The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (119 page)

Tomorrowland Gear and Grub

Gear:

Autopia Winner’s Circle

[
FastView:
 
Cute counter-shop for auto-themed gear.
]

Befitting its location next to
Autopia
, this small counter shop sells auto-themed merchandise.

It
originally opened in 2000 in the present
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
loading area.  The venerable
Submarine Voyage
had closed in 1998, leaving its queue space vacant, and the
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
wouldn’t launch until 2007.  In its original location,
Autopia Winner’s Circle
had a racing-themed interior that included displays of
Autopia
cars, and ubiquitous checkered-flag racing décor.

Once
construction on the
Finding Nemo
attraction kicked into high gear in 2006, the
Autopia Winner’s Circle
moved to its present location on the eastern edge of
Tomorrowland
, taking over a much smaller shop formerly occupied by the
Hatmosphere
.

In this rather obscure locale sandwiched between
Autopia
and the back of
Innoventions
,
Autopia Winner’s Circle
gets some of its traffic from Guests on their way to the nearby rest rooms or the
Tomorrowland Train Station
.

Now a simple counter venue,
Autopia Winner’s Circle
seldom has long lines and is a great place to purchase impulse items like snacks, disposable cameras, or glow necklaces if you happen to be in the area.

I
n keeping with its racing theme, the shop sells a variety of toy cars, a monorail model,
Disneyland
license plate frames, and humorous traffic and road signs for the little racers in your party. Hats, pins, and light sabers round out the choices.
Did You Know?
  If you’re a dedicated gear-head, you’ll also enjoy the aviation and
Cars
and
Planes
-themed
Fly n’ Buy
shop in
Condor Flats
at
Disney California Adventure Park
.  The
Fly n’ Buy
has room to offer a lot more merchandise than the
Winner’s Circle
, and even sells leather flight jackets.  And certainly not-to-be-missed: 
DCA
’s
Cars Land
and its many auto-themed attractions and shops!

Little Green Men Store Command

[
FastView:
 
A galaxy of
Pixar
toys and
Disney
pins.
]

One of the exit corridors from
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
feeds you directly into the
Little Green Men Store Command
, a
Toy Story
-themed shop where you can buy
Toy Story
merchandise, particularly
Buzz Lightyear
toys, clothing, and accessories.  If your child wants a
Buzz Lightyear
costume, or an oversized pair of
Buzz
’s utility gloves, this is your shop.  Not surprisingly, the store opened in concert with the
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
launch in spring 2005.

There’s a wide range of price points
here; this is one of the park stores where little ones can find plenty to buy with their limited allowance or small stash of
Disney Dollars
.  For
Buzz
fans, an inexpensive little keychain blaster that actually lights up and makes a blasting sound might be just the choice.  There are also affordable gems like plush
Hamm
dolls, and
Mr. Potato Head
and
Etch-a-Sketch
keychains.

Even Guests who don’t care much for
Toy Story
or
Buzz
will want to drop in if they collect or trade
Disney pins
.  This is one of the best pin stores in a park brimming with outstanding pin shops; you’ll find a broad selection of interesting pins across all categories (
Attractions
,
Characters
,
New Releases
, etc.) as well as all the pin paraphernalia that serious traders need, the lanyards and pin cases and so forth.

Staff is friendly and helpful, and the environment is colorful, given its toy and sci-fi them
e.  Don’t be surprised if you wander in here, whether from the
Buzz Lightyear
attraction or right off the street, and find that ten minutes has passed in what seems like the blink of an eye!

This is a good place for Guests to pass the time if they’re not interested in the
Tomorrowland
attractions that the rest of their party is riding.  Why not peruse the pin selection while your teens are careening through the stars over at
Space Mountain
? This is one of the most comprehensive and finest
Disney pin
purchasing locales in the park, with unusual pins, lanyards, and starter sets that will intrigue collectors and newbies alike.
Did You Know?
  The
Little Green Men
of the store name are the cute little three-eyed green aliens from the
Toy Story
films.  They began life in
Toy Story
as prizes in the claw machine at the
Pizza Planet
restaurant. In
Toy Story 2
,
Mr. Potato Head
saves them, and
Mrs. Potato Head
adopts them.  In the
Buzz Lightyear
TV series, they are
Star Command
team members, contributing to the fight against galactic evil.

