Disneyland is turning the fictional sweets and treats that make reference to Disney cartoon shorts, TV shows and movies in the Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway queue into real lollipops, chocolate and sour candies that visitors can buy and eat.
Life imitates art when Disneyland begins selling Golly Pops, Scrooge McDuck’s chocolate coins and Power Limes sour candy chews on Sunday, March 19 at the new EngineEar Souvenirs gift shop during the grand reopening of Mickey’s Toontown at the Anaheim theme park.
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Disneyland’s merchandising team turned the Runaway Railway prop candy into real treats sold in Toontown with plans to expand the line of El Capitoon concessions.
Walt Disney Imagineering created the prop candy for a concession stand that Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway riders pass by while queuing through El Capitoon Theatre — a cartoon world homage to Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre.
The backstory behind the Runaway Railway attraction queue at Disneyland finds Minnie Mouse teaming up with the Toontown Hysterical Society to create the “Mickey Through the Ears” exhibit.
The theater lobby exhibit features props from the Toon world — including a magical dresser mirror from the “Lonesome Ghosts,” the ship’s helm from “Steamboat Willie” and a theater concession stand selling hot dogs, popcorn and candy.
The pun-filled display offers “free candy on the sixth Tuesday of every month.” Even the “ propcorn ” kernels are shaped like Mickey Mouse with ears and a nose.
Disneyland merchandising director Lori Nakashima said the real candy created for EngineEar Souvenirs was directly inspired by the prop candy created by Imagineering for the Runaway Railway queue.
“Everybody stops in their tracks when they see the Power Limes,” Nakashima said during a media preview of the refreshed Toontown. “That’s going to be a super fun item.”
Imagineering has filled the fine print on the El Capitoon candy wrappers with inside jokes and personal tributes to colleagues with logos for mock candymakers like Bowling Allie Candy Co., Wowza Bouza Candy, Ben & Hudson’s Candy Kitchen, E+A Schwartz Schweetz, Luna Belle Treats and Flower Street Treats.
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The Disneyland merchandising team already has plans to expand the line of El Capitoon concessions later this year with a Chip ‘n’ Dale acorn container with mini graham crackers.
“We really wanted to rush to get what we could to just start,” Nakashima said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for us to continue to add to that.”
The El Capitoon concession stand in the Runaway Railway queue is filled with plenty of possibilities — including fictional treats like Mallard Cups, Chocolate Cows, Gummiberry Gummi Bears, Laugh-O-Grahams, Polka Dots and WitchHazel Nut Candy.
