World of Disney

World of Disney store at Walt Disney World Resort's Downtown Disney

World of Disney is a chain of specialty retail stores owned and operated by the Parks and Resorts division of The Walt Disney Company. Currently there are two locations.

Walt Disney World

The first opened on October 2, 1996 in the Marketplace area of Downtown Disney at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort. At approximately 51,000 square feet of retail space, it is said to offer the largest selection of Disney character merchandise in the world, according to the company. A 2006 renovation added a small princess-themed salon called Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, plus a new children's merchandise area inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean and Stitch.

Downtown Disney Anaheim

A second, slightly smaller version opened in 2001 in the Downtown Disney district of the Disneyland Resort in California.

Fifth Avenue, New York City

On October 5, 2004, a third site opened within a three-story New York City space formerly occupied by a traditional Disney Store in Manhattan on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street (the physical address is 711 Fifth Avenue). Prior to the Disney changeover, the store was the flagship location for Warner Brothers’ retail outlets, the Warner Bros. Studio Store, which folded in 2001 in the USA, and then internationally over the next seven years. What made the New York store different from the others is that there were character appearances every day except Tuesday and Wednesday from September through May and events each weekend in a third floor “Friendship Room” which once served as the home of a 3-D movie while the location was under Warner Brothers ownership. This store was closed on December 31, 2009, with the interior dismantled on January 4, 2010, and a Disney Store located in the former Virgin Megastore in Times Square opened in its' place in November 2010.

Goods sold at World of Disney include backpacks, books, boxers, children’s apparel, clocks, collectibles, costumes, dolls, figurines, gifts, hats, jewelry, luggage, photo albums, plush toys, sleepwear, slippers, socks, souvenirs, stationery, sunglasses, sweatshirts, T-shirts, ties, videos, watches and other items branded with Disney characters and theme park icons, plus candy and natural snacks from the “Goofy’s Candy Company” and “Chip N’ Dale” brands.

Disneyland Resort Paris

In 2012, a World of Disney store will open at Disneyland Resort Paris. Plans for an outlet to open during the Happiest Celebration on Earth fell through as the resort’s operators, Euro Disney SCA, decided to keep the expansion of the resort inside the theme parks and on attractions, but they have commissioned a new store as part of the refurbishment of Disney Village.

The North American Disney Store chain launched in 1987 by Disney Consumer Products was sold in 2004 to The Children’s Place, but was repurchased by Disney in May 2008, closing almost one-third of the stores that were underperforming.

Gallery

World of Disney appearing on Downtown Disney's Guide Map

A Downtown Disney Guide Map

External links

• World of Disney at the Disneyland Resort
• World of Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort
• www.worldofdisney.wikia.com

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia page World of Disney. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. Text from Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.