Minnie Anniversary Sippers Spotted at Animal Kingdom

 by Beth Keating

Lifestyle

DisneyBizJournal.com

January 10, 2022

 

We’ve been looking for the Minnie Mouse 50th Anniversary Sipper to accompany our Mickey 50th Anniversary popcorn bucket for weeks now, but between block out dates, holiday crowds, and sold out locations, we hadn’t had much success.  On Saturday night, we thought we had a lead on one at D-Luxe Burger at Disney Springs (it was on their menu…), but they, too, were sold out.

The following day, though, quite unexpectedly, we discovered Minnie popping up all over Animal Kingdom. Rows upon rows of Minnie Mouse in her bright blue 50th Anniversary outfit were lined up on kiosk counters across the park, like little soda soldiers. We bought ours at Corn-ivores in DinoLand, but they were also available at Mahindi in Africa and The Thirsty River Bar in Asia, among others.  

 

For $17.00, you’re able to not only take home the adorable Minnie Mouse Sipper, but you get a bottle of your choice of Coke, Diet Coke or Sprite to go along with it.  (You are handed your soda bottle separately, so don’t worry about getting Minnie full of soda and trying to rinse it out in a theme park bathroom sink before getting on a plane… Minnie stays pristine unless you want to pour the soda in yourself.) She does come with a twist off cap on the back of her head that is attached to a long straw for your dining enjoyment, as well as a handy shoulder strap for toting around the park.

 

If Minnie Mouse sippers aren’t quite your thing, but you are looking for something a little more rugged and adventurous, there were also Animal Kingdom canteens for sale at kiosks throughout the park.  (We found ours at the Kali Ice Cream kiosk, not far from the Anandapur Ice Cream Truck in the Asia section of the park.) For $14.75, you can get a bottle of soda, with a side of Animal Kingdom Canteen. 

The canteen features a cute little logo of Mickey and Minnie with the rest of the Fab Five in a safari jeep, and while the canteen doesn’t have a convenient shoulder strap like Minnie, it does have a nifty loop on the back for strapping it onto your belt like a real explorer!

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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For you and as a gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. 

Goodbye, Club Cool!

by Beth Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 11, 2019

It’s a sad day in Bay Lake.  Club Cool, the Coca-Cola pitstop at Innoventions at Disney World, has closed its doors in preparation for the upcoming Future World transformation at Epcot. 

Walt Disney once said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”  And while those “new things” have often been thrilling, it doesn’t mean that we don’t mourn the things we’ve lost along the way (Oh, those Figaro fries!). 

In our family, we will most definitely be pining for the days of Club Cool.  While there hasn’t been confirmation as to where/when Club Cool will find a new location after the dust settles and the construction walls are cleared away, the current version of Club Cool will no longer exist.  The younger members of our family don’t remember the first Club Cool we visited, which was actually called Ice Station Cool and included a polar themed tunnel that you walked through into an ice coated room where you could sample flavors from around the world.  The melting ice, however, created a slippery mess, and the newer 2005 version of Club Cool lacked the frozen entry way.  

Nary a visit to Epcot passed without a stop at Club Cool. (We made sure to drop in three times this past week before the closing day. It’s important to stay hydrated in the Florida heat, right?)  Those gulp sized samples were certainly tastier than Florida water. 

Over the years, the available flavors have changed as Coca-Cola products shifted in popularity, but ever present was the much-maligned Beverly, an Italian offering which caused both laughter from those in the know and grimaces from the unsuspecting.  Greece, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Peru, Israel and Japan have been among the countries featured over the years. Lemon and watermelon varieties have been popular with our clan, with a current much-to-be missed favorite being Fanta Melon Frosty from Thailand.  (Thanks to a suggestion from our waitress, Kim, we can still get it at Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom, even if we haven’t been able to locate it on Amazon. Much appreciated, Kim!)  

