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Attraction merchandisers follow fashion trends to populate souvenir stores
by Jeremy Schoolfield
Mickey Mouse may have a face that’s launched a thousand different T-shirts, but sometimes people are looking for a souvenir that doesn’t necessarily brandish his big famous ears. Something a bit more … subtle.
In response, Walt Disney World in March opened a new store at Downtown Disney, the Orlando resort’s massive shopping and dining complex. It’s called Tren-D (imagine that “D” in Walt’s classic bubbly script) and the goal, resort officials say, is to provide a home for the coolest Mouse merch around, with several pieces created by famous fashion designers.
“It is everything trendy—all of the latest, hippest fashions,” says Dara Trujillo, manager of merchandise synergy for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Whenever [guests] go inside Tren-D, they’re going to find the coolest, hottest items we carry at Walt Disney World—all in one place.”
Disney isn’t the only one moving in this direction, either. All across the attractions industry, merchandisers are stocking their stores with all manner of high-quality items that might seem more at home on Rodeo Drive than a midway—be they all-natural plush pandas, tea sets, or retro shirts.
Merchandise: A logo just may not be enough anymore.
 Tren-D Touch
Everyone knows the iconic Mickey Mouse pose: head to the side, white-gloved hands on the hips of red shorts, yellow shoes, big grin. Disney merchandisers call this “Standing Mickey,” and the image “sells the most and pays the light bills,” says Elizabeth Smith, the Disney World merchandise manager overseeing Tren-D. The new store certainly doesn’t intend to replace that powerhouse image; it merely puts a new spin on it.
For example: One item is a baseball cap with an American flag; holding the flagpole is a gloved Mickey hand. Kidada Jones jewelry, meanwhile, takes all of the Disney fairy tales and turns them into fashion accessories; a gold bangle bracelet inscribed with “a dream is a wish your heart makes” has a tiny Cinderella slipper or castle charm hanging from the clasp. “It’s dainty and understated but still speaks to a guest’s experience in the park or their love of Cinderella,” Smith says.
“It has this sense of Disney about it, but it doesn’t smack you across the face,” says Dave Herbst, print managing editor for Disney Destinations/Walt Disney World Resort.
 Disney’s move toward trendier merchandise started in California at Disneyland, which opened the similarly hip-focused Vault 28 location in 2006. “Vault 28’s been doing really well, so we want to provide that to our guests here at Downtown Disney,” says Smith, who leads a team of 20 designers at Disney World dedicated specifically to trend merchandise.
Eighty percent of the items at Tren-D are based on Disney characters or stories; of those, 50 percent are exclusive to the boutique. The remaining 20 percent of the merchandise is culled from outside brands that fit the target demographic of women ages 18-40—Converse, Roxy, Billabong, and more. (Currently Tren-D is exclusively for women, but Smith says a men’s line is in future plans.)
 Trujillo says it’s not as if Walt Disney World has never offered trendy merchandise before, it’s just never been collected so obviously in one place. Until Tren-D, guests looking for these types of items had to go hunting through the massive World of Disney store at Downtown Disney, or other scattered locales. Within the context of this new presentation, however, even those ubiquitous Mickey ears can become cool. “We like the idea of things being together on tables where you have a T-shirt, jewelry, a pair of sunglasses, etc.,” so people can see how to accessorize, Smith says. “We’re creating stories, so we have a section that’s all neon, and a section that’s all black and white. Apparel is a canvas for [our designers].”
“They’re taking risks on things happening outside the theme park world, bringing it here, and putting a bit of a Disney spin on it,” Trujillo says.
 Fashion Conscious
Disney isn’t the only company in the attractions industry stepping outside the traditional midway merchandise ideas to offer more market- relative clothing. Eileen Strotz, corporate director of merchandise for Six Flags Inc., says her team watches the fashion world and then integrates popular motifs into the company’s lines.
“We take pop-culture inspiration and fashion trends to influence and incorporate into our  brands,” Strotz says. “Perfect example: We look at lines like Affliction or Rebel Spirit, and then we take our DC [Comics] or Looney Tunes characters and create art that would resemble the look. Embellishment has been key in design, fabrication, and value.” (To see those lines for yourself, visit www.afflictionclothing.com or http://shop rebelspiritclothing.com.)
