Soarin' Merchandise

[Mr. EPCOT]

We all know that Disney makes merchandise out the wazoo for everything from t-shirts for The Indiana Jones Adventure to die-cast replicas of the parking lot trams. For some odd reason, Disney seems to have missed the boat as far as Soarin' souvenirs are concerned. There is a severe lack of it! In DCA, there is kind of a cutesy Mickey Mouse shirt, and pins that look like wings with your name on it. Here in Epcot, they don't sell more than a pin. One pin! Although if you were lucky, you could snag some limited edition pins when it opened if you were a Cast Member, Annual Passholder, DVC Member, or there the day of or the previous three days. We have recently found out that Soarin' has a 95% Guest Satisfaction rating, which is more than any other previous attraction, show or parade at Walt Disney World! No merchandise! And to make things even sillier, we're having this big marketing drive for the Happiest Celebration on Earth, and they sell scads of stuff for Cinderellabration, the new, very medicore stage show based on the one from Tokyo. It's even got it's own soundtrack CD! But over at Soarin', the most successful WDW thing EVER, there's not more than one pin for sale?! What are the Disney Merchandisears thinking? Ironically, part of the entrance for Soarin' inside of The Land replaced their gift shop! Some of my friends who opened it said that there was merchandise in development to be sold in a new gift shop incorporated into the exit when it opened, but it never materialized. So then they were told that there would be a merchadise cart in front of the The Land. That's never appeared. What's going on? Back in California, there's a whole gift shop directly across from the ride, but just sells those scant few items and some generic merchandise. The question I pose to you is this: what cool ideas do you have for Soarin' stuff? T-shirt designs, toys, anything! (P.S. I'm sorry, guys, even though it's the same actual movie, our Soarin' is way better!)

[NCTJoe]

Well Im not so sure that there isn't already merchandise over here. Grant it, there isnt anything with the actual Soarin' logo that I can think of... but the Gift Shop "Fly N Buy" sells aviation themed merchandise, as well as some auto themed items as well. There might even be some items there with Condor Flats written on the shirts (im not sure). I know that doesnt sound like much... but consider how rare it is now for a disney shop to sell exclusive items that can't be found anywhere else in the park.

What I noticed them selling though are those old fashioned leather aviation hats, with mouse ears attached. I liked the idea, as it gives a DCA spin on the classic mouse ears, but nobody seems to want to buy them.

Without going all Imagineery, I would like to see maybe some shirts with the soarin' logo, maybe some mechanic's shirts, etc.

I would imagine (and this is all strictly speculation, as it hasn't been confirmed) that WDW isnt making soarin' merchandise right now, as they may be waiting for the supposed new movie to come out after the 50th.

But Im afraid I have to disagree with your assumption that WDW Soarin' is much better. You may have an indoor queue... but I think the queue here in DCA makes a bigger emotional impact, with the nostalgia and all. Still... I'd be more than happy to travel to WDW and reassess my opinion.

[TimmyII]

There isn't really all that much you can create for the ride. All you're really doing is watching a movie. Although the ride is awesome, you can't really develop a die cast hang-glider. Shirts would be the best thing with Soarin' logos, sweatshirts even, the wings are cool, but other than that, that's about all you can do.

[Pinocchio85]

There's a lot of merchandise they could do. They could do pins, magnets, key chains, postcards, pens, hats etc. I also think there's a sever lack of Soarin merchandise which is weird considering it's DCA's main ride.

[Chatterbug]

Sounds like a good collector item. If one can find one they like so rare at the 50th. I like the Aviator Mickey Ears idea might have to look for those.

How about a coffee mug.

[Mr. EPCOT]

Oh, I have no assumption that WDW's is better, I know it for a fact. I've done both versions several times (although, obviously, Epcot's way more). You want emotional impact? You haven't seen the grandeur of Soarin's Great Hall! DCA's has a cute aviation history museum, but I can't say that does anything for me.

[dctrdez]

Whoa, whoa, back up back up...where, uh, are these Parking Lot Tram models, um, just out of curiousity....

Create a Soarin' DVD, with more IMAX stuff of California to supplement the film (it's only what, 7 minutes or less?).

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Originally Posted by ImagineerMMC

Oh, I have no assumption that WDW's is better, I know it for a fact. I've done both versions several times (although, obviously, Epcot's way more). You want emotional impact? You haven't seen the grandeur of Soarin's Great Hall! DCA's has a cute aviation history museum, but I can't say that does anything for me.

Of course, WDW has more space, so everything's bigger and therefore better right? I saw Soarin' "great hall" ... took forever to walk down the thing in the FP queue. Thank heavens for FP because I know that line is very slow-moving and WDW's is enormous. The only thing WDW's really got on us is the logo. At least here people can recognize what they're looking at!

-- Peoplemover "There's one sign in there that says Soarin' Over California! I have proof! " Matt

[Mr. EPCOT]

Yes, believe it or not, the plethora of die-cast attraction vehicle models include the Walt Disney World Buses and Parking Trams. You would think they'd make things like the Universe of Energy's moving theater cars and the Spaceship Earth Time Machines before the trams and buses, but noooooo. I'd like to see them try doing the Soarin' hang gliders! Hah! It'd be kind of neat to see them make models of the vehicles in Lights, Motors, Action! And I'd absolutely love it if they made die-cast models of dome of our dearly departed attractions like the Skyway and Horizons.

Don't get me wrong, the DCA queue has a fascinating look at aviation history, but I think having an airline flight check-in desk at the entrance to ours is such a smart and super-cool idea. I have to admit, though, while it was awesome that they built a special "Single Flyers" line, it was a flop because they didn't end up able to use it.

On an amusing side note, I brought an Epcot Soarin' FastPass with me to DCA and just nonchalantly show it to the Cast Member at their Soarin' FastPass entrance like I ws using it to get in and it was a normal FastPass for them, and they flip out they thought it was so cool.

[barfownz]

Originally Posted by TimmyII

There isn't really all that much you can create for the ride. All you're really doing is watching a movie. Although the ride is awesome, you can't really develop a die cast hang-glider. Shirts would be the best thing with Soarin' logos, sweatshirts even, the wings are cool, but other than that, that's about all you can do.

A die cast hang glider would be cool, so you can swing it back and forth :)

[Ratty12345]

^ Ditto on that one. =)