Disneyland is celebrating its 60th anniversary with the longest-running party ever. This 16-month celebration started May 22, 2015, and ends Sept. 5, 2016. If you plan to visit the resort during the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration, chances are that you or your family members are going to want a souvenir to commemorate this auspicious occasion. Just think ... someday when your kids take their grandkids to Disneyland’s 120th birthday they can wear their “vintage” hat from Disneyland’s 60th or show off their old autograph book and talk about the good old days of yesterday. But that’s way down the road of Tomorrowland.
Of course, Disney knows that its fans love to collect memorabilia, so it has something for everyone. You have your typical hats, T-shirts and photo frames, but you also have your unique and collector-quality souvenirs as well. We’ve hopped around the souvenir shops on Main Street, Buena Vista Street and the World of Disney store to uncover the must-have Diamond Celebration merchandise. Believe us, we were nearly blinded by all the bling. Let's take a look at what we found.
Light Up the Night with Light-Up Merchandise
Our favorites and the seemingly most popular Diamond Celebration items are those that light up at night. There are a lot of people wearing Mickey ears and Minnie bows that glow. The fun part of this spin on these old classics is that they allow you to be part of the show and interact with other guests or characters in the parade. Tad and Lily really enjoyed getting Magic Wands and Paintbrushes that could change the colors of other guests’ Mickey ears and Minnie bows to green (as well as other guests’ wands and paintbrushes—duel anyone?). Plus these items interacted with the Paint the Night Parade too. Fun Stuff!
Wearable Merchandise
Besides the light-up ears and bows, there are a number of wearable items that are great for day or night as well. We’ve seen a lot of sparkly ears and blingy bows around the park as well as the kind of Mickey ears you can personalize (but in anniversary blue). Buy your princess a blue and faux diamond tiara for dress-up fun. No matter how old you are you can always go for a Disneyland headband or hat. There is no shortage of Diamond Celebration T-shirts, sweatshirts and baseball caps for sale.
Edible Diamond Treats
You can taste all kinds of edible treats that are here for the celebration from special decked-out caramel apples to cupcakes to special rice crispy treats (both fresh and packaged) to cake pops. There are suckers and candy treats in diamond packaging (including chocolates in special wrappers) that make great souvenir gifts for the folks back home too. Several restaurants in the parks feature specialty Diamond Celebration desserts. What’s a birthday celebration without cake?
Accessories
You can celebrate every time you listen to your favorite Disney tunes with anniversary earbuds, phone cases or even the $600 crystal headphones. Yes, we double-checked that price! Pin trading is a popular hobby for many Disney guests. Whether you are a seasoned pin trader or a beginner, you’ll want to get hold of the special 60th anniversary pins, lanyards and lanyard medals.
Toys and Big-Ticket Items
Take home the Diamond Celebration toy castle and pretend that you can go to Disneyland every day. If your child is crazy for trains, then he or she will be on board for the Disney Railroad 60th Anniversary train set with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. There are plush Mickey and Minnie dolls (dressed in their celebration blue outfits) that may be a favorite with younger guests. One item you can use in the park and enjoy later is the Diamond Celebration character autograph book.
Kitchen and Dining
You can get your own set of Disney anniversary china, plus you can also purchase etched Disney 60th Anniversary glassware (in New Orleans Square). You might find it odd to buy Disney dining ware, but I happen to have a Mickey Mouse bowl scraper Leap bought me on a trip to Disneyland. It may not be much, but it certainly makes me happy whenever I use it in the kitchen, so it makes sense to me to add a little Disney magic to dinner parties or even daily usage. Why not turn every day or special occasions at home into opportunities to bring back happy memories of your visit to the “Happiest Place on Earth”?
Household Items
Other household items that are great trip memory boosters are the various sparkly diamond photo frames (for displaying a favorite family photo from your visit) and the Christmas ornaments. Christmas may be the furthest thing from your brain right now, but getting an ornament for the tree is like getting a special flashback in time every single year when you decorate your tree. They also sell special decks of cards you can play with year-round, diamond pens, backpacks, wallets, coin sets and more.
Balloons
Balloons are a short-lived treat, but they are often part of the Disneyland experience for kids. They have special diamond celebration balloons with another Mickey ears balloon inside. Don’t worry; they also sell some other character balloons such as the newer retro-looking Mickey and Minnie balloons that are simply too cute, plus some others including Frozen and Beymax balloons.
You certainly cannot have it all, but it is certainly fun to window shop, see all the guests in their ears and bows, and check out all the Disneyland Diamond Celebration Merchandise available in the parks and Downtown Disney. Have a question about any of the Diamond anniversary merchandise? Ask away!
Related: What to Expect at Disneyland's Diamond Celebration
Hoppy planning!
