MAGIC MERCH

As Walt Disney World in Florida gears up for its 50th anniversary, Jacqueline Wake Young looks at the myths, the magic and the merch

At Orlando International Airport they don’t sell chewing gum. A traveller with a fancy for a stick of Juicy Fruit or sugar-free Airwaves can just forget it because the shops there don’t stock such treats. Such is the reach of Disney, or so the legend goes. It’s said that as Orlando Airport owes so much to Walt Disney World, 18 miles down the road, a deal was agreed between the two parties with the aim of keeping the Happiest Place on Earth’s pavements sparkling clean and gum-free.

Further research reveals that lots of airports also have a chewing gum ban, so this could be another Disney myth – but then blurring the lines between fantasy and reality is the bedrock of its business.

Talking of bedrock, most visitors don’t realise that there’s a world beneath the World, a labyrinth of “utilidors” with canteens, rest and rehearsal areas where cast members move around and keep the workings of the Magic Kingdom and other parks out of sight of guests.

This autumn Walt Disney World will mark its 50th anniversary and there are legions of busy little mice ensuring it is nothing short of magical after the strangest and most challenging of times, during which Disney’s theme parks took a $2.6 billion hit in a single quarter.

As far as merchandise goes, Disney has strength in numbers, a staggering 2,100 characters at last count.

So if a Stitch T-shirt isn’t your style, maybe a Cruella crossbody bag is.

And if superheroes are more your thing you’re in the right place because in 2009 Disney snagged Marvel Entertainment within

its web.

Disney Villains treat bag, £3, George Home. Blue Disney Stitch T-shirt, £6, Primark.

Mickey Mouse Paisley Bardot crop top, £8, and frill skirt, £8, both Primark.

Yellow honeycomb Winnie The Pooh compact mirror, £2.50, Primark.

Rose pink Disney Minnie Mouse shower cap, £2, Primark.

Marvel two-pack PJs, £16, from Matalan.

Pink Minnie crew and jogger set, £6, Primark.

Cruella crop tee, £10, George at Asda.

Cruella Disney tee, £8, George at Asda.