How Disney Wants You to Shop This Holiday Season (Ep. 77)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Places & Travel, Society & Culture, Tv & Film

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 December 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jim and Lauren ring in the holidays with a very merchy episode of I Want That Too, recorded just after Lauren’s family Polar Express adventure. From Disney Visa mailers and annual passholder calendars to Stitch-heavy gift guides, they dig into how Disney is trying to steer your holiday shopping. • Disney’s “Home for the Holidays” Disney Rewards Insider issue and the surprise AP calendar reveal a full-court press of plush, Stitch, cruises, and watch-list marketing aimed at shaping your seasonal shopping. • Stitchmas dominates both online and in-park displays, with plush, pajamas, and matching family sets claiming a massive share of holiday floor space. • Disney Parks Blog releases multiple holiday gift guides spotlighting games, books, Frozen favorites, Zootopia tie-ins, and Lorcana must-haves for fans of all stripes. • While Disney pushes big-ticket items like the $399 LEGO castle, Jim and Lauren highlight personal picks including Dick Van Dyke’s new book, Disney-branded Crocs, the Tokyo Disney Mickey gnome, and the classic monorail set. • Despite limited Cars Land holiday merch in the parks, Jim notes stronger Cars Christmas selections at Kohl’s, Walmart, and BoxLunch, plus his near-purchase of Target’s leftover 2021 Winter Series die-casts. • A listener tip confirms the red truck Mickey popcorn bucket sells out nightly at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, creating steep eBay markups. • Looking ahead, Zootopia 2’s box office success is backed by a large retail program, while Pixar’s Hoppers gets a lighter rollout as Disney gears up for major Toy Story 5 merchandising. • 2025’s Toy Story and Tangled anniversary lines show mixed traction, as Jim previews everything from collector dolls to Woody’s Clint Eastwood-inspired poncho look and recommends watching for Twice Upon a Year markdowns. 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 is brought to you by Unlocked Magic, your go-to source for top-tier deals on Disney and Universal trips, offering discounted tickets and planning tools to make your next Central Florida vacation even more magical. 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	Think about cheese.
0:02.0	Make your thoughts cheesier.
0:04.2	Now add 100% chicken breast fillet, Chipotle sauce and Ameta cheese melt.
0:08.3	And it's giving the new cheesy chicken stack at McDonald's.
0:12.0	Did we mention it's cheesy?
0:13.9	Cheese.
0:15.8	Availments at the 4th of Jan, 2026 from 11 a.m.
0:18.1	Plus and participation may vary.
0:19.2	Subjects availability.
0:20.1	Welcome back to why I want that to the podcast where Disney merch meets Disney history.
0:25.8	I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill, and as always, I'm joined by the lovely Lauren Herssey,
0:31.0	who is just returning from the Arctic? Is that correct? You made a train trip last night. Is that correct?
0:38.2	I'm thinking I'm like, are we calling Wheeling the Arctic now?
0:41.6	But no, we did take miles on the Polar Express experience. It was his first time because he was kind of a COVID kid.
0:53.5	Oh, that's right.
0:55.5	Oh, wow.
0:58.7	So, and just to let folks know, now you had done this with Hunter and Lainey back in the day.
1:04.2	So this is, and we actually have a train here in New Hampshire.
1:09.0	I want to say up in North Conway, that does something similar.
1:12.5	But it's recreating the book experience, the movie experience?
1:16.4	Yeah.
1:17.0	And I mean, like, they have a legit partnership so that they can sell the merch and the books and all of that.
	...

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