Walt Disney World Vacation: 2019 (Keychain Souvenirs Haul)

I posted back in March of last year that my family was planning to take a trip to Walt Disney World near the end of 2019. Back then I had this crazy idea that I could save some cash in the long run by shopping for used Disney parks keychains online beforehand. The plan was to buy only secondhand keychains that were priced more reasonably than regular retail, in the hopes that I wouldn't be as tempted to purchase more souvenirs once I actually got to the park. I was also hoping that, if I was tempted at all, seeing the full retail price would send me into sticker shock and I'd put things back without actually buying them.

That was the plan anyway. In reality I not only went a bit overboard with my online 'shopping spree', but I also ended up buying several keychains at the park anyway, though not as many as I was tempted to buy. However, my admittedly limited willpower wasn't entirely due to sticker shock. I was very disappointed by how cheaply made some of the keychains sold at the park were, especially considering how much Disney was charging for them.

Three keychains in particular stand out in my mind. One was a Buzz Lightyear keychain with a battery operated, light-up 'laser'. The proportions of this keychain strongly reminded me of the 'mini Buzz' fast food toy character from the Pixar short Small Fry. However, when I took a closer look I noticed that most of the keychains were already broken, with one arm snapped off and dangling by the wire used to power the light-up 'laser'. There was one keychain that did seem to have an intact arm, but it also had a chipped helmet. Even if I had managed to find one that wasn't damaged, by then I didn't see the point of buying a keychain that was all but guaranteed to break.

The second keychain that disappointed me was based on the ride vehicles from the Alice In Wonderland themed Mad Tea Party attraction. The keychain looked nice, but the plastic used to make it was so thin that I was worried it would crack. The most disappointing moment for me, however, came when I saw the Disney autograph book keychains in person for the first time. I'd seen these keychains before online, and I'd had my eye on them for a while. But when I was looking them over at the park I noticed that the shiny 'plating' on the keyring was already flaking off, on all of them. These keychains weren't cheaply priced either. You'd think that if Disney was going to attach their name to something, and charge so much for it, that they could at least sell a quality product. If nothing else, you'd think they'd want to maintain a good reputation for the company.

As I stated earlier in this post, I did pick up several keychains on my trip. The prices ranged from $3.99 to $9.99, not including sales tax. Half of the keychains I bought were actually from the World Showcase pavilions in EPCOT, and weren't technically Disney themed.

For example, I bought this keychain from the Canada pavilion. Priced at $9.99 before tax, this little black bear with his plaid printed hoodie was one of the most expensive keychains I got on the trip. However, he and his 'brothers' at the store were just so cute that I couldn't leave without getting one.

This keychain came from Epcot's China pavilion. As you can see, it has my name in both English and in Chinese characters. I'm always happy when I find a keychain with my name on it, because this particular spelling seems to be less common. From what I've seen, most keychain manufacturers spell my name without the letter H.

To fully appreciate this next keychain from Epcot's Japan pavilion, here's a little background information. One of the most prominent attractions at the Japan pavilion when I was there was a large store called Mitsukoshi. This store was made up of a series of interconnected rooms, and it took up a good sized chunk of real estate. Because the store was so big, there were multiple register locations strategically placed at different points throughout the building. And at each checkout counter there was a basket of 'lucky cat' figurines for sale. From what I understand, these cat figures with their one raised paw are supposed to bring good fortune. When I found the keychain pictured above of Godzilla in the 'lucky cat' pose, it amused me so much that I bought it. I'm often drawn to things that are quirky, and I'm a bit of a pop culture junkie as well.

Here is yet another keychain from Epcot. This one is based on the Figment character from the Journey Into Imagination attraction. Figment has become a Disney icon of sorts with, I believe, a rather large fan following. I would've preferred a keychain that showed Figment's full body, but this was the only Figment keychain the park seemed to carry.

Speaking of classic Disney attractions, this keychain is based on Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. The figure's mouths can actually open and close somewhat. This Tiki Room keychain was also my other most expensive keychain purchase of the trip, since it was the same price as the black bear keychain I bought at the Canada pavilion.

This last keychain was in fact the first one I bought on the trip. It came from The Lego Store in the Disney Springs shopping district. It was also the least expensive keychain I purchased, priced at $3.99 before tax. Some of you may remember that I already have a different Lego Star Wars Princess Leia keychain, which I showed off in my February Shopping Spree post. This version of Leia has her white Senate robes and her 'iconic' side buns hairstyle.

