Space Mountain Gift Shop

[WDWFigment]

I know Space Mountain has always had a relative lack of a gift shop, but when we were there a couple of weeks ago I noticed there was absolutely NO Space Mountain merchandise in the arcade/gift shop Space Mountain dumps into after the attraction. I shouldn't say absolutely nothing, because there was a pin and a postcard at the counter with Space Mountain on them.

I asked the CM working about the lack of Space Mountain gifts, and she said it had been like that for a few months. Space Mountain consistently has one of, if not the, longest lines in Walt Disney World, and yet it has no unique merchandise? Splash Mountain alone had 4 different picture frames! I know Space doesn't have any cutesy Disney characters in it, but old Space merchandise always had the Fab Five riding the attraction, etc, and was always AWESOME. Why did Disney discontinue making this type of merchandise? I can't imagine they would have a tough time selling merchandise for one of the most popular attractions, but were they? What gives?

 

[Figment1986]

You would figure that they would have merch with some stuff for space in the tomorrowland stores... not the HSM stuff which I find now.

Give me a shirt that says i survived.. or some other stuff related to the attraction...

 

[WDWFigment]

You would figure that they would have merch with some stuff for space in the tomorrowland stores... not the HSM stuff which I find now.

Give me a shirt that says i survived.. or some other stuff related to the attraction...

YES, exactly. HSM stuff is quite out-of-place in Tomorrowland gift shops, yet it dominates so much of the current content. What is the rationale behind this? We now have a shirt for Gran Fiesta, a C or D ticket attraction, but nothing for one of WDW's most prominent attractions?

 

[Fun2BFree]

Give me a shirt that says i survived.. or some other stuff related to the attraction...

"I survived Space Mountain... but boy does my back hurt!"

I'm hoping for some attraction-related merchandise when/if the ride is revamped.

 

[nibblesandbits]

YES, exactly. HSM stuff is quite out-of-place in Tomorrowland gift shops, yet it dominates so much of the current content. What is the rationale behind this? We now have a shirt for Gran Fiesta, a C or D ticket attraction, but nothing for one of WDW's most prominent attractions?

The rationale...as unfortunate as it might be in this particular area...is that HSM stuff sells and sells big. Stuff related to Space Mountain or Tomorrowland, probably doesn't sell as well. It's all about the numbers and HSM brings in big numbers. I do think they should have something though.

Maybe it's a sign that Space is going under refurb soon and they don't want to have a bunch of merchandise just sitting there. :lookaroun (A girl can dream)

 

[doop]

"I survived Space Mountain... but boy does my back hurt!"

I'm hoping for some attraction-related merchandise when/if the ride is revamped.

:lol:

Call me crazy, but I love the wild, jerky ride Space Mountain currently offers.

 

[disneytink]

i have this shirt:

 

[EpcotServo]

I have a great Space Mountain T-Shirt...from Disneyland!
:lol:

The funny part is that DL is SO classy, I had to actually ASK for it at the SM Photo Counter and not have to go through an exit/gift shop.


I agree though. How about a T-Shirt that says "I survived...the upkeep budget cutbacks! WDW Space Mountain 2007."
:ROFLOL:

 

[coasterphil]

I have the same shirt pictured above in blue. I don't know why they don't have anything like that currently. I don't think Disney understands how much most people want ride/area/resort specific souvenirs. I don't want to see the same thing everywhere I turn.

 

[EPCOT.nut]

They had a great gift shop last year with t-shirts and all kinds of merchandise. I got the greatest shotglass ever there with "Spaced Out" on it and Mickey and Goofy blasting off.

When did the giftshop go away?

 

[dandaman]

^They had that in shirt form as well, IIRC.

 

[EPCOT.nut]

^They had that in shirt form as well, IIRC.

Yes they did and I didn't get one. Instead I got a really cool Test Track shirt and got the SM shot glass. I was thinking this year of getting the shirt. BUMMER if I missed out.

 

[Churro_Jet]

i have this shirt:

That shirt is awesome and hilarious, Though you can find a bunch of Space Mountainie things around the parks and in Downtwon Disney especially. Yes i agree that it is odd that don't have a gift shop in the arcade or it's own in or out of space mountain but it costs money which they obviously dont feel like using or wasting on something silly like that. They, i guess, like to use the money on new and better things except things small like gift shops. At least they have things like it around the parks, Better then nothing right? :lol:

 

[WDWFigment]

The rationale...as unfortunate as it might be in this particular area...is that HSM stuff sells and sells big. Stuff related to Space Mountain or Tomorrowland, probably doesn't sell as well. It's all about the numbers and HSM brings in big numbers. I do think they should have something though.

