I Want That Too - Disney History and Merchandise

Jim Hill
  • 4.9 (21)
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  • Biweekly

Join Lauren Hersey and entertainment expert Jim Hill as they unpack the world of Disney products. From exclusive merchandise to magical collectibles, Lauren and Jim dive into not only what's available but also the stories and history behind these must-have items. Whether you're a collector or just a fan, get insider tips on the latest Disney finds and the fascinating tales that make each piece special.

  1. 1d ago

    A Hallmark Holiday Shopping Spree at Disney Springs

    Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey go shopping for Disney history as Jim shares highlights from his latest Florida trip. They check in on the Character Warehouse’s planned move, explore rare finds at Recycling the Magic, and celebrate World of Disney’s 30th anniversary. Then Jim reports from the Disney Hallmark Holiday Pop-Up Store at Disney Springs, where holiday merchandise is selling fast and some sought-after items are easier to find online. NEWS • An on-site update on the Character Warehouse’s move into the former Timberland space at Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets, including hopes for an opening before the holidays. • Recycling the Magic offers retired attraction props, park signs, and animation maquettes, plus a surprise Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster photo featuring Imagineer Jim Shull. • World of Disney marks 30 years, prompting memories of its original artwork, enormous layout, and longtime cast members. • Jim discovers Buc-ee’s travel-center spectacle, from character merchandise and seasonal displays to Beaver Nuggets. FEATURE • Inside the Disney Hallmark Holiday Pop-Up Store at Disney Springs and its merchandise tied to Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True. • How brisk sales changed the store’s selection between Jim’s visits, with spirit jerseys and pajamas proving especially popular. • Why checking the Hallmark Channel Store online helped Nancy find pajamas that were unavailable during their Disney Springs visit. HOSTS • Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com • Lauren Hersey - X/Twitter: @laurenhersey2 | Instagram: @lauren_hersey_ FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR Planning a Disney or Universal vacation? Be Our Guest Vacations can help you find the best options and handle the details, with planning services at no additional cost to you. Start planning at BeOurGuestVacations.com. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    A Hallmark Holiday Shopping Spree at Disney Springs

  2. Oct 22

    The Monsters, Inc. Coaster Disney Almost Built in 2008

    Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey open the door to a Monsters, Inc. coaster project that surfaced back in 2008, long before the attraction announced at D23 in 2024. Jim explains how an accidental cast-member video revealed the plans, from a Celia-led reception area to a chaotic finale with Mike and Sulley. They also discuss changes at Disney’s Character Warehouse outlets and the appeal of McDonald’s Disney Villains Boo Buckets. NEWS Disney’s Character Warehouse at the Vineland outlets prepares to move into a larger space, while Jim and Lauren consider what outlet expansion could mean for leftover park merchandise. McDonald’s Disney Villains Boo Buckets mix Halloween nostalgia with familiar characters as the bucket tradition marks its 40th anniversary. Jim plans a visit to the Hallmark holiday pop-up at Disney Springs, and the hosts look at Monsters, Inc. anniversary merchandise. FEATURE Pete Docter’s door-hangar chase inspires an early coaster concept for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with the former Mickey Avenue soundstages in the mix. A video appearing on the cast-member portal in July 2008 gives Jim an unexpected look at a project envisioned for Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary in 2011. The proposed ride includes a Monsters, Inc. open house, scream and laugh canisters, and an explosive finale that leaves Mike and Sulley needing bigger canisters. Jim traces how the financial crisis shelved that proposal and reflects on the long road to the Monsters, Inc. land announced in 2024. HOSTS Jim Hill - X: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com Lauren Hersey - X: @laurenhersey2 | Instagram: @lauren_hersey_ FOLLOW Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews YouTube: @jimhillmedia TikTok: @jimhillmedia Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR Planning your next Disney or Universal vacation? BeOurGuestVacations.com can help with hotels, theme park tickets, and dining reservations at no additional cost to you. As a Platinum-level EarMarked Disney travel agency and a Universal U-Preferred Platinum Planning Partner, their team can help you plan your next getaway. Be sure to tell them Lauren and Jim from I Want That Too sent you! If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Jim and Lauren explore an early Monsters, Inc. coaster plan, Disney outlet changes, and the nostalgia behind McDonald’s Boo Buckets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Monsters, Inc. Coaster Disney Almost Built in 2008

