Percentage of guests in Disney merch

[AuntieKels]

My BIL and I were just looking at past trip photos and commented about how nearly every stranger in the photo was wearing Disney merch. It made us wonder, what do you think the average percentage of guests in the parks are wearing or carrying one or more pieces of Disney merchandise?

we guessed at least 90%

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

I agree. It is definately up there! I love people watching and checking out all of the stuff people are wearing that isn't Disney branded but is Disney themed.

I love wearing Disney merch at the parks but rarely wear it at home. Meaning out of the house. I do wear Disney sweatshirts a lot in my house. I have no idea why I am so weird about it.

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd put the percentage very high. Probably 90+? Not all are official Disney things though. I see many of the home-made or customized shirts.

Of course, if you look in my closet at home you'll also see 90+% Disney!

 

[iheartglaciers]

I recently saw a picture of Magic Kingdom from 9/11/01 and it seemed like most people weren’t wearing Disney clothes, and there were no ear headbands. It made me wonder when it became a trend to wear Disney clothes and ears at the park.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

Lol on my last DL trip I wore a cute but classic Mickey hoodie I had received as a pre-trip gift. I lost it.

We visited lost and found twice but uh, as you can imagine...

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I recently saw a picture of Magic Kingdom from 9/11/01 and it seemed like most people weren’t wearing Disney clothes, and there were no ear headbands. It made me wonder when it became a trend to wear Disney clothes and ears at the park.

Interesting thought - I know when looking back at photos from trips when I was a kid and we really didn't wear a lot of Disney clothes, but now when we go we have tons of Disney shirts and stuff we wear (some more subtle than others)

So I do wonder if it is more of trend now ... and if so, why? Is it that there is more that goes into planning a trip to WDW (even pre-covid just with FPs and ADRs, etc.) that it isn't "just a trip" but people want the full experience and are fully invested - so that planning goes further to more time to focus on what clothes you bring, etc.?

 

[Stinkomann20x6]

I’d guess probably around 70. There’s still a decent amount of favorite teams sports clothing. But also could depend on if you consider unofficial stuff that’s still Disney theme. teepublic for example has a ton of fun Disney related stuff that isn’t official. Here’s the one that got the most reactions from people and cast members alIke last year in Anaheim lol. Mickey covered his eyes after taking a double take!

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

Interesting topic. Very high percentage, I would guess. It was a thing when I was a kid to get a T-shirt from places you visited on vacation, back in the 70's. I still enjoy grabbing a nice embroidered sweatshirt here and there as a souvenir that I will actually wear at other times. However, I'll still get a colorful T-shirt to commemorate a Disney trip to this day. Almost every Saturday, you'll see me sporting a Disney shirt and they get packed for future trips. Many people are avid collectors of Mouse Ears, but I just can't get into that because they are too uncomfortable. Between purses/backpacks, ears, t-shirts, lanyards, magic bands, etc., I think finding someone sporting absolutely no Disney wear will be the minority.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

I remember when I fist started "getting into Disney" when researching for a then-family trip, on Prodigy, back in late'92, and I went to my first annual Disney get-together in Disney World in Dec. of '93, to meet some of the people in person that I had become friends with online. I looked around at all the people wearing/using Disney stuff, and thought "what kind of adults are these - wearing cartoon characters all the time?". And especially when I saw them OUTSIDE of the parks, in their "normal lives" still wearing Disney stuff, visiting their homes, all decorated with Disney stuff, etc. Fast forward to today, when there is hardly a day that goes by that I'm not using, or wearing, something Disney-themed, and have been known by anybody that ever met me even once, as "the Disney lady" for YEARS. And proudly, I might add.

 

[OKW Lover]

I remember when I fist started "getting into Disney" when researching for a then-family trip, on Prodigy, back in late'92, and I went to my first annual Disney get-together in Disney World in Dec. of '93,

Wow, we might have run across each other way back then. I was on Compuserve and very active in their Disney section of the Florida Forums. We had meet ups the first week of December starting in 1990 and that became a regular thing for us.

 

[AuntieKels]

I would count any unofficial or homemade Disney item for the purposes of this question.
I wonder if having Disney brand sold at Target through Nordstrom - plus all the fandom stores out there encourages it all. Also, Instagram showing cute family pictures and access to so many options.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Wow, we might have run across each other way back then. I was on Compuserve and very active in their Disney section of the Florida Forums. We had meet ups the first week of December starting in 1990 and that became a regular thing for us.

@OKW Lover - Never did CompuServe, but our group also did the first week or so of December for years, and they were actually called "The Gatherings" and had attendees from MANY different online services, which lasted pretty much annually from Dec. '93 until '00 or '01, and always had over 100 attendees - was a week's worth of different events, but the main get-together was always at the Dixie Landings (as it was known then) food court. I was overall Coordinator of the Gathering in Feb. of '00 (and got engaged by the castle during that week also, although, sadly, it didn't work out) and it truly took all year to plan, and was a LOT of work!!!) I, myself, went from Prodigy, to GEnie, to Expedia, to ThemeParks.Com, and was also a volunteer mod on Expedia and ThemeParks.Com for several years. I would be THRILLED if you were at some of those Gatherings, or events, - that would be COOL! I MISS those days!!!

And - on a cool side note - the first place I stayed on property during The Gatherings was a studio at OKW, where i rented points from a friend. I've stayed there many times since then, and it's one of my favorite places to stay on property!!

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I dunno I don’t wear any Disney merch to the park but I see tons who do!

 

[catomi01]

I recently saw a picture of Magic Kingdom from 9/11/01 and it seemed like most people weren’t wearing Disney clothes, and there were no ear headbands. It made me wonder when it became a trend to wear Disney clothes and ears at the park.

There's likely more available. Internet shopping is much more prevalent now - meaning you can buy direct from Disney, plus things like Etsy and other independent sellers. I also think they have more licensing agreements to sell merchandise through 3rd parties these days than in the past (someone else brought up Target earlier), particularly for adults. Late nineties/early 2000's the selection was a lot more limited I think in terms of where to purchase - basically the parks themselves and Disney Store - both of which were probably more kid-focused as well instead of carrying adult sizes.

 

[GreatLakes]

It seems like it would be high but I'm not sure if that is because you notice the Disney items while ignoring the non-Disney stuff or it really is that high. If I had to guess I'd put it about 70%. I generally don't wear Disney stuff to the parks myself unless it is raining and I had to shell out for a Disney poncho.

 

[malialaine]

I don’t know how anyone can go to WDW now and not wear Disney. That is just unimaginable. I have 2 embroidery machines and an electronic cutting machine that has Disney characters built into them. I make all kinds of personalized items for myself and I still buy Disney items from ShopDisney.com.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

My BIL and I were just looking at past trip photos and commented about how nearly every stranger in the photo was wearing Disney merch. It made us wonder, what do you think the average percentage of guests in the parks are wearing or carrying one or more pieces of Disney merchandise?

we guessed at least 90%

Whatever the percentage, it’s not nearly as high as the guests at the Tokyo Disney parks.

 

[Karin1984]

It's not as much a thing here in Disneyland Paris. One of the complaints US Disney travellers usually have is the amount of merch available at Disneyland Paris, and especially clothes.
I own 2 Disney shirts and I wear them mainly for work outs.

Also having a distinct autumn/winter season doesn't help. For at least 6 months of the year, you need a coat in Paris, and Disney coats are not a thing.

 

[NotUrsula]

Ironically, I'd be willing to bet that WDW sells more adult clothing in wintertime. SO many tourists travel to central Florida in winter believing that the climate is tropical, but it isn't; LBV is above the freeze line, and WDW can get pretty darned chilly in wintertime. Any time the temperature drops below 60F I'm pretty sure that anything with long sleeves starts flying off the shelves.

I have a few pieces of Disney merch, but I'm not big on wearing things with branding on them, and I only might do it at the parks in wintertime. If the weather is warm, I really have to wear wicking clothing, or I end up miserable. My kids have more of a tolerance for wearing damp cotton items. (DH actually wears his Disney stuff to work more than he wears it to the parks. He has to wear suits, and he likes to be subversive by wearing hidden-Mickey ties and socks.)

 

[DisLiss]

Whatever the percentage is that are wearing/carrying Disney merchandise, we'll be in the percentage that isn't. Disney merchandise just isn't part of what DH & I enjoy at all on our trips. Now, our kids, on the other hand---they may not wear merch, but sure do like to buy some merch. Just not wearables. They'll about toys, figures, pins, games, etc.