Adventureland T-Shirts ...

It takes a little while for the Jungle Drums to reach the Secret Island, and sometimes it means you miss out on what's hot... like this fantastic shirt from graphic designer Richard who describes himself as..

"A born dreamer & doer. An idea guy who understands the importance of magic. Specializing in graphic design, typography, painting and illustration."

His blog page is stuffed to the brim with wonderfully creative designs for Disney, that are in every way unofficial but are of the quality that should demand respect from the head honchos in purchasing.

His retro inspired designs have created quite a stir around Tiki Blogs and Forums. To avoid any complications with Disney this shirt design is not based on a show or attraction. Richard says

"Within Adventureland at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, there's a "must eat" on every visitor's list: the Dole Pineapple Whip! If it's not on your bucket list, it should be. It's the most amazing frozen concoction in the parks! The Dole Pineapple Whip is a staple and is so popular that Disney added a whip machine in the Polynesian Resort back when the quick service area was refurbished."

"I tried to take a whimsical yet kitschy approach with the design. I wanted to not only represent the whip itself, but to also reflect the tropical Tahitian feel of Adventureland. What better icon to represent the spirit of Oceania than a Tiki warrior? To throw a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor into the design, I thought it would be clever to have him holding a whip in his hands. Of course this fierce tropical warrior couldn't be so mean when enjoying this delectable treat, so his intimidating frown has been turned upside down. I can imagine after the park closes that the statues, carvings and idols from around Adventureland break their poses and all hit up the Dole Whip stand to reward their hard day’s work of entertaining guests."

The good news for Richard is that the demand was so huge that he fulfilled his order ... the bad news for most of you guys and me is that we missed out! ;0(

... it won't happen again!

Trader Sams ... open for business.

Back at the start of May I posted about the imminent opening of Trader Sams at Disneyland. Well the question is, is it any good?

Well what better place to find out than check Critiki . Well it would appear that its well worth the visit, scoring an average of 9.4. Whilst the decor is grabbing the headlines it is disappointing to see that its lowest scores come when reviewer score the drink quality, drink selection and food... all key elements of a quality Tiki Bar. The Critiki review states...

"Trader Sam's is named for the "head" salesman from the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland, and the decor is a mix of influence from that ride and the Enchanted Tiki Room, with a little of Walt Disney World's Adventurer's Club thrown in for good measure. Top-notch Disney designers Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily were able to work on some of the decor. There are reports of some interactive elements at the bar.

The early word is that the drink quality is higher than one might expect, with syrups from Portland's Trader Tiki in use. If you like the punny performance given by the Jungle Cruise skippers, you'll love the drink names: "HippopotoMaiTai", "Schweitzer Falls" and "Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum" are some of the cleverly-named cocktails."

To mark the opening Richard at the Designerland Blog has created and shared a rather nice unofficial Trader Sam's Soundtrack. Get over there and check it out...

Trader Sams - The Enchanted Tiki Bar ...

The Disney Parks Blog is reporting that its two new Disneyland restaurants will open later this month- Tangaroa Terrace and Trader Sam's.

"Trader Sam’s—Enchanted Tiki Bar is adjacent to Tangaroa Terrace – Casual Island Dining, with substantial “bar food” – sweet ‘n spicy Asian wings, chicken lettuce wraps, panko-crusted Chinese long beans with Sriracha mayo, tamarind-glazed pork shanks with green papaya slaw and ahi poke (sushi-grade tuna) with avocado, green onion and crispy wontons."

"But it’s the vintage island cocktails in kitschy glassware that we can’t wait to try. How about Krakatoa Punch with reserve aged rum, light rum, tropical juices, almond syrup and hibiscus grenadine? Or Uh Oa!, with light rum, spiced rum, guava, orange, passion fruit, grapefruit, fresh lime juice and cinnamon? Serious rum lovers will want to try the HippopotoMai Tai with two shots of light and dark rums, orange curacao, almond syrup, organic agave nectar and fresh lime juice. Now we’re dreaming of vacation time!"

While the drink names might have been over sweetened Disney style and leave a bitter taste I'm hoping that the drinks themselves hit the spot. Looking forward to hearing of some taste tests and seeing images of the actual interior.