Today we're going to jump in the old time machine and head back to EPCOT Center circa 1988 and do a little shopping in what was then my favorite shop in all of Walt Disney World-- Centorium. This Emporium of the 21st century was the place to find all of EPCOT Center's branded merchandise, including these popular items that have since become by and large extinct in the world of theme park souvenirs.Pennants were a mainstay of resort stores during Disney World's first two decades, and this EPCOT Center edition (pictured above) is a personal favorite in my collection.
Bumper stickers have become scarcer as well, having been reborn in magnetic incarnations, which can be very cool, but are certainly not as plentiful as were their older and more traditional counterparts. I am a big admirer of the early Seabase Alpha designs and so this Living Seas bumper sticker was a natural purchase.
Funny how both pennants and bumper stickers, which were once the norm when it came to vacation souvenirs - have almost disappeared. As a kid I returned from many a family vacation with at least a pennant and or sticker. I say bring em back! Pennants are still the norm when it comes to sports teams - so why not Disney parks? These kinds of items are right up there with pins & license plates. And unlike a souvenir t-shirt ... may last you for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have a *very* special place in my heart for Mouse Gear, I do dearly miss the Centorium. If only I had thought to purchase more things from there when it was still open!
ReplyDeleteLove the trip back in time, and I love the old souvenirs!
The Sea Base Alpha design is incredible.
ReplyDeleteDownside to Disney's Bumper Stickers - Magnet Edition, I have yet to own one that survived a single night in the city. I live an hour outside of Baltimore, and I could have a Disney magnet on my car for months, but as soon as I drive into Baltimore for something I'm guaranteed to be driving home with one less sticker/magnet on my car that night.
ReplyDeleteHey Jeff - We oughta start a new movement: "bumper stickers as art" and we could maybe even convince Disney to let us do a mural ala Mary Blair but with retired WDW bumper stickers over those god awful "leave a legacy" walls in front of Epcot.
ReplyDeleteHi Ed--
ReplyDeleteWe've had the exact same experience with the antenna toppers. They've never lasted more than a few days any time we have had them.
I that's the place I got my groovy Epcot beach towel. I'm not sure if we still have it or not, but it sure has been worth the money, had it for roughly 20 years! I think we may have had to retire it because it had become so thin from wear. I was kind of out of the pennant phase of life when I first went to Epcot, but my first trip to WDW I was all over them. Wonder what happened to them all?
ReplyDeleteDave
Hm, in looking for an image of the previously mentioned towel, I came across something that just jolted my memory of my first trip to Epcot. So, this may or may not be any great challenge for Mr. Pepper, but can you name this character from Epcot?
ReplyDeletehttp://i16.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/b5/86/860b_1.JPG
I'm a-kickin' myself pretty hard because I had this little guy for many, many years, but I don't know what eventually happened to him. He probably got donated to goodwill or something. In fact, this one is probably mine originally...;-) But look how much he's asking for the thing!
Dave
I believe that is Fuzzball from Captain Eo.
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