Strange request here. Do you know someone who works in Disney's park costume department?

[Cmdr_Crimson]

you guys are freaking me out now! how can I tell if this is actually stolen?

Simple look at the tag...Most items are inventoried...

 

[enough]

yeah, that's the shirt I have (and the pants to match), but just because it's being sold, how can you be sure it's stolen?

There's a lot of merchandise for sale that was used in the parks - from signs and plaques to whole monorail cars. I'm sure that stuff is just considered surplus, no?

 

[AndyS2992]

yeah, that's the shirt I have (and the pants to match), but just because it's being sold, how can you be sure it's stolen?

There's a lot of merchandise for sale that was used in the parks - from signs and plaques to whole monorail cars. I'm sure that stuff is just considered surplus, no?

Because Disney NEVER allows costumes out of the resort. If a Disney costume is out of WDW then it has been stolen. Any old costumes are destroyed by Disney. Some costume items such as character heads, gloves etc have tracking devices in them so Disney can locate them, I doubt that costume does though.

Merchandise, signage and other props have different rules.

 

[enough]

awwwwww crap!

I sent a note to the seller on eBay asking what the deal was. This is a bummer - I figured since they had sold a lot of costumes and had a few currently for sale that these must be just retired surplus that Disney was selling off, much like the signage and stuff.

well, looks like I'll be making myself a shirt as well. At least this will make using similar trim a lot easier than trying to match a legit cast member costume.

Thanks for steering me straight everyone.

 

[enough]

here's what I heard back from the eBay seller

"Good morning!
We do not purchase any stolen goods. All of our items we purchase are logged and on file with the Orange County Sheriff's Office. This uniform was either bought directly from Disney due to surplus or change in style, or it was bought from a Cast Member who received it as a gift or through purchase. Hope this helps. Thank you so much!"


So maybe I'm in the clear? so much back and forth... I should just make a second shirt for myself and not stress about getting denied access.

 

[JIMINYCR]

here's what I heard back from the eBay seller We do not purchase any stolen goods.

My original thought was that someone in Disney costuming probably wouldnt be allowed to give or sell any of the material they work with.
WHEW... Glad you're not going to end up being hauled away in cuffs and put in a Disney cell. Those characters might not like another cellmate.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

@enough you should be in the clear. I think Disney has relaxed it's rules on cast member costumes being sold/re-sold. Mousesurplus & themparkconnection are "reputable" places for buying Disney stuff.

 

[enough]

@enough you should be in the clear. I think Disney has relaxed it's rules on cast member costumes being sold/re-sold. Mousesurplus & themparkconnection are "reputable" places for buying Disney stuff.

That's my thinking as well, but honestly to keep my and my daughter's costumes looking identical, and since I cannot find the trim used on the real costume, I plan to just replicate the shirts myself.

That frees me up from having to get exact matches on the trims and the colors. I can just get white short sleeve shirts (already done, thanks old navy!) and dye them maroon and get trim to use on both shirts.

The tricky part now will be the patches, but I think I photoshop something together and print it to a sticker.

 

[Jakester]

you guys are freaking me out now! how can I tell if this is actually stolen?

If it's more current, look for a RFID tag on it. Or anything that has Disney trademark. Unless they took it off. TBH, I wouldn't go crazy over it. Just don't wear it to Disney-Owned places and you'll be fine.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Because Disney NEVER allows costumes out of the resort. If a Disney costume is out of WDW then it has been stolen. Any old costumes are destroyed by Disney. Some costume items such as character heads, gloves etc have tracking devices in them so Disney can locate them, I doubt that costume does though.

Merchandise, signage and other props have different rules.

I haven't noticed it in WDW but in Disneyland I've seen cast members leaving the park in costume all the time. Many of them walked out of the park and sat and waited for the bus. So it isn't totally true that Disney doesn't let costumes leave property. But they are two different resorts so the rules might be different.

 

[PigletIsMyCat]

wdw does let costumes leave property, but only with cast members. cast members are only allowed to 'take out' a specific number of costumes at a time and all must be returned at the end of employment. i've spoken to guests who have been asked to change or leave the park for wearing wdw costumes, even if they're not the current style of costume.

 

[enough]

So I sent an email in to WDW to see if I could get a response from the source. Here's my question:

Hello!

I am heading to WDW in September and really looking forward to attend
the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party with my daughter. I am
building her a costume to go with mine - we will both be Tower of Terror
bellhops.

My question is - I purchased an authentic Tower of Terror bellhop shirt
on eBay off of a theme park souvenir vendor. I plan to pair this with
appropriately themed shorts (it's still pretty hot in September), but I
wanted to make sure that it was OK to wear an authentic shirt.

