Tokyo Disney Sea Mascots Haul 2016

Last year one of my dreams came true: After wanting to visit a Disney Park for nearly two decades, I finally got to visit Disneyland Tokyo. But there is not only one Disney Park in Tokyo, but also Disney Sea, which is located right next to it. Both visits were absolutely spectacular, but there was something about Disney Sea that I enjoyed a little bit more-not only from an experience-, but also from an exclusive merchandise-perspective. You all have to know that Disney movies are the foundation of my childhood (especially Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Robin Hood and The Lion King), but I am not very savvy when it comes to lesser known characters. Combine this fact with my inner cat lady and now imagine that everywhere in Japan a pistachio-green colored cat appears in form of bag charms or even as a bag itself. I did not know its name, only the horrendous prices for its merchandise on the secondhand-market. 2016 finally made me wiser: It is Gelatoni, the Mediterranean friend of bears Duffy and Shellie May. Altogether they are the exclusive mascots for Tokyo Disney Sea and not to be found in regular Japanese Disney Stores!

You also won’t be able to buy Duffy and friends related merchandise in every store in Disney Sea, although they are very conveniently located near the entrance of the park in the Mediterranean area. On the way to the Toy Story and Tower of Terror rides, there is also McDuck’s, which is modelled after an old department store. There you can also get everything Duffy, Shellie May or Gelatoni-themed.

The story says that Duffy was a plush bear that Minnie made for Mickey to accompany him on one of his journeys. Due to higher prices, I had to decide carefully what to pick up and started out with a set out of three different pens that each feature one of the Disney Sea characters. Depending on when you visit the park, there will be different promotions. In December it was called Wishing Together, which featured the Disney friends in patchwork-style clothes. There were also plushies, but the clothes were not really my style and so I was just as happy with my pens, since I also collect cute stationary. The wonderful thing about them, is that they do not feature different colors and character charms, but also different artwork.

Speaking of stationary, this Gelatoni-notebook is one of the cutest things! It contains several different types with artwork from Gelatoni’s everyday life as a professional painter in the Mediterranean Sea where he met and became friends with Duffy. From the omiyage (souvenirs that you buy for your family, friends and colleagues) section, I got a tin case full of chocolates that matches my Gelatoni notepad. The chocolates were eaten on the same day, but now the tin case houses my higher quality colored pencils.

If Duffy is Mickey’s teddy bear, it is only logical that Minnie deserves her own plushy, too! You know, who I am talking about, right?! Yes, it is Shellie May! In Disney Parks you will always have a lot of options, when it comes to headbands or pass cases for your park ticket. The Shellie May headband was extremely popular, but I tried it on and it felt a bit tight. That is the reason why I decided to go with her pass case. It is out of the softest plush and Shellie May’s nose feels velvety. Her eyes are a pretty dark blue and she even has grey stitched-in lashes. The bow on top of her head is out of stuffed linen-fabric. In the back there is a slip to carry your park ticket in and if you want to be extra careful, you can store it in the pouch that closes with a zipper.

My biggest purchase of the day was the big Gelatoni plushy. If I am lucky to get to visit Disney Sea again, I also want to get Duffy and Shellie May in the same size to keep him company. The interesting thing about these plush dolls, is that visitors love to carry them around the park and buy them different outfits or even make them themselves. Like Shelley May, Gelatoni is out of the softest plush ever. To underline his background, his tail looks like a big brush that he, not coincidentally, likes to paint with. I love how his eyes represent the turquoise sea of the Mediterrean and suit his pistachio-green plush so well! He is wearing a dark turquoise hat on his head that is attached with a clip. Theoretically you can also wear the hat yourself! In the back of my head I can remember that there was a purchase-limit of three plushies of each type per customer.

Who is your favorite out of the three? Are you a fan of Gelatoni like me? Thank you so much for reading!

Theri