Do you go for the T-shirt and maybe a pin whenever you visit a park? Or do you collect the high-end stuff — the limited edition collectibles and fancy objets d'art? Are you the type who puts together custom outfits for every theme park visit, or are you happy with just being at the park and never buy any souvenirs to take home?
Being a theme park fan can be expensive, especially if you're really into merchandise. In my Orange County Register column this week, I take a look at some of the different types of theme park merchandise fans. Are you a hoader? A bounder? Or are you that denizen of eBay, the reseller?
Do you know someone like one of these types? Or are you one of these types? Take a look at the column, and let us know!
This week's column:
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I guess I do have a little bit of Reseller in me. I will buy stuff to give to other people, but instead of using it for profit, it's usually as a gift for things such as birthdays or Christmas. For example, one year, we were giving my sister an iPhone for Christmas, so my mom and I stopped at a store in DHS to buy her a case that had Sorceror Mickey on it. The most recent example was when the youngest daughter of a family friends' birthday was coming up; she's really into Despicable Me, so we bought an entire bag's worth of merchandise from the store at the ride's exit.
I also have a little bit of bouncer in that, if I'm visiting a park for a specific franchise that I love, I will wear a t-shirt to represent. (Which I guess kinda makes me the Anti-Competitor) Jurassic World came out on my birthday, so we saw the film at the Universal Cineplex followed by a ride on River Adventure and seeing the Raptor Encounter for the first time. How could I not bring my own Jurassic Park t-shirt? And on the day I rode the new Star Tours update for the first time, I made sure to wear my t-shirt that had a picture of Yoda wearing sunglasses.
And sometimes I'll buy souvenirs for miscellaneous reasons. My family has made a tradition out of buying Disney Christmas ornaments with the name of the New Year on them. Since I'm a bit of a comic book geek, I have made a couple purchases from the comic book shop at Marvel Super Hero Island. Headphones are something we constantly fight over in my household, so I bought myself a pair of Spider-Man headphones from the Universal Studios Store. And while I'm not into pin-trading (though I would be lying if I said I've never considered it) I do have a Figment pin that a Cast Member at Epcot gave me after I pointed it out ("Oh, hey, look! It's Figment!") I haven't seen that thing for what feels like a an eternity; I'm willing to bet that either someone threw it it out by accident or it's hiding in some small dark corner of my bedroom.
(One year it was a framed Marauder's Map, the next the Tri-Wizard cup and a golden snitch, things like that.)
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