Strotz says Six Flags also experienced success with retro themes such as 1980sera neon, adding: “’60s- and ’70s-inspired peace signs and tie-dye have been very strong to date. Tattoo art is still prevalent, but with a softer, airbrush feel.” And, like Disney, Six Flags carries outside brands such as Junk Food (www.junkfoodclothing.com) and Lot 29 (www.lot29.com) to accentuate its own material.
 At Elvis Presley’s home in Graceland, Tennessee, Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. Director of Merchandise Danny Hiltenbrand says, “There have always been a certain percentage of our guests who want to purchase a keepsake of their visit to Graceland but would prefer more subtle artwork.” One such piece is a baseball cap emblazoned with a simple “EP,” which has a lot more going on than might appear at first glance.
“As guests tour Graceland and learn about Elvis’ life and career, they are introduced to his palette of favorite colors that are not only a tribute to Elvis’ sense of style, but also work wonderfully as retail programs,” Hiltenbrand says. “In addition to the initials, that hat played off colors synonymous with Elvis that allow us to build programs around color stories without a major focus on Elvis’ actual image.”
Beyond Apparel
This movement toward trendy merchandise goes well beyond the realm of apparel. The edgiest merchandise available across the Merlin Entertainments Group attractions roster hails from the company’s scary Dungeons, where the most popular items have nothing to do with clothing.
“The Dungeons brand is all about fun and being scared, so we very much try and replicate that through our merchandise,” says Sam Cheesman, merchandising manager for Merlin’s five Dungeons locations throughout Europe. “With any of our attractions, what we want to achieve with our retail product is for the visitor to take away the experience. The Dungeons experience is about blood and gore, and being scared.”
To wit: One of the most popular Dungeons pieces is a teddy bear (see photo at right). What’s frightening about that? This little plush doesn’t have the Dungeons logo imprinted on a paw, or something wimpy like that. Rather, it’s missing a paw. Or, more accurately, an entire arm—as in, torn off, leaving nothing but a disfigured stump; it also lacks an eye (stabbed out, presumably) and dons a black hoodie emblazoned with a skeleton rib design. Other popular picks from the Dungeon: playing cards shaped like coffins; marshmallows shaped like a bloody, severed foot; and ice trays where the cups are formed like skulls.
Cheesman focuses on these souvenir pieces rather than clothing because, she says, apparel doesn’t lend itself to the quick-exit scenario of a Dungeon. A Jack the Ripper T-shirt with the dates of the serial killer’s murders on the back sold relatively well, but in the main she brings in outside brands that match the attraction’s gothic styling rather than focus her time on product that doesn’t move as fast.
Other facilities engage their trendier customers with upper-tier souvenirs. San Diego Zoo in California sells a plush bear, too, only this one has all of its appendages (see photo at left). What makes this panda special is its material: the toy is made entirely from sustainable products.
“It’s all-natural, organic fibers,” says Tina Waldmier, marketing manager for California toy company Aurora World Inc. The San Diego Zoo panda is one of several custom jobs Aurora creates for zoos across the United States, made from soybean and kapok (a sustainable silky fiber found in rainforests); even the tag is made from recycled cardboard. “Zoos are pushing sustainability and education, and that goes right along with [our product],” she says.
Aurora unveiled the “Naturally” line of plush in 2008, and it became an instant hit with zoos and aquariums, Waldmier says. The product’s popularity with consumers at those facilities dipped, however, with the economic recession; the “Naturally” plush costs about twice the amount of a normal stuffed animal, and she says sales dropped as customers began pinching pennies.
China’s OCT Group, meanwhile, offers souvenirs with a wide range of price points. One of its pricier items is an exquisite tea set that could easily hold its own on anyone’s table. An OCT spokesperson says the tea set highlights the theme park chain’s self-made tea, which is also sold in a chic package of metal or cloth.
Eyes Open
So whether it’s T-shirts or teacups, pins or plush, attractions industry merchandisers are looking beyond their own domain for inspiration. It’s important to remain aware of what’s going on in the outside world, these officials say, and see how they can represent those trends to their customers.
“We see this segment growing,” says John Lowe, vice president of merchandise for SeaWorld Orlando.“Our guests are savvy shoppers and won’t buy just anything we put on the shelves. We need to be innovative and show value if we are to be successful within our parks.”
“With the availability of today’s 24-hour media and instantaneous communication, we are all exposed to worldwide cultural influences,” says Graceland’s Hiltenbrand. “As a result, consumer tastes have become more sophisticated and will only continue in that direction. Such an environment allows us not only the opportunity but the responsibility to continually push the envelope and look for the next wave of exciting opportunities.”
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