Well, I guess that wraps it up. All in all, I think I got a good haul on this trip.

Signed, Treesa

Ocean City Vacation: July 2018 (Keychain Souvenirs Haul)

Remember how, in a previous post, I wrote about the lack of souvenir keychains in gift shops? Well apparently, there's at least one place where souvenir keychains can still be found in abundance, and that's Ocean City, New Jersey. My best friend and I took an 'extended weekend' trip there near the end of July, and I came back with over half a dozen keychains for my collection.

My best friend bought this first keychain for me as a gift. I was eyeing it at one of the shops on the Boardwalk. But because it was the first day of the trip, I was trying to decide whether I should just buy it then or wait and see if I could find it cheaper elsewhere. My friend must've gotten tired of waiting for me to make up my mind, because she offered to buy it for me. The turtle itself is made from wood and has the words "Ocean City" painted on the underside.

This next group of keychains came from a shop on Asbury Avenue called Hoy's 5&10.

I first learned about 5&10, or five-and-dime, stores in my grade school social studies textbook. I don't know whether the store in Ocean City actually dates back to the 'golden age' of five-and-dimes. But I did realize that, due to inflation, there wouldn't be anything in the store for five or ten cents at the store. However, because there's a chain of stores in my area called Five Below (where everything for sale is five dollars or less) I thought that maybe the 5&10 in the name had been updated to mean five and ten dollars. I was wrong in that assumption. There were a number of things for sale at Hoy's 5&10 that were over ten dollars. Actually, this lot of three keychains ended up costing me over ten dollars. But honestly, where was I ever going to find that noodle bowl keychain again in the United States. And as the previous keychain featured in this post demonstrates, I have a real fondness for turtle design keychains. The black shell with the rainbow-colored floral design is actually a coin purse, made from two shells that had been painted black and stitched to a zipper.

This record player keychain, or 'turntable' as it's called on the packaging, is from the World's Coolest line by Super Impulse. Record players, like typewriters and VHS tapes, are 'old school' technology, and have received renewed attention in recent years. The resurgence of these items in popular culture has genuinely piqued my interest, since I fondly remember such things from my childhood. In my keychain collection, I categorize these and similar items as 'retro tech', the word retro meaning inspired by or imitating the recent past. I plan on devoting a blog post to the subject at some point.

I was looking at the 'turntable' keychain in a store called Kay Jay's Doll Shoppe, but I put it back because I thought the price was a little high for one keychain. I was also feeling guilty for spending over ten dollars on keychains at Hoy's 5&10. My best friend bought the record player for me when I wasn't looking, then handed me the bag after we left the store. I replaced the original metal clip on the keychain with a split ring after getting home from vacation, because I'm nitpicky like that.

I found this seashell keychain for sale at a candy shop on the Boardwalk. Now, the thing I've noticed about seashells is that they can be fragile. Shells with thinner walls can easily crack or crush. So when I looked through the basket of shell keychains at the store, I made sure to pick one that not only looked interesting, but also had decently thick walls. Hopefully this will make it more durable.

This dolphin keychain came from a 'dollar store', also located on the Boardwalk. The store had a similar keychain with a sea turtle design that I was considering buying. However, the sea turtle seemed to have a rather unpleasant expression, while the dolphins looked much more cheerful. And I do have the same soft spot for dolphins that I have for turtles.

I think I was drawn to this last keychain because it's made to be three collectibles in one. First off, it's a souvenir keychain. Secondly, it's a collectable souvenir spoon. And thirdly, it can function as a bottle opener, thanks to the way the back is shaped. Not only that, but there's a 'spinner' element at the top as well.

In spite of the impressive number of keychains that I brought home, there were a few I saw that I'm wishing I'd picked up. Hoy's 5&10 had a clearance priced keychain showing the Ocean City Music Pier. The Music Pier happened to be right near the Boardwalk entrance that my friend and I always used, because it was the entrance closest to our hotel. There was also another keychain I saw at one of the Boardwalk shops that had a quote on it about how the sand and the salt water would wash away but the memories would last forever, or something like that. I really should have bought it, since I liked it so much and since it wasn't that expensive. But I was feeling guilty again for already buying so many keychains on the trip.

Of course, collectors often think about 'the ones that got away'. It's one of the factors that drives them to keep collecting. I hope that you enjoyed seeing what I got on my trip. And to any other keychain collectors out there, I wish you luck on your own collecting journeys.

Signed, Treesa