Guests Slam Disney for Being "Out of Touch"

The Disney Parks are known for their immersive themeing, variety of attraction offerings, and impressive entertainment. However, there’s one area where Disney is majorly lacking, according to fans and recent Guests.

Disney souvenirs are one way to keep a physical reminder of your time at the Park, a way to celebrate the memories and even a way to bring some of the magic back home to friends and family. Shirts, hats, pants, stuffed animals, bags, shoes, ears, and so much more are available to Guests to purchase and take home. Recently though, there’s been a shift to “micro trends” within the Disney community, first started with the Tsum Tsum plushies a few years ago, to the mini Nuimo figures, and now Disney’s latest craze are the Munchlings.

Beyond that though, Disney has a serious problem with their merchandise, according to @paperclipxoxo on Twitter. They recently Tweeted “I am begging theme parks to fill the merchandising department with young people and interns and actually listen to them. I desperately just wanted a plain baseball hat that said animal kingdom and couldn’t find one in the whole park,” drawing attention to Disney’s habit of creating “tacky and totally overdone” merchandise.

“Theme park merch is consistently gaudy and tacky. I want simple and clean design. I get so desperate for cool and classic theme park merch,” commented @anaheimless. As @CoachKobyM pointed out as well, “My wife says this all the time about Universal. You can find 100 shirts with IP branding, but no good straight up Universal branding.” It’s hard to find overall or generic Park merchandise that’s simple and fashionable enough to be worn on a daily basis outside of the Parks.

While Universal and Disney both lean heavily into branding their IP-based merchandise, it’s still difficult to find something that fits in in the “regular” world. Much of what they offer, especially for apparel, works well in the theme parks where everyone else is wearing them, but end up in the back of the closet once you get back home.

In contrast, small businesses have popped up creating their own versions of casual theme park streetwear, often showcasing various attractions, Parks, and experiences. As social media dominates much of our lives and theme park influencers provide outfit ideas for various Park days, Disney fans are starting to lean away from the over-the-top vacation shirts and other merchandise. Especially considering how expensive a trip to Disney or Universal can be, and how expensive merchandise is becoming, it’s fair that fans want something more casual that they can feel comfortable wearing back home.

Do you think the current Disney merchandise is gaudy? Or do you prefer it that way? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic!