their childhood and years of the past.
If you’re a fan of old-school Epcot, then chances are you’ll want every single one of these items.
Colorful line of retro merchandise commemorating Epcot’s 35th anniversary unveiled by Disney https://t.co/xhqMeUQOMe pic.twitter.com/HEc0gAfv9O
— Inside the Magic (@InsideTheMagic) July 31, 2017
Eric Caszatt , the creative manager for the Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media Creative Group, spoke with the Disney Parks Blog , and he said this was only the beginning. There is a good chance there will be even more items along with what the sneak peek is already showing.
PHOTOS: Disney Unveils Entire Line of Epcot 35th Anniversary Merchandise https://t.co/5RXR3j8TgT pic.twitter.com/xZyeo2zbws
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) July 31, 2017
Caszatt said there are going to be a lot of items that will take Disney guests back in time to when they first visited Epcot.
“Many of the artists on my team are long-time Epcot fans. We wanted the art to have a distinct vintage feeling, and take its cues from artwork, logos, signage, and in-park graphics found in the early 1980s. We also referenced actual merchandise released during the first few years of operation. Many products then did not incorporate Disney characters into the artwork with the exception of Figment from the Journey Into Imagination attraction. I’m excited to see several products being released this fall can trace their heritage back to those original items.”
As many will notice, the iconic five-color scheme is back, and it is awesome to see the gold, pink, red, purple, and orange all over “Epcot Center” merchandise. There will be hats, visors, T-shirts, mugs, pins, coins, and more.
But wait, there is more, and it includes a lot of Figment.
Take a look at some of the #figment merchandise for #epcot35 #disney #disneyparks #epcot pic.twitter.com/11JYJLtZ22
— Jason Sasaki (@SasakiTime) July 31, 2017
Looking at the Figment merchandise is overly exciting, as there are shirts, pins, a wristlet, and an awesome leather backpack. While the original version of Journey Into Imagination may never return, this merchandise will help fill the void a little bit.
There will also be a limited-edition Epcot 35th-anniversary MagicBand, which will have a quantity that likely won’t last long.
A Limited Edition 3500 #MagicBand is coming for #Epcot ‘s 35th anniversary this October: https://t.co/P9DoUGcOSi pic.twitter.com/euRmhkxIG2
— MagicBand Collectors (@DisMagicBands) July 31, 2017
If you’re going after one of these Epcot MagicBands, you will want to pick it up early and fast. As of now, all merchandise is expected to be released on October 1, 2017, and should be there while supplies last.
Fans of Walt Disney World may think there is too much construction going on or that there are too many things currently closed, but there are reasons behind all of it. New and exciting attractions and lands are on the way, and they’ll be great, but it’s hard to beat the early days. Epcot’s 35th anniversary is going to be a day to celebrate a fantastic theme park, and the merchandise is sure to make it that much better.
[Featured Image by Danny Cox]