Maybe it's a sign that Space is going under refurb soon and they don't want to have a bunch of merchandise just sitting there. :lookaroun (A girl can dream)

The thing is, this isn't an either/or situation. Disney can have both HSM merchandise AND Space Mountain Merchandise. It would make more sense to sell the HSM merchandise elsewhere. It may sell better (for some odd reason) in Tomorrowland, but that doesn't mean it has to bump Space Mountain merchandise. Open a new merchandise cart, if necessary.

Space Mountain merchandise, on the other hand, is going to sell the best immediately after the ride. That's when you're most excited about it, and most likely to make an impulse buy. Additionally, that's where it's most logical to sell it.

That this points to a refurb soon is probably the most logical explanation. Still, couldn't Disney 'predict' how much merchandise will sell between now and January, and only produce that amount?

Yes i agree that it is odd that don't have a gift shop in the arcade or it's own in or out of space mountain but it costs money which they obviously dont feel like using or wasting on something silly like that. They, i guess, like to use the money on new and better things except things small like gift shops. At least they have things like it around the parks, Better then nothing right? :lol:

I really hope you're kidding. Disney jumps at any opportunity to sell its merchandise. Which is why the lack of SM stuff really is all the more surprising.

 

[nibblesandbits]

The thing is, this isn't an either/or situation. Disney can have both HSM merchandise AND Space Mountain Merchandise. It would make more sense to sell the HSM merchandise elsewhere. It may sell better (for some odd reason) in Tomorrowland, but that doesn't mean it has to bump Space Mountain merchandise. Open a new merchandise cart, if necessary.

Space Mountain merchandise, on the other hand, is going to sell the best immediately after the ride. That's when you're most excited about it, and most likely to make an impulse buy. Additionally, that's where it's most logical to sell it.

That this points to a refurb soon is probably the most logical explanation. Still, couldn't Disney 'predict' how much merchandise will sell between now and January, and only produce that amount?

I agree with you...I think that it does make the most sense to sell SM stuff immediately after people get off the ride...and that if they wanted to sell HSM stuff, they could, somewhere else. I'm just saying, I would bet you anything that HSM stuff sells better than SM stuff. Therefore, Disney, being the semi-cash cow that they are, would want to put the HSM stuff in a higher profile spot...or in a spot where people with children (IE...who they are targeting with HSM-sorta) can browse while the rest of their party is riding the ride. HSM is absolutely huge and Disney is once again, milking it for all they've got. I've seen so many things for HSM just around my house. And I don't even live NEAR Disney. I've seen shirts in a dressing room that some kid tried on. And school supplies everywhere that people have bought, etc.

As unfortunate as it is, Disney is making it a one or the other situation...even though they could probably sell both together if they tried.

And I hope my hunch is right about the rehab being why. But I have no clue.

 

[marni1971]

New logo coming with a possible rehab? Just a thought....

 

[EPCOT.nut]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO

I really like the SM logo! I think it is pretty darned cool.

Maybe they can make some futuristic-looking SHADE for the outside queue line....

 

[Lozatar]

It might be because, when you buy your friends things back home, they don't know that Space Mountain is. No one I know that hasn't been to Disney even knows what Space Mountain is.

Just not enough WDW education in the UK

 

[WDWFigment]

It might be because, when you buy your friends things back home, they don't know that Space Mountain is. No one I know that hasn't been to Disney even knows what Space Mountain is.

Just not enough WDW education in the UK

Wouldn't this logic preclude the sale of any ride specific merchandise? If people don't recognize one specific attraction, it stands to reason they wouldn't recognize others. In order to avoid a debate over other attractions (Splash, etc) being more recognizable, I'll go back to the Gran Fiesta example. I think it is very clear that Gran Fiesta is less popular and recognizable than Space Mountain, yet the former has merchandise and the latter does not. Certainly individuals who have not been to WDW wouldn't know what Gran Fiesta is if they don't know what Space Mountain is.

My point is that I don't think this is the rationale. Honestly, I think this rationale (if applied independent of other factors) would only make Disney more likely to make Space Mountain merchandise. Ask how, if at all, does someone who receives a Space Mountain shirt as a gift, affect Disney? They've already made the sale, so there is no monetary loss. Receiving a shirt of an attraction someone doesn't recognize isn't likely to make them less likely to take a trip to WDW. If anything, it adds value to WDW, as that person now would either have intrigue about Space Mountain, or would recognize its existence, and may want to visit WDW due to their new knowledge.

I think the new logo explanation might be more on target, although I hope this is not the case. I also think the explanation that it's a prime location for HSM merchandise, simply because families might wait there for their parties. If that is the reason, it still seems like there could be some way to add shelf space for some Space Mountain merchandise? I guess the argument would go that the additional shelf space, once added, also should serve HSM merchandise, if that is the better seller in that area.

 

[WDWFigment]

In talking to my friend who works at Space Mountain, he said there hasn't been any merchandise at the gift shop since at least May (when he started his CP). When was the last time there was SM stuff there? It casts a little doubt on the refurb/new logo theory if WDW hasn't had SM merchandise since last October.