Star Trader

[
FastView:
 
One of
Disneyland
’s biggest and best stores,
Star Trader
features a lot of variety, and a stunning collection of
Star Wars
merchandise.  You can check purchases here for pick-up later.
]

The second biggest store in
Disneyland Park
(after the
Emporium
), with one of the broadest ranges of merchandise and price points,
Star Trader
opened its doors in 1986 and has been a Guest favorite ever since.  According to
Zagat Disneyland Insider’s Guide
(2010) Guests rank Star
Trader
14
th
among all of the resort shops, including those in both parks and in
Downtown Disney
.

Located south of
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
and north of
Space Mountain
, wedged between
Star Tours
and
”Captain EO,”
Star Trader
is well positioned on a highly visible piece of real estate.  Just to make sure no one misses the store at night, it’s adorned with a cute, kinetic, neon
Space Mickey
sign, a series of space suited-
Mickeys
that light in succession, giving the illusion that
Mickey
’s floating along the façade.

You can enter
Star Trader
from the main
Tomorrowland
promenade,
Space Mountain
’s exit corridor, or the adjacent
Starcade
.  Guests exiting
Star Tours
are fed directly into the
Star Wars
section of the store.  All roads may lead to Rome, but all
Tomorrowland
thoroughfares seem to lead to this store.

Guests who love to shop can spend
an hour here, perusing items for themselves and for friends and family.  If there’s a
Star Wars
fan in your clan, you can’t do better than to browse the aforementioned
Star Wars
section in the west wing of the store, where Guests find all things
Star Wars
, everything from vehicles to action figures, light sabers, T-shirts, hats, helmets, and dozens of
tchotchkes
and collectibles, interesting items that you’re not going to find in a typical toy store.

There’s a large counter devoted to
Disney
-themed caps of all sorts.  It’s usually crowded with browsers and purchasers–who knew
Disney
lids were so popular?

Shoppers on a budget should check out the numerous bins around the counters and register islands; they’re jam-packed with little trinkets and knick-knacks like keychains, pens, tiny figures,
antenna toppers, etc. that even kids with a few
Disney Dollars
can afford.  One of the finest things about
Disney
is its insistence on quality; even the low-priced merchandise is fun, attractive, and well made.

Shoppers with a little more coin to spend should check out the shelves along the southwest wall of the shop, where you’ll find a universe of
Disney
-themed products, from toys to art sets, watches, alarm clocks, and kitchen utensils.  There are also racks of
Disney
jewelry, from the inexpensive variety perfect for kids to somewhat pricier grown-up offerings.  (For fine jewelry and crystal, visit
Main Street
or
New Orleans Square
.)

The bulk of
Star Trader
is devoted to
Disney
apparel of all types.  Even though
Star Trader
is the anchor store of
Tomorrowland
, it has plenty of non-science fiction merchandise.  You can find the increasingly popular
Grumpy
T-shirts and hats,
Tinker Bell
shirts and jackets,
Mickey
wear,
Minnie
wear, and clothing themed to the resort.

That said, this
is
the best place in the park for sci-fi and futuristic apparel. 
Star Wars
and
Jedi
clothes abound, and there are unexpected gems from time-to-time like marvelous retro T-shirts printed with vintage posters for past
Tomorrowland
attractions such as the
Skyway
and the
Flying Saucers
.

Whether you’re trying to beat the heat, get out of the rain, or pass the time while the rest of your party is on
Space Mountain
, you can’t do better in
Tomorrowland
than to pop into
Star Trader
.  Did you leave all of your souvenir and gift buying until half an hour before your vacation ends?  (Hey, it happens!)  No problem–find something for everyone at this store!

Like the
Newsstand
and the
Pioneer Mercantile
,
Star Trader
is one of the
Disneyland Park
stores that offers a
Package Check
service; if you buy a
starspeeder
full of merchandise, you can check it all here and pick it up before the store closes when you head out of the park.
Did You Know?
  According to
Chris Strodder
’s
The Disneyland Encyclopedia
,
Star Trader
replaced the
Character Shop
in 1986.  The
Character Shop
occupied that space for almost 20 years, from 1967 to 1986, offering wares similar to
Star Trader
, but with the added fun of
PeopleMover
vehicles gliding through the back of the store!  What was here before the
Character Shop
?  From 1955 to 1966 the popular
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit
let Guests immerse themselves in the gorgeous Victorian
Harper Goff
-designed sets from
Disney
’s 1954 film, and glimpse props like the
Nautilus
organ and the dread octopus.  When the
Character Shop
moved into this space in 1967, the organ was moved out, reappearing in the
Grand Hall
of the
Haunted Mansion
when it opened in 1969.
Hidden Mickey:
  If you have a moment, check out the circular light fixtures.  You might spot a resemblance to a certain
Mouse
’s head and in ears!