Continuing through the end of today, Disneyland is offering a preview of the costumes and merchandise that will soon be coming to Disney California Adventure when Cars Land, Buena Vista Street, and the Mad T Party make their debut in June. After an initial influx of excited collectors, the Annual Passholder-exclusive Merchandise Showcase Event, as it was dubbed, has drawn light crowds, allowing for easy browsing and advance buying.
Video: Tour of the Disney California Adventure Merchandise Showcase Event, in the park’s Sound Stage 17
All of the Cast Member costumes shown off at the event are really nice, though Buena Vista street costumes are my favorite by far.
It’s clear that the Cars Land shirts were inspired by “Cars” creator John Lasseter’s personal wardrobe.
The Cars Land merchandise is nice but I was hoping to see more themed items, like the knick knacks you’ll find in the area’s shops, rather than just the “Cars” logo items. The Tractor-tipping Cars playset and Lightning McQueen Mickey Ears stood out among the rest.
The Mad T-Party will be in the backlot area just like ElecTRONica currently is, which is disappointing as it’s an eye sore during the day. It’d be better placed inside one of the area’s sound stages rather than out in the open.
The Merchandise Showcase Event offered a first look at what the “rabbit hole” entrance to the Mad T Party will be:
The rest of the display featured costume and area artwork as well as plenty of Alice in Wonderland-themed merchandise:
Disney also offered a small food and drink preview for the Mad T Party. I tried the Green Apple Icee, which tasted like a sour apple Jolly Rancher. Not bad. I also sampled the Dill Flavored Pop Corn, which tasted like corn nuts. Pretty tasty.
An assortment of general Disney California Adventure merchandise was previewed and available as well.
In addition to the costumes and merchandise, Disney set up a kiosk where guests could renew a Disneyand annual pass no matter how much time is left on it, with the benefit of locking in the current price – and with a $20 discount. It’s a great deal, but I passed.
And plenty of Cast Members manning cash registers were available to help attending Annual Passholders make their preview purchases, though there were only a handful of guests in there while I was.
Though the turnout for the Merchandise Showcase Event seems rather small, it’s always nice when Disneyland offers a preview of any kind, particularly with the soon-to-be-completed 5-year project at Disney California Adventure.
More photos from the Disney California Adventure Annual Passholder Merchandise Showcase Event: