The "House of Magic" shop at Magic Kingdom

[MichRX7]

Whooohoooo!! Really never expected to see the day...

House of Magic YesterEars T-Shirt and Magic Band! Thank you Richard! Just bought 'em both.

https://www.shopdisney.com/house-of...t-disney-world-adults-limited-release-1437112

This was the first stop every visit for my older brother and I followed by some time in the Penny Arcade. It used to drive our Dad up a wall that he'd give us spending money for a souvenir and we'd buy magic tricks that said nothing about Disney on them every time. If they'd bring back the real shop and the Penny Arcade, my return to childhood might be complete.

 

[Sundown]

I thought only the limited release House of Magic MagicBand glowed in the dark...but I just noticed that the House of Magic T-shirts glow in the dark too..AWESOME.

Because they were limited release, they're no longer on shopdisney.com. But I wonder...are they still available at the Magic Kingdom in the newly redone House of Magic / Emporium? Hopefully they are, as it wouldn't make sense for them to only have them available for such a short period of time.

 

[durangojim]

Wow I remember I had a shrunken skull witch head that glowed in the dark from the original store. Also lots of fun magic tricks. Wow what a store it was. I do wish they could theme each section of the emporium a bit more to allow for some unique experiences. I know they need traffic flow. It could be done. This is what Disney is so good at.

Now to the basement to look for that head!

I finally remembered to take a pic of the skull!

 

[MichRX7]

My brother has an original HM puzzle box from that store, and I'm still jealous I didn't buy one...

 

[mergatroid]

Used to sell some great rubber masks in there too. (And no, not that kind)

 

[Ellen Ripley]

View media item 4924

 

[Intensityderen]

This was my favorite store. I still talk about it today. We came over from Tampa once a month or more. I was a very lucky kid. I would always buy the dollar bill retractor. You would attach a dollar bill and then when someone would reach for it you would press the button and it would snatch it away from them. I loved that stupid thing. They should do a house of Magic merchandise tribute!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

This was my favorite store. I still talk about it today. We came over from Tampa once a month or more. I was a very lucky kid. I would always buy the dollar bill retractor. You would attach a dollar bill and then when someone would reach for it you would press the button and it would snatch it away from them. I loved that stupid thing. They should do a house of Magic merchandise tribute!

It still exists at Disneyland.

 

[KDM31091]

It's basically a closet at Disneyland but at least it's still there and shockingly has some non IP magic merchandise and tricks.

Too bad at MK all we have is a facade now.

 

[jah4955]

Don't remember that but it sounds like it could be a good way to slowly reestablish the store facade as an actual magic shop again if they so choose. Little video segments of a quick trick then at the next commercial break show how the trick was done with a throw away tagline and advert about experiencing more magic at Walt Disney World. Now that I think about it Disney could take that as a jump off point to rebrand DisneyXD with a refocused block of showcasing hobbies, skills and activities using it's cartoon series and shows.

Wow! This post took a turn in a different direction. lol I think showing magic tricks on the channel would be pretty cool; especially if it could make the House of Magic reappear.

And a Cinema. And a Penny Arcade.

I wouldn't hold your breath. They knocked-down most interior walls of the west Main Street building (& not just of Penny Arcade & House of Magic...btw I didn't realized they closed the same day...& about 6 years before they eliminated west-center-street) such that whole building is either the relocated Barber Shop (amazed that's still there lol), "OBB" Emporium expansion or Casey's Corner. What made all those spaces special was their relative smallness. Felt so intimate. So cozy.

Regarding Main Street Cinema, 2 of the 6 walls once holding slanted platforms towards movie screens (with beautiful brass railings to lean against) are now additional entryways (I guess one way into what-is-now-the-store wasn't enough lol).

 

[KDM31091]

It is quite obnoxious that the entire left side of Main Street is basically just one giant shop now, and just as chaotic and unpleasant as World of Disney. Both the Emporium and World of Disney share a lot in common. Used to have more compartmentalized, cozy spaces and have slowly just become large basically warehouse spaces with little frills and no purpose other than "buy stuff". It's a shame. World of Disney in particular has been basically destroyed thematically which at least when it was themed and cozy there were reasons to endure the ridiculous crowds. I get knocking down walls for better crowd flow to an extent, but if the merch mix were spread out amongst smaller stores it wouldn't be as crowded to begin with.

Similarly, the Cinema had to go because it was just for atmosphere and not directly monetized.

I understand it's a business and exists to make money but it is nice to have atmospheric spaces that are not specifically monetized. Those have been disappearing across WDW, the latest of which being TSI.

 

[jah4955]

It is quite obnoxious that the entire left side of Main Street is basically just one giant shop now, and just as chaotic and unpleasant as World of Disney. Both the Emporium and World of Disney share a lot in common. Used to have more compartmentalized, cozy spaces and have slowly just become large basically warehouse spaces with little frills and no purpose other than "buy stuff". It's a shame. World of Disney in particular has been basically destroyed thematically which at least when it was themed and cozy there were reasons to endure the ridiculous crowds. I get knocking down walls for better crowd flow to an extent, but if the merch mix were spread out amongst smaller stores it wouldn't be as crowded to begin with.

Similarly, the Cinema had to go because it was just for atmosphere and not directly monetized.

I understand it's a business and exists to make money but it is nice to have atmospheric spaces that are not specifically monetized. Those have been disappearing across WDW, the latest of which being TSI.

