Special Report: NEW YesterEars Limited Release Tees

Hey there Disney Fans!

I have a Special Report for you today on NEW Limited Release Yester Ears Tees. ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 22nd!!!

©Disney

Remember a few weeks ago when they released the FIRST batch of YesterEars Tees? I wrote about it here. We all kind of thought that was a one-time thing, but apparently it wasn't. A whole NEW batch of YesterEars Tees has now been released. Let's take a look!

What it is: These are T-Shirts that represent three decades of Walt Disney World: the 70's, 80's, and 90's. In this case, the 70's are represented by the Walt Disney World Village shirt, the 80's have the Neverland Club, and the 90's have Camp Minnie-Mickey.

What it Costs: These Tees are $27.99 each or $24 each when you buy two or more. Unlike the previous YesterEars release, there is no cheaper price available for these when you buy three or more.

How to Get it: These are available online or in Parks, but the 2 or more for $24 deal is ONLY available online (or by phone order). These are ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 22nd!!!

Who it's For: Anybody with a significant feeling of nostalgia for these attractions, people who love Disney history, and people who don't mind paying $24 for a T-shirt.

©Disney

About the Nostalgia: Since the main draw of these T-Shirts is the "fond memories" factor, I thought I'd talk a bit about the extinct attractions each shirt references.

Starting with the 70's: Walt Disney World Village was an eating and shopping center. As you may recall, Disney World opened in 1971. At that time, it was just one park, the Magic Kingdom, three hotels (The Polynesian, The Contemporary, and Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground), and a golf course (though I'm not totally sure Disney owned that yet).

In 1975, a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex called Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village was opened. Then, in 1977, it was renamed Walt Disney World Village (presumably to make it clear it was a part of the Disney property). However, that name did not last long. In 1989, the area was renamed Disney Village Marketplace and in 1997 it was changed to Downtown Disney. As of 2015, this same area was renamed Disney Springs. In short, the 70's T-shirt commemorate, not the original name of Disney Springs, but the first "Disney" name for Disney Springs.

©Disney

Moving to the 80's: No, the Neverland Club was not a hip nightspot at Downtown Disney back in the day. It was a children's activity center at the Polynesian Resort. This activity center actually still exists at the Polynesian, but it has been rebranded Lilo's Playhouse. You can read all about it on Disney's website. In short, it's a place where parents can drop off kids ages 3-12 to play games, do art, and generally be entertained while mom and dad go out for a nice dinner or just take a break.

Essentially, it's a little like Disney babysitting or Disney daycare. I have heard stories from more than one adult with fond memories of getting to go to the Neverland Club while on vacation as a kid, so it is possible that there are people out there with deep enough feelings of nostalgia for this place that they might want one of these shirts.

Finally, the 90's: The attraction they chose for the 90's was Camp Minnie-Mickey. This was an outdoor play area at Animal Kingdom. It was a woodsy area with a little river that was supposed to resemble kind of an Adirondack fishing camp. The idea was a little like the old Toontown. You were supposed to be walking into a sort of cartoon-land where Mickey was on vacation. It was a fun concept and a great area for kids to play, but often posed pedestrian traffic problems. It was eventually closed to make way for the new Avatar Land. that should be opening sometime next year.

©Disney

My Thoughts: I still think these T-Shirts seem a little overpriced, but they ARE "Limited Release" so, take that as you will.

As far as the subjects of the T-Shirts go, these seem like they would have much less broad appeal than the previous release. Walt Disney World Village was only the name of Disney Springs for 3 years of the 70's. In fact, that was the name for 9 out of 10 years of the 80's, so it's a little weird that this is what they picked to represent the 70's at Disney World. I just wonder if there are really that many people who have a sense of nostalgia for this shopping center, specifically when it had that name. But, hey, maybe you do. Let me know in the comments.

As for the 80's shirt, the subject is a kid's club at ONE of the hotels. Probably the majority of people going to Disney World don't even know the kid's activity centers exist, let alone put their kids in that, specific center. The previous 80's shirt was Journey Into Imagination. Not only was that a park attraction, but it was one of the most beloved lost attractions of all time. I'm just not sure Disney is going to get much response for a shirt about a little-known children's activity center. If you loved it there and you think I'm crazy, please let me know in the comments.

Out of all of these, I think the Camp Minnie Mickey shirt makes the most sense. Although the attraction (and the whole park) were only there for a few years out of the whole of the 90's, this was an actual park attraction that was there for several years and was loved and enjoyed by many kids. I know when word went out that it would close a couple of years ago, many people were very sad, so this one seems the most likely to get a strong response.

Overall, I think Disney must have done well enough with the first set of shirts to think they could offer more of this type of shirt with less of a discount, but I'm not sure they'll find that to be true with this second set.

What do you think? Do you have fond memories of these attractions? Did you LOVE Walt Disney World Village? Do you hate these shirts and not understand them? Let me know in the comments!