Slinky Dog headgear springing in
At least one piece of merchandise sold at Disney’s Toy Story Land will be familiar — but also twisted. Literally. Visitors to the attraction, under construction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park, will be able to wear Slinky Dogs on their heads.
It will be more like a variation on the popular headbands — frequently sporting a Minnie Mouseinspired bow or sequins — than the traditional Mickey ear hats sold at Walt Disney World. Imagine the spiraling body of the toy stretching across the crown of a head. The character’s face and snout rests above one ear and his tail end above the other one.
“The ear bands have been very popular. … Think about this as the Slinky Dog’s version of that,” said Phil Holmes, vice president of Hollywood Studios. “You’ve got this Slinky Dog that bounces around and has kind of the expression and look that comes right out of the movie.”
No price has been for the item.
Toy Story Land will be populated by multiple characters from the Disney-Pixar film series, but Slinky Dog will have an imposing presence. The Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster will travel through the 11-acre attraction and feature trains shaped like the elongated, springy toy.
The Slinky headpiece comes on the heels of specialty wear and gear designed for Pandora – The World of Avatar, which opened last spring at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. Disney introduced Na’vi-styled headwear set and banshees — with moving parts — that sit on shoulders.
Fresh merchandise and themed food work with rides and shows to create unique theme-park atmospheres, Holmes said.
“Our guests really do enjoy and expect that they are not just coming into the park or into a land to maybe experience one of the great attractions or shows,” he said. “They really do love the idea of being immersed when they’re having a food and beverage moment.”
Toy Story Land is scheduled to open to the public June 30.
“The creative team on the merchandise side has outdone themselves,” Holmes said of the Slinky Dog hats. “There are some other surprises like that that we’re going to save for opening day.” baby manatee that was found after Hurricane Irma, continues to grow and has been moved to a public exhibit at the theme park.
A SeaWorld spokeswoman gave the latest update on the manatee that was a thin 71 pounds in November and is now tipping the scales at 122 pounds. For him to be eligible for release back into the wild, Jose must weigh at least 600 pounds.
Jose has been moved from a private area of SeaWorld Orlando to the TurtleTrek exhibit where the public can see the manatee calves fed their bottles every three hours starting at 9 a.m.
The Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment is expected to release the latest quarter earnings Tuesday before the market opens.
For years, the company has struggled with declining attendance and a public backlash after the anticaptivity documentary “Blackfish” was released.
As part of a turnaround plan, the company said it eliminated 350 positions in October, is investing in new rides and attractions to improve attendance and undergoing a media campaign to highlight the animal rehabilitation the company does.
Stock prices have been improving in recent weeks, up from a low of $10.61 per share Nov. 22.
After a record-breaking 2017 for Orlando’s hotel industry, the upcoming year is expected to stay strong, an analyst told hotel executives, elected officials and others who gathered Wednesday.
Patrick Mayock, a senior researcher at Nashville-based lodging data tracker STR, gave the update at the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association’s luncheon held at Hilton Orlando. In attendance was Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, who was awarded the association’s public servant of the year.
“Orlando is a fantastic, fantastic success story,” said Mayock, whose company studies hotel occupancy and room rates.
But he warned it’s statistically challenging to beat previous records.
“Because you’re selling so much … it’s hard to sell more rooms,” he said.
In the hotel industry nationally, Mayock is predicting a slight increase in supply and a modest dip in demand, leading to a flat occupancy rate in 2018.
But consumer confidence is high, so people are traveling more and spending their discretionary spending. Businesses are sending people on trips, all good signs for the industry.