Disney Springs is home to the Coca-Cola Store Rooftop Beverage Bar, so you can sample a wide range of Coca-Cola products there (although without the “free” price tag), with the added benefit of the availability of adult beverages and rooftop views of the Springs.  You can even mix your own flavors, or get your picture taken with the Coca-Cola Polar Bear. All manner of Coca-Cola products are available for purchase as well.

Still, we will miss our sample sessions at Club Cool. Hopefully the future of Epcot will bring us a version that is even more exciting!  So long, Club Cool.

Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

A message from Ray Keating, editor and publisher of DisneyBizJournal.com...

If you enjoyed this article, and since I am the author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories, and other books, can I ask you to take at least one (preferably more) of the following steps?

1) The new Pastor Stephen Grant novel – DEEP ROUGH – has arrived! You can order the Kindle edition, the paperback, or the signed book.

2) Please join the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories email list, and get the upcoming short story, THE TRAITOR, for free! Sign up here.

3) Buy one of the other Pastor Stephen Grant novels or short stories at Amazon.comor signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

4) Become a member of the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship, and get all kinds of FREE stuff, including each new book in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Check out the levels and benefits here.

5) Pre-order my next book – FREE TRADE ROCKS! 10 POINTS ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW – at Amazon.com for the Kindle, or signed books at https://raykeatingonline.com/products/freetrade.

Is the TSA Really Banning Coca-Cola “Thermal Detonator” Souvenirs?

by Ray Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

August 29, 2019

Is all of this talk about the TSA banning Coca-Cola “thermal detonator” bottles – from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World – in airline carry-on and checked baggage just some kind of nefarious plot by the Galactic Empire or the First Order? More realistically, is it true or just bad reporting?

The story was first run by the Orange County Register, and has been picked up by others. But the idea that the TSA actually is actually banning these souvenirs seems, at best, a stretch.

Consider, for example, what the Orlando Sentinel reported on August 28:

       When contacted Wednesday, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, which handles security at airports, would not definitely say whether the soda cans are banned from carry-on or checked bags.

       “TSA continues to review this issue,” said Thomas Kelly Jr. in a statement. "Officers will maintain the discretion to prohibit any item through the screening checkpoint if they believe it poses a security threat.”

Chris Lucas, author of Top Disney (see DisneyBizJournal’s review of Top Disney) and an expert on many things Disney, isn’t buying into the TSA ban story, and he makes a strong case. He told me:

“All [the TSA] said in their official statement was that they are, of course, always cautious when it comes to something that looks like an explosive device, but it’s left up to the individual agents at airports to determine whether these bottles are a threat. That’s why 99% of them have gotten through, even in carry-on bags... TSA gate agents with common sense recognize that they are just harmless souvenir Coca-Cola bottles with a paper wrapper and plastic cap that makes them look like a movie prop. These same exact bottles, decorated as Christmas ornaments or baseballs, have been allowed on board planes in the past with no problems. As long as they are empty of liquid, they are deemed safe to travel. The media is blowing a non-story out of proportion.”

Lucas is always a rational voice, and his points here appear to be spot-on correct. 

(By the way, check out DisneyBizJournal’s report when these cool beverage containers were announced.)

What’s perhaps most striking is how many “news” outlets simply jump on a story by another outlet, and do little additional investigating or reporting to assess the story’s accuracy. I wrote a weekly column for newspapers for some 20 years, and while there always have been problems, the news business has suffered a decline in quality reporting in recent times.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

If you enjoyed this article, and since I am the author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories, and other books, can I ask you to take at least one (preferably more) of the following steps?

1) The new Pastor Stephen Grant novel – DEEP ROUGH – has arrived! You can order the Kindle edition, the paperback, or the signed book.

2) Please join the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories email list, and get the upcoming short story, THE TRAITOR, for free! Sign up here.

3) Buy one of the other Pastor Stephen Grant novels or short stories at Amazon.comor signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

4) Become a member of the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship, and get all kinds of FREE stuff, including each new book in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Check out the levels and benefits here.

5) Pre-order my next book – FREE TRADE ROCKS! 10 POINTS ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW – at Amazon.com for the Kindle, or signed books at https://raykeatingonline.com/products/freetrade.

