Being a keychain collector, I also started thinking about vacation souvenirs. Things are frequently overpriced at any popular tourist destination, but the Disney parks can be especially pricey. When my family was taking the shuttle bus back to the airport after our last Disney trip, the driver even made a joke about the price of a bottle of water at the park versus the price of bottled water in the 'real world'. Now that my family's next Disney trip has a more definitive time frame, as opposed to being at some undetermined date in the hazy future, I found myself wondering if I should start putting aside extra money for a souvenir fund.
That's when I came up with a crazy idea. What if, instead of buying keychains at the park, I tried to save myself some money in the long run by going online and searching for Disney parks souvenir keychains at a discount on the secondary market? I know I stated in a previous post that I don't buy a lot of keychains online, mostly due to shipping costs. However I figured there was no harm in looking around. Online 'window shopping' wouldn't cost me anything but my time, and if I couldn't find anything at a price I was willing to pay then I could just log off empty-handed.
I discovered something while searching online that other keychain collectors might find useful. If you're looking for keychains from a specific Disney attraction, then there will be fewer search results and the prices will be harder to justify, budget-wise. On the other hand, if you're looking for a more general Disney parks keychain, then there will be more results at a wider range of prices. I was able to find a number of what I consider good deals. In fact, I sort of went overboard. I can definitely understand why people say that online shopping is addictive.
The first keychain I picked up on my 'shopping spree' was this one. The words 'Disney Parks' and a small castle in the clouds design appear to be etched into the metal, which by the way was a bit tricky to photograph due to the reflective surface. Overall, I think the combination of the metal with the red leather or faux red leather strap (I'm not sure which) gives this keychain a very classy look.
The next keychain I ordered has a nice design of the Disney castle on it (though again, the reflective surface made it difficult to photograph) but it isn't actually for the parks. I knew this was the case before I bought it, but I just really liked the design. According to the lettering on the back, this keychain is some kind of advertisement or premium for Partners Home Mortgage.
I looked up Partners Home Mortgage online, and it seems to be connected to Partners Federal Credit Union, which according to their website 'provides financial products and services' for Walt Disney Company employees. I didn't know the Disney Company has its own private credit union. You learn something new every day.
This Lego Star Wars Princess Leia keychain probably didn't come from the parks either, although there was a Lego store located in a shopping district at the Walt Disney World resort the last time I visited. However, I'm fairly sure the Star Wars franchise didn't officially join the Disney 'family' until more recently than that. Still, now that the Star Wars films are produced by Disney, Leia should totally count as a Disney princess.
The fact is, I've wanted one of these Princess Leia keychains ever since I first saw them at a shopping mall based Lego Store a while back. The thing about this version of Leia that got my attention was that she has a second facial expression on the back of her head.
I liked the idea of having an option of going from smiling Leai to frowning Leia.
This letter T monogram keychain was originally made for the Disney parks. It says so on the back.
I also bought some theme park keychains that have my actual name on them. In a shocking twist that will surprise no one, my real name is...
The Harry Potter Gryffindor crest keychain obviously didn't come from the Disney parks. However, it is from another Florida theme park, namely The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando.
Next we have a Walt Disney World 25th anniversary keychain.
I picked out this keychain because it has The Genie from Aladdin on it. The Genie was one of my favorite Disney characters when I was growing up.
If you look closely at this photo of the back of the keychain, you can make out the words 'Walt Disney World'.
I'm not sure if this coin purse keychain is actually from the Disney parks, but I doubt it. Other keychains I've seen from the parks that have fabric labels will say 'Disney Parks Authentic', or something similar. The fabric label on the inside of this coin purse keychain says 'Mickey Unlimited'. According to the online listing, the seller attributed the design on this keychain to artist Andy Warhol. I'm not sure how accurate that information is, but I do like the design.
This last online purchase was sort of an impulse buy. By the time I stumbled across the listing, the auction was almost over. I quickly looked over the page and noticed that the cost was low, there were no bidders, and the seller had an excellent feedback score. I also liked the 'Mickey Mouse head' shape of the keychain. So I took a chance on it. The castle design on the keychain is a little more stylized than I would've liked with its heavy, black outlining. But overall I'm happy with my purchase.
While I was in a Disney mood I also picked up this item from my favorite thrift store. It's meant to be the rose and bell jar from Disney's Beauty And The Beast animated film. I found it attached to the zipper of an empty Beauty And The Beast themed art kit. Because the kit was missing all of the art supplies, the price on it was low enough that I felt ok with buying the case and then donating it after I removed the keychain. I suppose it's actually more of a zipper pull than a keychain. But hey, it's my collection.
I also picked up this Lego Star Wars landspeeder keychain while I was at it. This keychain was purchased from a store called Andy's Brick Shop that specializes in Lego items, mostly second-hand pieces and sets, but also old stock still in package. I'm assuming this particular keychain was used, since it didn't come with a tag or any other original packaging.
So, that about wraps up last month's 'shopping spree'. Like I said, I sort of went overboard. But at least I can own up to that.
Signed, Treesa
