Very Orlando Gift Guide: Tiana’s tower, Penguin Trek cup, Stay Puft T-shirt
Holiday shopping can double up as souvenirs for the year. Rather than buy a T-shirt — or, heaven help us, a spirit jersey — with “2024” emblazoned upon it, consider theme park merchandise that represents something new and different that debuted in the past 12 months.
• In June, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride opened at Magic Kingdom, and serious fans may be drawn to the water tower figurine, which includes the attraction’s tiara-topped water tower and small versions of Princess Tiana in her adventurous outfit (as seen on the ride), Prince Naveen with his ukulele and a handful of musical animal friends. A button activates a special effect (think lightning bugs) and the song “Special Spice,” which was written specifically for the log ride’s finale.
We say it’s for serious fans as it stands more than 14 inches tall. We saw it at the park’s Critter Co-op store and at disneystore.com for $229.
There are other bayou-based options, including backpacks, Christmas ornaments, light-up tumblers, Dooney & Bourke bags, Tiana plushes, MagicBands and, yes, glow-in-the-dark spirit jerseys.
• In July, SeaWorld Orlando introduced Penguin Trek, a roller coaster that flies over the park’s faux-snow-topped Antarctica area. After the ride and the up-close actual penguin experience, right after seeing the attraction’s real, live penguins, we spotted a deep blue mug with the ride logo in the gift shop dubbed Glacial Supply.
The surprise inside the mug is drawings of penguins. This is a fun hot coffee/cool birds juxtaposition. The price is $24.99, but be aware that SeaWorld is all in on penguin paraphernalia, so there are alternatives.
• Also in July, the Mega Movie Parade made its debut in the streets of Universal Studios theme park. The event features elaborate floats and walk-along characters from big-screen blockbusters in history.
One standout look is the “Ghostbusters” parade unit, which includes a giant Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man hovering. But for the holidays, let’s think smaller with a plain white T-shirt of the character, shown from shoulders up. It’s sold at the park’s Film Vault Store for $30. It’s not specifically branded to the parade, but who you gonna call?
More holiday gift ideas await you here: orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/holiday-gift-guide