  3. Oct 15

    Frozen Pajamas, Darth on the Hearth, and Disney’s Missing Tornado

    Lauren Hersey and Jim Hill explore how familiar favorites find new life, from Frozen’s latest merchandise push to Darth Vader’s holiday makeover. Lauren takes a closer look at Frozen Fan Fest, pajama-clad Anna and Elsa, and the Christmas joke becoming “Darth on the Hearth.” Jim shares highlights from his visit to the Land of Oz before revealing how a two-minute licensing limit cost the Great Movie Ride its tornado. Along the way, they discuss oversized Olaf hats, Oz at the Sphere, and the enduring appeal of the Yellow Brick Road. NEWS Frozen Fan Fest returns with a storybook-style YouTube adventure, new pajamas, and American Girl’s Anna and Elsa baby sets. Walt Disney World’s holiday merchandise includes plaid apparel, a miniature Christmas monorail, festive Buzz Lightyear, and a towering Olaf hat. “Darth on the Hearth” turns a Star Wars holiday joke into merchandise, with Lauren exploring what the trademark filing might suggest for its future. The Wizard of Oz gets new attention at the Sphere and on broadcast television, while Disney’s Hallmark holiday pop-up arrives at Disney Springs. FEATURE Jim visits Autumn at Oz on Beech Mountain and walks the restored Yellow Brick Road through the seasonal Land of Oz park. How Disney’s agreement to recreate two minutes of The Wizard of Oz shaped the Great Movie Ride’s finale. Why a planned tornado gave way to Fantasia, and how Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway finally brought a twister into the building. From classic-film collectibles to retro park T-shirts, Oz’s appeal keeps the merchandise moving. HOSTS Lauren Hersey - X: @laurenhersey2 - Instagram: @lauren_hersey_ Jim Hill - X/Instagram: @JimHillMedia - jimhillmedia.com FOLLOW Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews YouTube: @jimhillmedia TikTok: @jimhillmedia Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR Planning your next getaway to Disney or Universal? Be Our Guest Vacations can help with hotels, theme park tickets, dining reservations, and the details of your Central Florida vacation. As a Platinum-level EarMarked Disney travel agency and Universal U Preferred Platinum Planning Partner, their team knows both destinations. Their vacation planning services come at no additional cost to you. Visit Be Our Guest Vacations to start planning. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Lauren Hersey and Jim Hill unpack Frozen Fan Fest, Star Wars holiday merchandise, and the Wizard of Oz scene cut from the Great Movie Ride. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Frozen Pajamas, Darth on the Hearth, and Disney’s Missing Tornado

  4. Oct 8

    Bob Chapek, Disney Store Closures, and the Pop-Up Comeback

    Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey dig into Bob Chapek's memoir, Behind the Castle Walls, and his account of reshaping Disney Consumer Products. They examine his franchise-first strategy, his claims about Disney Store profitability, and the store closures that followed during his time as CEO. Then Jim reports from the limited-time Disney Store at New Jersey's Westfield Garden State Plaza, comparing its merchandise and atmosphere with Lauren's visit to the Pittsburgh location. Along the way, they consider whether these pop-ups signal a retail comeback or a deliberately fleeting shopping experience. NEWS • The Hallmark Holiday Pop-Up Store opens at Disney Springs, bringing another limited-time shopping experience to Disney fans.• Disney's consumer-products restructuring moves licensing and publishing closer to the entertainment teams creating its stories and franchises.• Jim visits New Jersey's limited-time Disney Store as he and Lauren consider how its retail partnership could shape future pop-ups. FEATURE • Lauren breaks down Chapek's shift from product categories to franchise teams, while Jim asks how much Frozen contributed to the division's growth.• The hosts examine Chapek's account of improving merchandise, raising prices, limiting discounts, and returning the Disney Store to profitability.• Disney's 2021 store closures raise a central question: why did the executive who championed the stores' turnaround later oversee their retreat?• Jim compares the New Jersey and Pittsburgh pop-ups, including location-specific merchandise, their anticipated January closing windows, and the uncertainty around further expansion. HOSTS • Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | Website: jimhillmedia.com• Lauren Hersey - X/Twitter: @laurenhersey2 | Instagram: @lauren_hersey_ FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews• YouTube: @jimhillmedia• TikTok: @jimhillmedia• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave GreyProduced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR Planning a Disney or Universal getaway? Be Our Guest Vacations can help with hotel reservations, theme park tickets, dining reservations, and the details that make a Central Florida vacation easier to plan, all at no additional cost to you. Visit BeOurGuestVacations.com to start planning your trip. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Jim and Lauren examine Bob Chapek's consumer-products claims and explore what Disney's limited-time stores reveal about the future of Disney shopping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Bob Chapek, Disney Store Closures, and the Pop-Up Comeback

