DisneyTips.com Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
Isn’t it frustrating how Disney-licensed merchandise always seems to come with a steep price tag? This especially rings true when you’re visiting a Disney vacation destination like a Disney Resort or one of several existing theme park locations. The agony of paying extra for more mundane items, like an overpriced bottle of water or a themed snack item, is already very real when you’re on vacation. But when you see actual quality goods that include clothing, accessories, or a genuinely unique find, it can be outright upsetting, knowing from the previous example that you can expect an even more outrageous going price. And then you’re left with that mental struggle and internal contemplation on whether or not you should actually buy said item or items and whether or not it is even worth the asking price.
Before you let yourself get discouraged about the fact that Disney-specific product lines and brands generally trend on the more expensive side, you should know that Disney isn’t intentionally jacking up prices as a way to be greedy and mean. Quite the opposite, the Walt Disney Company has a long history of assisting countless nonprofits and charitable organizations around the world. They’re even known to contribute up to a third of a billion dollars every year to a vast range of noble causes. But continuing the ongoing mission of making this world a better place and improving life and living conditions for all requires money. So, you can understand why Disney raises the bar in surplus profits a bit, right? Maybe not. Maybe you still need a little convincing that the cause justifies the cost. If so, here are a few examples of some Disney-branded products you can feel good about paying more for, knowing your money is well spent.
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Make-A-Wish Merch
Disney has had an ongoing partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation since 1981. In that time, they’ve directly helped to grant hundreds of thousands of wishes to critically ill children battling life-threatening medical conditions. Their assistance to the cause has taken on many different forms, including the release of various product lines and merchandise in which a portion of the proceeds from each sale gets donated to Make-A-Wish.
A few years ago, Disney released its “Wishes Come True Blue Color Collection,” which consisted of various products, including baseball caps, spirit jerseys, Mouse Ears, leggings, a mini backpack and wristlet by Loungefly, and many more items. Proceeds raised enabled Disney to donate $500,000 to Make-A-Wish. Various other products over the years have likewise helped in the cause, including promos connected to the release of various plush Character Wishables by Disney.
Credit: Click Orlando
Bombas Disney Collection
Who doesn’t love a pair of Disney Socks? Even better, you can get Disney-themed socks from Bombas via the Disney X Bombas line. This includes both their Disney Princess Collection as well as various Mickey and Friends styles and patterns.
Bombas is an apparel company that started back in 2013 with a founding mission to donate a pair of socks to homeless shelters for every pair sold. Until 2019 they were vending solely in sock sales, as these continue to be the most requested items in homeless shelters worldwide. Since then, they’ve expanded their product line also to include T-shirts. As of April 2020, Bombas has succeeded in donating well over 35 million socks to the homeless.
So, when you buy a pair of Disney Bombas, it’s a win-win all around. You get to enjoy cute Disney-themed wear while knowing that each pair you purchase contributes to a pair donated.
Credit: Disney
Love Your Melon Disney Collection
Disney also collaborates with Love Your Melon via its Disney X LYM product line of beanies and other headwear. Additionally, they have a Mandalorian X LYM line of extended Star Wars-themed products. Love Your Melon was established in 2012 with the heartfelt mission to “put a hat on every child battling cancer in America.” They present an elaborate selection of hats, caps, and other items, including well-known licensed brands like Disney, Peanuts, Harry Potter, Looney Toons, etc. With each product sold, 50% of the proceeds are donated to worldwide nonprofits leading the fight against pediatric cancer.
Many Love Your Melon products can be purchased through various retail locations around Disney Parks and Resorts. You can also buy these items online through shopDisney.
Credit: Love Your Melon
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National Geographic Products
Owing to the joint venture that exists between The Walt Disney Company and National Geographic, you can actually find many National Geographic products being sold through various Disney retailers. These include Disney Parks locations, Disney Resort gift shops, and even online.
National Geographic-related products vary from enrichment/educational builder sets, books, plush items, and even eco-friendly bags, apparel, and accessories. Purchases of National Geographic products directly support conservation and environmental preservation initiatives worldwide in many different ways.
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Coffee
Did you know that even buying coffee through Disney can help to make impactful, positive changes throughout the world? For instance, if you happen to stop in at Starbucks-based Creature Comforts at Animal Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World, you can order any size of their signature Flat White Latte and feel good about knowing that a portion of what you pay goes toward supporting the conservation of cotton-top tamarins—an endangered monkey species from South America. This specialty latte is served up as a slightly sweetened, smooth, velvety espresso comprising blended ristretto shots and steamed whole milk. The creamy white dollop topping the drink is what inspired it to represent the cotton-top tamarin, recognizable for its similar-looking crest of white hair extending from its forehead to the nape of its neck.
You may already know that Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. is the official specialty coffee brand of Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, and the Disney Vacation Club. But what you may not know is that purchasing select specialty Joffrey’s blends actually supports impoverished nations. When you buy from their Café Femenino Collection, a portion of the proceeds go toward helping women coffee farmers in Mexico, Columbia, Peru, Guatemala, and Sumatra.
Credit: Joffrey’s
Joffrey’s Peru Alto Mayo is a USDA organic fair-trade certified blend that uses coffee beans sourced from the protected San Martin area in the Amazon. In collaboration with the Disney Company and Conservation International, proceeds from purchasing Joffrey’s Peru Alto Mayo support the Alto Mayo Protected Forest Project, which helps families living in this area of Peru. The blend is served at various locations throughout Disney World and Disneyland, and every purchase per cup helps to support the cause. You may also order Joffrey’s directly online or pick up a whole bag at various Resort shops.
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Tickets to Certain Movies
Even the money you spend on a ticket to select Disney movies during their theatrical releases may go toward a good and noble cause. Disneynature films offer the perfect example, with opening week releases traditionally donating a portion of the proceeds to an organization or cause related to a given film’s subject matter. Organizations that have benefitted directly from Disneynature films include the World Wildlife Fund, the National Park Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Network, Conservation International, and many others.
As a result of the box office success that came from Marvel’s 2018 release of Black Panther, Disney donated one million dollars to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In November of 2022, in celebration of the theatrical release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Disney matched $250,000 in donations to STEM and art projects on DonorsChoose as part of the Disney Future Storytellers initiative. There are several other examples where proceeds from movie releases have also led to the support of many great causes.
Credit: Disney
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Purchases Supporting the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund
From artwork, plush toys with a cause, themed apparel, and so much more, you will find a versatile range of products you can buy at various in-Park/Resort locations and online that directly support the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Established back in 1995, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has an ongoing global initiative for protecting and preserving wildlife, nature, and the planet we all share. While there are many specific brands that support the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund specifically, there are also various retail locations that contribute a portion of all sales transactions that take place on location, conservation-related or otherwise. Disney World retail locations that donate a portion of the proceeds from purchases to the Conservation Fund can be found throughout Animal Kingdom Park, the Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion in EPCOT, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Old Key West, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Other Resorts where purchases benefit the Fund include Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, and Disney’s Aulani Resort.
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This list represents only a couple of the countless examples of how Disney uses money from your purchases to benefit the greater good. Hopefully, it makes you feel a little better when you feel that you’ve overpaid for a Disney-specific item to know that you’re helping to make a powerful, positive impact in the world.