I question .... what's really left regarding what you so beautifully described? "Grasping at straw," but all I can think of that's left in the Magic Kingdom that's remotely like this is Swiss Family Treehouse.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

It is quite obnoxious that the entire left side of Main Street is basically just one giant shop now, and just as chaotic and unpleasant as World of Disney. Both the Emporium and World of Disney share a lot in common. Used to have more compartmentalized, cozy spaces and have slowly just become large basically warehouse spaces with little frills and no purpose other than "buy stuff". It's a shame. World of Disney in particular has been basically destroyed thematically which at least when it was themed and cozy there were reasons to endure the ridiculous crowds. I get knocking down walls for better crowd flow to an extent, but if the merch mix were spread out amongst smaller stores it wouldn't be as crowded to begin with.

Similarly, the Cinema had to go because it was just for atmosphere and not directly monetized.

I understand it's a business and exists to make money but it is nice to have atmospheric spaces that are not specifically monetized. Those have been disappearing across WDW, the latest of which being TSI.

Go to Disneyland. It's still all there. The shooting arcade in Frontierland, the main street cinema, all of it.

Although if MK's Confectionary ever left, I think I'd start a riot.

 

[KDM31091]

I question .... what's really left regarding what you so beautifully described? "Grasping at straw," but all I can think of that's left in the Magic Kingdom that's remotely like this is Swiss Family Treehouse.

I think the Treehouse is about the only thing left.

 

[KDM31091]

Go to Disneyland. It's still all there. The shooting arcade in Frontierland, the main street cinema, all of it.

Although if MK's Confectionary ever left, I think I'd start a riot.

Because Disneyland guests simply revolt when things get ruined. They did try turning the Main Street Cinema over there into a shop. It was immediately flamed to hell and the decision reversed.

 

[michmousefan]

My brother has an original HM puzzle box from that store, and I'm still jealous I didn't buy one...

I have that box too... from my first visit in '74. It's a classic.

 

[JIMINYCR]

It's basically a closet at Disneyland but at least it's still there and shockingly has some non IP magic merchandise and tricks.

Too bad at MK all we have is a facade now.

I have a friend who supplements his income by being a part time magician who puts on shows at clubs performing on stage and in restaurants going from table to table with close up magic. On our trip to DL I found and purchased a couple of magic books full of how to do tricks from a professional level. They do have quite a lot of items there for sale and the guy behind the counter was entertaining us with a few sleight of hand magic tricks.
Steve Martin by the way started out as a performing magician at DL and this has remained a love of his.

 

[jah4955]

Because Disneyland guests simply revolt when things get ruined. They did try turning the Main Street Cinema over there into a shop. It was immediately flamed to hell and the decision reversed.

It seems there were 2 reasons for that in 2019:

1. The main visitor to Disneyland seems to be the local who expects things "just so" (never mind all the history).
2. The Internet. In 1998, when WDW's Main Street Cinema closed, the internet (as we know it) was relatively in its infancy (wdwmagic was one of the first sites I ever visited!). Like Penny Arcade or House of Magic 3 years earlier, I don't remember anything whatsoever online about its closure until long after it was done.

And most of the attention I recall with another 1998 (but much later in the year) MK closure, Toad, seemed mostly reported on television (I remember the early, admirable, online efforts/petitions/etc (was amused they chose "green" to be their color), but no comparison to the online volume of, most recently, TSI's closure). [NB: to be fair Toad's the very first attraction closure I ever recall anyone making a "fuss" over, and I was so hoping (not hopping!) they would win!]

Fast forward barely over 2 decades...alerts now appear on your wristwatch....even major media outlets in 2019 (can give examples but unfortunately virtually all newsites are associated now with the "right" or "left," so I won't), on the top of their main page, reported how "After almost 65 Years, Opening Day Disneyland Attraction Turned into a Store"

 

[jah4955]

Although if MK's Confectionary ever left, I think I'd start a riot.

Confectionary is probably safe in perpetuity.

1. It's "monetized."
2. Similar to how Emporium gobbled-up most of the space of west Main Street building, they "just" finished (c. 2021) "expanding" Confectionary (again!...first time was into "Camera Center")...this time into the "Chapeau" storefronts along town square (so now eastern Main Street building is essentially one room south of Main Street Cinema store.

 

[jah4955]

Go to Disneyland. It's still all there. The shooting arcade in Frontierland, the main street cinema, all of it.

Attractions at Disneyland that were, once upon a time, also at WDW:

1. Toad
2. Snow White dark ride
3. Tom Sawyer Island
4. Riverboat
5. Shootin' Arcade
6. Penny Arcade (to a degree at least?)
7. Main Street Cinema
8. Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes
9. Submarine Voyage (though IPified)
10. (although always labeled a shop at MK it was very-much like an attraction): Magic Shop
11. Dinosaur diorama (seemed very similar to highlight of Universe of Energy)

....NM all the attractions always exclusive (at least in US) to Disneyland Park:

1. Alice in Wonderland,
2. Grand Canyon Diorama
3. Casey Jr.
4. Gadget Coaster (though seems similar to Barnstormer?)
5. Matterhorn
6. Roger Rabbit
7. Pinocchio
8. Columbia
9. Canal Boats
10. The Disney Gallery
11. Walt Disney a Magical Life (but hopefully this will be incorporated in CoP?)
12. NM meet & greets "Fab 5" domiciles

I've mentioned it once before, what struck my best friend (who's a WDW AP holder) most profoundly about his recent visit to Disneyland was its sheer variety/volume of attractions (& in a place much smaller than Magic Kingdom)...I long-before resolved that IFFFFF I found myself in the area I would concentrate my visit either to what's unique to Disneyland or what's vastly superior at Disneyland (Pirates, etc).