Basically I'd like to know if is OK to dress up like a Tower of Terror
bellhop?

I will be making my daughter's costume to resemble mine.

thanks!

and here is the response I got back from Disney

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.

We encourage our guests, especially children, to wear costumes to
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! As you select your costume for
this event, please keep the following guidelines in mind.

Costumes must not:

Cover the face or obstruct your vision

Hinder your ability to board our attractions or
transportation.
Drag on the ground.
Contain sharp or pointed objects that may injure other
guests.
Contain any part, prop or accessory that might be mistaken
for an actual weapon.
Be offensive to other guests.

Your bellhop costume sounds fabulous! And good call on the shorts!

We thank you for adhering to these guidelines and hope that you and your
family have a safe and magical evening!

We look forward to seeing you and your daughter at the party!

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact
us.

Sincerely,

Autumn Adams
eCommerce Sales and Service Team

So it sounds to me like I am in the clear to wear the authentic shirt if I want to. Like I said though, I'll still be building a shirt for me along with my daughter as a backup, just in case its a different story at the gate.

 

[AndyS2992]

So I sent an email in to WDW to see if I could get a response from the source. Here's my question:




and here is the response I got back from Disney




So it sounds to me like I am in the clear to wear the authentic shirt if I want to. Like I said though, I'll still be building a shirt for me along with my daughter as a backup, just in case its a different story at the gate.

The response to me sounds like they have misunderstood thinking your ''authentic bellhop shirt'' from a souvenir vendor as being one of the merchandise ones and not the actual CM ones. You should have said something like I have a CM costume uniform. The rest of the response is just generic copy and paste.

If you want to wear it then go ahead, I doubt anyone will actually stop you but if they do then at least have a back up plan just in case.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

@enough LOVE the response from Disney. It wasn't just a 'canned' response either!

 

[Tom]

So I sent an email in to WDW to see if I could get a response from the source. Here's my question:




and here is the response I got back from Disney




So it sounds to me like I am in the clear to wear the authentic shirt if I want to. Like I said though, I'll still be building a shirt for me along with my daughter as a backup, just in case its a different story at the gate.

I say print a copy of the full e-mail and have it in your purse/pocket when you visit the park that night.

 

[Dafid Duck]

Back to the original question: No, I dont know where to get the trim, but it sounds like you have a great plan. I hope you and your daughter have a wonderful time!

 

[KronosKeeper]

I know that per cast guidelines, wearing any part of a costume in the parks is a big no-no because of the issue of brand integrity, confusion in case of emergency, or identification. Any Cast Member will be able to pick out the shirt as being actual WDW costuming and you are going to be constantly hassled by security and cast members.

Most likely, you would end up having to explain to some security manager how you came to possess a Disney costume, show them a receipt of purchase, and then they're going to have to investigate whether or not (regardless of the word of the seller) it was stolen. They could technically confiscate if it were to match a record on costuming.

While I've never seen anyone impersonate a cast member at Disney, I have seen people get particularly authentic at Universal (Harry Potter) and they started answering questions since they were perceived to be official even though they never did anything to give that appearance except their outfit. Universal Security ended up asking them to tone down their cosplay and redirect guest questions to team members.

All in all, it's an idea that is literally begging for trouble. Best case scenario, you're going to spend your entire night worried about someone giving you a hard time while you're with your family. Worst case scenario....well it's Disney...do you really want to get into trouble with them?

 

[intheATL]

I saw a guy last year at MNSSHP with a ToT costume that was authentic - he said he got it on eBay. I kept seeing him around all night so I am guessing he wasn't asked to leave. I would not panic especially if you are wearing shorts.

Also, my sister in law is a costumer in big production company. She says most likely only the person doing the ordering would know the manufacturer of the trim. A lot of times that kind of stuff comes in huge bulk lots from China. See if you have a specialty fabric store that focuses on theatre (many big cities do) and you may have better luck than a craft/ fabric store.

Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[intheATL]

Oh..btw...my reply wasn't meant to go against any one else's advice just wanted to post what i heard/saw. Do what ever works for you and your family!

 

[enough]

I saw a guy last year at MNSSHP with a ToT costume that was authentic - he said he got it on eBay. I kept seeing him around all night so I am guessing he wasn't asked to leave. I would not panic especially if you are wearing shorts.

Also, my sister in law is a costumer in big production company. She says most likely only the person doing the ordering would know the manufacturer of the trim. A lot of times that kind of stuff comes in huge bulk lots from China. See if you have a specialty fabric store that focuses on theatre (many big cities do) and you may have better luck than a craft/ fabric store.

Good luck and have fun!!!

thanks for the note, and for the first-hand experience. There's a lot of folks in here speculating, but it's nice to hear from someone who has seen it.