Eevee Goes to Sea While a Ferris Wheel Swings Back Into the Spotlight (Ep. 85)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jim and Lauren break down Disney’s latest merch moves, where experiences become collectibles and collectibles become strategy. From an emotional towel animal turned cruise ship plush to popcorn buckets that literally demand attention, this episode covers how Disney is driving hype across price points. Then, in the feature, Jim digs deep into the long, misunderstood history of Disney California Adventure’s giant wheel and why it has always been more controversial than fans remember. NEWS • Disney Cruise Line introduces Eevee, the towel-animal-inspired plush debuting exclusively onboard starting February 8 • A new Pixar Pal-A-Round interactive popcorn bucket celebrates Disney California Adventure’s 25th anniversary with swinging gondolas and lighting effects • EPCOT Festival of the Arts unveils an interactive Figment popcorn bucket, complete with removable, color-changing paintbrush • Disney cracks down on resellers with all-sales-final policies at Character Warehouses and cast member stores • High fashion meets fairy tales with the Victor & Rolf Cinderella collector doll, debuting during Paris Fashion Week FEATURE • The Pixar Pal-A-Round is not a Ferris wheel but an eccentric wheel, and that distinction matters • Why Disney fans long believed Walt Disney hated Ferris wheels, and where that myth really came from • From the Chicago World’s Fair to Disneyland’s State Fair, how spinning rides shaped Disney park design • The behind-the-scenes reason icons like the Partners statue exist and what they were meant to prevent HOSTS • Jim Hill - IG: @JimHillMedia | X: @JimHillMedia | Website: JimHillMedia.com • Lauren Hersey - IG: @lauren_hersey_ | X: @laurenhersey2 FOLLOW • Facebook: JimHillMediaNews • Instagram: JimHillMedia • TikTok: JimHillMedia SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at Patreon.com/JimHillMedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - Strong Minded Agency SPONSOR This episode of I Want That Too is brought to you by UnlockedMagic.com, your go-to source for great deals on Disney and Universal theme park tickets. If a 2026 trip is on your radar, Unlocked Magic helps you lock in prices early, stress-free, and with expert guidance from people who know the parks inside and out. Visit UnlockedMagic.com to start planning today. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to I Want That to the podcast where Disney merch meets Disney history.
0:05.6	I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill, and as always, I'm joined by the lovely Lauren Herssey,
0:10.6	and we are recording this on a Saturday night, you know, January 31st,
0:17.0	and you've been out about this afternoon. Is that correct, Lauren?
0:22.3	Yes.
0:23.3	You know, we were snowed in for a week, so the kids had basketball games and cheering and all that stuff.
0:29.5	And Laney's like, can we please go to T.J. Max?
0:32.8	It's a double clearance sale.
0:36.1	So it's like final, final sales.
0:39.3	And I am an equal opportunist shopper.
0:42.3	I love Disney merch, but I also just like shopping, period.
0:46.3	What are you up to on this Saturday night?
0:49.5	Well, I, speaking of shopping, I recently acquired the latest book from the Hyperion Historical Alliance.
0:58.8	This is a group of Disney historians that have taken it on themselves to create this series of books.
1:05.8	In fact, this is the fourth volume in the series, Learn.
1:09.3	It's a monograph about Mickey Mouse of the 1930s, the Christmas season, done by
1:16.1	DDA Gads, the gentleman behind the Waltz People books.
1:21.2	And you would love this book, particularly, Lauren, because it focuses largely on Mickey Mouse in stores in the 30s.
1:32.1	And more to the point how each of the individual stores would get kids to come out for the holiday season.
1:38.7	So don't get me wrong, some of the Mickey Mouse's that they create for the 30s are downright scary.
1:44.9	You know, they're homemade or store-made outfits.
1:48.6	But on the other hand, there are photos in here I've never seen before.
	...

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