  5. Oct 1

    When Disney Took Toontown to the Mall

    Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey kick off October with a look at Toys "R" Us and the surprising return of large-scale pop-up retail, including a connection to Disney's own limited-time stores. Then Jim digs into Disney's history of taking theme park promotion on the road, from the enormous Ear Force One hot-air balloon and the Lim Mouse Zine to Mickey's Mouse-O-Rail and an eight-story inflatable Maleficent. The main event is the 1993 Mickey's Toontown mall tour, which brought Disney characters and elaborate installations directly to shoppers across the West Coast. NEWS • Toys "R" Us prepares to expand its physical retail presence with 120 new shops ahead of the holiday season. • Lauren explores the Go Retail Group connection between Toys "R" Us locations and Disney's recent limited-time retail stores. • The rise of "kidulting" helps explain why major toy and entertainment brands are taking another look at brick-and-mortar retail. • Jim checks out The Art of Gravity Falls, a new coffee-table book celebrating Alex Hirsch's enduring animated series. FEATURE • How the 1993 Mickey's Toontown mall tour promoted Disneyland's newest land by bringing Mickey, Minnie, and elaborate sets directly to shoppers. • Jim traces Disney's oversized promotional stunts back to Ear Force One, a nearly 100-foot-tall Mickey Mouse hot-air balloon created for Walt Disney World's 15th anniversary. • The Lim Mouse Zine turned a dramatically stretched Lincoln Town Car into a traveling Disney-MGM Studios publicity machine. • Disneyland's Mickey's Mouse-O-Rail transformed part of an actual monorail into a road-going promotional vehicle for the park's 35th anniversary. • An eight-story inflatable Maleficent helped promote the nighttime spectacular that eventually became Fantasmic!, even as Disney repeatedly changed the show's name. • Jim explains how those ambitious road tours eventually helped steer Disney toward elaborate mall promotions like Mickey's Toontown, Hercules, and A Bug's Life tours. HOSTS • Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | Website: jimhillmedia.com • Lauren Hersey - X/Twitter: @laurenhersey2 | Instagram: @lauren_hersey_ FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR Planning a Disney or Universal getaway? Be Our Guest Vacations can help with hotel reservations, theme park tickets, dining reservations, and the details that make a Central Florida vacation easier to plan, all at no additional cost to you. Visit BeOurGuestVacations.com to start planning your trip. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Jim and Lauren explore Toys "R" Us's retail comeback and Disney's wild history of promoting Disneyland with hot-air balloons, custom vehicles, giant inflatables, and the 1993 Mickey's Toontown mall tour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    When Disney Took Toontown to the Mall

  6. Sep 24

    Cars Keeps Rolling: 20 Years of Lightning McQueen, Mater, and Merch

    Disney’s Cars is turning 20, and Lightning McQueen and Mater are still racing through Disney’s merchandise machine with new Loungefly releases, Formula 1 collaborations, and more on the horizon. Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey also explore the merchandise inside the newly opened Magic of Disney Animation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including its animation-inspired Ink & Paint collection. Plus, they look at Disney’s latest experiment in collectible cast member dolls and wonder which theme park roles should get the doll treatment next. Along the way, Lauren reports back from a massive Ohio flea market and what longtime collectors are saying about the changing market for Disney memorabilia. NEWS • The Magic of Disney Animation is now fully open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, complete with exclusive studio-inspired merchandise. • Disney’s new Ink & Paint collection leans into model sheets, character sketches, and the look of the animation process. • Cars celebrates its 20th anniversary with new Lightning McQueen merchandise, Loungefly designs, and fresh collaborations. • A new Disney Parks collectible doll inspired by Guest Relations raises a bigger question: Which Cast Member role should Disney turn into a doll next? • Lauren’s trip to Rogers Flea Market reveals how longtime collectors are downsizing while a new generation searches for nostalgia and authenticity. FEATURE • Jim looks back at how Cars grew from a successful Pixar film into a massive merchandise franchise. • Mater’s breakout popularity helped reshape the series, from Cars 2 to Mater’s Tall Tales and decades of collectibles. • With a new preschool series and a Walt Disney World attraction on the way, Disney continues introducing Cars to another generation of fans. HOSTS • Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia - Instagram: @JimHillMedia - jimhillmedia.com • Lauren Hersey - X/Twitter: @laurenhersey2 - Instagram: @lauren_hersey_ FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR Plan your next Orlando getaway with BeOurGuestVacations.com, a Disney travel agency and Universal planning partner that can help with hotels, theme park tickets, dining reservations, and the details that go into planning your vacation - all at no additional cost for their planning services. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Cars Keeps Rolling: 20 Years of Lightning McQueen, Mater, and Merch

