Why don't they sell souvenir maps of the parks any longer?

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Why don't they sell souvenir maps of the parks any longer? When I was to the world in 1984 I purchased souvernir maps of both MK and EPCOT. They were both HUGE (especially to a child), beautifully and highly detailed and very attractive as a room decoration. Both hung on my rooms walls for years to come. A very interesting details was, that the EPCOT map even included additions that never came (Equatorial African Pavilion in WS)
Does any one know why they don't sell them any longer? Or did I just miss them and they are still for sale? In 2007 I couldn't find any and I really would like to buy some new one. At ebay they are very rare and not exactly cheap.

 

[devoy1701]

You can get them for free now on disneyworld.com and they will be delivered to your door.

They are on heavy card stock paper and personalized with your name!

That being said, I did purchase a souvenier map when I was in Disneyland last December.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

You can get them for free now on disneyworld.com and they will be delivered to your door.

They are on heavy card stock paper and personalized with your name!

That being said, I did purchase a souvenier map when I was in Disneyland last December.

Yes I knew about these "customized maps", they are quite neat but did you see one of the original ones for sale? They were much more elaborate, much more detailed and much larger.

Compare this one (nearly the same I bought in 1984)

http://cgi.ebay.com/FLORIDA-walt-DI...679877466?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0#ht_500wt_1074

to the customized ones. I just don't get it why they take a very popular merchandise out of their program and instead offer something inferior for free. But on the other side, I never understood a lot about the far-less-than-perfect WDW-merchandising concept, no attraction merchandise available for the JC, nothing really good for the HM etc. etc.

 

[bgraham34]

I loved those things that you could buy. I remember having it after my first trip in 84 and it hung on the wall until it was ripped.

 

[stlbobby]

When they were selling these maps did they still give out the free park maps?

 

[LowesChevy]

For realz

We have a few old ones framed and hung up in our basement. Some newer versions would be sweet.

 

[David S.]

I'm a HUGE fan of poster-sized theme park maps and have a nice collection from several different parks dating back to the 70's. I actually have a copy of the one Spike-In-Berlin linked to!

Industry-wide, they are getting harder to find as new souvenirs in parks, but whenever I'm in a park that DOES sell them, I always buy them.

So, if WDW still sold them in the parks, I'd buy them! The free maps in the park guides wouldn't be a deterrent because I'd want the larger size of the souvenir maps.

And to answer stlbobby's question, yes, there were free park guides available with smaller maps on my childhood visits when they were still selling the poster-sized MK and Epcot maps.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

When they were selling these maps did they still give out the free park maps?

I don't know because the last time I saw them for sale was years before the internet age. Although it's hard to imagine there WAS an age without a simple mean to give out maps for free to people living thousands of miles away. I remember that when I visited the world in 1991 there was no way to find out in advance which attractions where added since my last trip or what DMGMSTP featured until I finally had the park map in my hand. German medias didn't bring anything about additions to WDW, only a documentary every 5-10 years!

 

[devoy1701]

Disneyland still has these.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Disneyland still has these.

Of course they would, but not us. :brick:

I don't understand it; why get rid of this? In addition to the poster, they should offer a puzzle version that, when put together, would display a map of the park or a panorama shot; think Main Street or World Showcase or something (or do they have this and just have never been able to find it?).

 

[Horizons1]

Of course they would, but not us. :brick:

I don't understand it; why get rid of this?

Because it doesn't have the jonas brothers or hannah montanna on it.

 

[fosse76]

I totally agree. I bought three when I went to Disneyland. It's almost the only souvenir I would spend money on. I think the problem with Disney and these maps is that they always need to be changed. A look at history shows that Disney would include future attractions on the maps (so they didn't have to keep issuing new prints), most of which were never built. Perhaps they just didn't sell at WDW. The ones at Disneyland are much more artistic than the ones WDW used to sell.