January 2020 was a great month to be a Disneyphile. The Disney Parks were going strong, the Disney Stores outside of the park had amazing merchandise and the Wisdom pin series was replaced by eagerly anticipated Minnie the Main Attraction.
There were huge lines outside of the store on release day of those wanting the ears and Loungefly bags and pins and mugs and plushies. Then, COVID-19 hit and it changed everything.
Let's face it, for Canadians it sucks. The Disney Store does not have a web presence in Canada and shipping from the US site is prohibitively expensive (if they'll even ship the item you want at all). The ShopDisney website is definitely not for Canadians. In fact, in some cases, you're better to purchase off a reseller on eBay than paying for it direct from Disney. So, with phase 2 either here or coming in most of the country, we're all set for the June release of Minnie the Main Attraction right?
No. After May's "not so magical" Minnie the Main Attraction release, Disney has temporarily suspended the sale of the series. Limited edition merchandise for the time being is not going be made available in store. Why? During the global pandemic we can't line up like we were and a socially distant line would circle the malls.
So, our "new normal" as some call it will definitely make it a different shopping experience while we wait for the border to open to visit what will be very different Disney Parks. There will likely be no opening of the store, nor will there likely be a rope drop in the parks. But that said, if we all pack our patience, follow Jiminy's advice and let our conscience be our guide and hope that that the magic promised to return by Josh D'Amaro actually happens, we will at least get a little bit of Disney back in our lives.