  7. Sep 17

    Disney Grows Up: Kidulting, Collectibles, and the Toys That Started It All

    Disney is leaning harder than ever into adult collectors, and Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey look at how "kidulting" is reshaping the company's merchandise strategy. They also dig into Disney's upcoming anniversary-driven retail plans, the unusual merchandising challenge surrounding Walt Disney Animation Studios' Hexed, and the growing importance of collectibles aimed squarely at grown-up fans. Then Jim heads back to the earliest days of Disney toys for the story of Marx, Disney Kins, a massive West Virginia toy factory, and one tiny Timothy Mouse who may have gone on a very unexpected adventure. HIGHLIGHTS • Disney's Hexed faces an unusually compressed merchandise rollout after a major character change late in production. • Star Wars prepares for its 50th anniversary with new theatrical activity and a major consumer-products push. • Disney is already looking ahead to Mickey's 100th and Marvel's 90th as year-long merchandising opportunities. • "Kidulting" is becoming an increasingly important part of Disney's strategy as adults drive demand for toys, dolls, collectibles, and premium collaborations. • From limited-edition dolls to high-end fashion partnerships, Disney is finding new ways to reach fans wherever they already shop. • Listener Mike inspires a look back at Louis Marx and Company, one of Disney's earliest major toy partners. • The Marx factory in Glen Dale, West Virginia once became one of the world's largest toy-manufacturing operations. • Jim revisits Disney Kins, the tiny hand-painted figures that brought Mickey, Ludwig Von Drake, classic animated characters, and more to toy shelves beginning in the 1960s. • A childhood encounter with a very small Timothy Mouse Disney Kin gives Jim one of his more unusual collecting stories. HOSTS • Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com • Lauren Hersey - X/Twitter: @laurenhersey2 | Instagram: @lauren_hersey_ FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR Plan your next Disney or Universal vacation with Be Our Guest Vacations, a platinum-level EarMarked Disney travel agency and Universal Preferred Platinum planning partner. Their vacation-planning services come at no additional cost to you. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Disney Grows Up: Kidulting, Collectibles, and the Toys That Started It All

  8. Sep 10

    Disney World Turns 55 as Disney Rethinks the Future of Merch

    Disney World is getting ready to celebrate its 55th anniversary with a retro-inspired merchandise collection, and Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey dig into why this milestone may be getting more attention than expected. They also look at Disney's decision to close several international online stores and what that move could signal about the company's evolving retail and licensing strategy. Plus, Lauren breaks down Disney's push into premium athleisure and a new mash-up of two popular merchandise trends: customizable headbands and mystery collectibles. NEWS • Walt Disney World's 55th anniversary collection brings retro colors, classic Mickey artwork, and merchandise celebrating all four parks. • A limited-edition Cinderella doll inspired by Prince Charming Regal Carrousel could become one of the anniversary's most sought-after collectibles. • Disney is closing its online stores in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia as the company leans on authorized retail partners in those markets. • Disney's new understated athleisure collection takes aim at the park-going audience already wearing brands like lululemon and Alo. • Disneyland combines customizable character headbands with mystery collectibles for a new Disney Villains release featuring Maleficent, Ursula, Hades, Yzma, and more. HOSTS • Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com • Lauren Hersey - X/Twitter: @laurenhersey2 | Instagram: @lauren_hersey_ FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR Plan your next Disney or Universal vacation with Be Our Guest Vacations. Their experienced travel planners can help with hotels, tickets, dining reservations, and the details that make vacation planning easier, all at no additional cost to you. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Disney World Turns 55 as Disney Rethinks the Future of Merch
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About

Join Lauren Hersey and entertainment expert Jim Hill as they unpack the world of Disney products. From exclusive merchandise to magical collectibles, Lauren and Jim dive into not only what's available but also the stories and history behind these must-have items. Whether you're a collector or just a fan, get insider tips on the latest Disney finds and the fascinating tales that make each piece special.

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