Have a Coke in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

by Ray Keating

News/Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 16, 2019

I’ve been known to declare on occasion: “Sometimes a cold Coca-Cola is the perfect drink.” More than a few people have, no doubt, said the same thing while in Walt Disney World or Disneyland. And looking ahead, they’ll be able to grab a Coke in the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in both parks. But it’ll be a different, immersive drink.

Really? what’s the big deal? After all, you’ve been able to grab a Coke at Disney theme parks since the beginning. In fact, the relationship between the Walt Disney Company and the Coca-Cola Company dates back to 1942. As noted in February 2011 post at coca-colacompany.com by Ted Ryan:

A few weeks ago, we were treated to an absolutely fantastic presentation by George Aguel, Senior Vice President of The Walt Disney Company.  George walked us through Coke and Disney's shared history beginning with our two handwritten logos recognized around the world.  He then detailed (with audio and video I don't have rights to share) joint promotions for Saludos Amigos, Disney's 1942 feature film about Latin America.  George also shared an unrealized script from the Disney  Archives from 1943.  It would have been a joint creation of the two companies but had to be dropped due to World War II.  From that point the content flew by, we were the sponsor of the first Disney television special, One Hour in Wonderland, which aired on Christmas day, 1950 as well as the later television series, The Mickey Mouse Club.

And of course, Coca-Cola was onboard when Disneyland opened in 1955 at the “Refreshment Corner” on Main Street, U.S.A., when Walt Disney World opened in 1971, and has been there and in the other theme parks ever since. Today, there’s a Coca-Cola Store, for example, at Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs, and there’s the Coca-Cola-sponsored Club Cool at Epcot. In fact, I purchased this very cool hat at Club Cool.

However, what Coca-Cola and Disney are going to do in Galaxy’s Edge is especially cool. As Disney announced on April 13, the company worked with Coke and Lucasfilm to create “specially designed Coca-Cola bottles that are designed to fit authentically within the Star Wars universe.” Check out the video:

Coca-Cola further explained: “The Coca-Cola Company introduces hundreds of new products each year to give people more of the drinks they want in a range of innovative packaging – but none quite like this. Spherical ‘orb’ bottles – which will be exclusive to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – stay true to the Star Wars aesthetic with a rounded look, resealable caps and brand names printed on scuffed, rusted labels in Aurebesh, the written language featured in the film franchise.”

In terms of how the bottles were developed, Coke went on to note:

The creative process kicked off more than three years ago. Coca-Cola Design created dozens of prototypes of all shapes and sizes, collaborating with Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilm Ltd. before eventually landing on the designs that will debut in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (Coca-Cola and Disney are both listed on the patent of the proprietary over-cap).

Matt Cooper, an associate industrial designer at Coke, said the project challenged his team to “take our brands places we’d never taken them before.” Specifically, Batuu. 

“We wanted to create a package that would appear like it was pulled off a ship or left behind and repurposed as a bottle of your favorite Coca-Cola beverage – all with visual cues that keep you in the Star Wars storyline,” Cooper explained.

The idea to use Aurebesh text on the labels came during a tour of the Coke Archives in Atlanta, where Coca-Cola signage with the brand’s iconic Spencerian script logo in various languages caught the attention of a few Walt Disney Imagineers.

Corporate relationships dating back 77 years are rare, to say the least. And it’s interesting to see two long-established companies being creative to engage their customers. Of course, engaging customers in creative ways is what Disney’s entertainment business is all about in the end. But it’s what a beverage company like Coca-Cola must do as well. In fact, Coca-Cola arguably does it better than anyone else, as the 127-year-old company ranks as the world’s most recognizable brand, and a significant part of that is about lifestyle. And now, it’s getting set to be the most recognizable brand in a galaxy far, far away.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, with three books - Reagan Country: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, Heroes and Villains: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story and Shifting Sands: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – published in 2018. In addition, the second edition of Warrior Monk: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel was published in January 2019. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.