Here’s something nobody tells you before your first trip: the best pair of Mickey Ears you’ll find is usually the last one you see.
It works like this. You’ll walk into a store early in the day, spot something on the wall that catches your eye, and talk yourself out of it. Then you’ll keep walking. You’ll see more options throughout the day, compare them mentally to the first pair, and eventually circle back. The ears you end up with are almost never the ones you planned on buying.
That’s actually a good thing. It means the shopping is part of the experience. And knowing where to look gives you the best possible chance of finding the style that actually represents you, not just the one that was closest to the park entrance.
There are 34 official Disney locations that sell Mickey Ears across Walt Disney World. This article covers the ones worth going out of your way for, including a few that most guests walk right past.
Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom
The Emporium is the obvious starting point and it earns that reputation. It is not one store but a collection of connected shops running the length of Main Street, which means the ear selection moves around depending on what Disney is rotating through. Don’t panic if you don’t see them immediately. Keep walking.
The Main Street Cinema, which formerly housed the Art of Disney, is the second location on Main Street worth checking. Between the two spaces you will see a wide cross section of what is currently available across the resort.
Curtain Call Collectibles is the one that most guests skip entirely. It sits at the end of Main Street near the castle and stocks a rotating mix of hats and ears that skews slightly more collector focused than the Emporium. Worth a quick stop if you are looking for something that feels a little less mainstream.
Town Square Theatre rounds out the Main Street options and it is genuinely one of our favourite stores in the park. The cast members here are some of the best in the Magic Kingdom. They remembered us the following day when we came back hunting for a specific pair of Belle ears, which tells you something about the experience you get there.
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DISNEY SPRINGS
Ever After in the Town Centre section is the place to go if you want to build your own headband. The Create Your Own station here is the real draw, with a rotating selection of character attachments and base headbands that let you put together something nobody else will have. Check back across multiple visits because the selection changes constantly.
World of Disney is the largest store at Disney Springs and maintains the broadest general stock of any location outside the parks. If you need a reliable place to find ears without committing to a specific park day, this is your best option. Just be prepared for the size of the place and your wallet to have a conversation.
DisneyStyle sits behind World of Disney on the West Side and is consistently underestimated. We have found villain ears, 90s designs, and styles here that we did not see anywhere else on property. It rewards the guests who bother to find it.
THE RESORT STORES
This is where the real hunting happens and most guests never think to look.
Resort merchandise shops carry stock that does not always make it to the parks. The selection is smaller, which means it gets picked over less. BouTiki at the Polynesian Village Resort, M. Mouse Mercantile at the Grand Floridian, and Bayview Gifts at the Contemporary are three that consistently surprise guests who stop in. If you are staying at any of these resorts, checking the gift shop before you head to the parks costs you five minutes and occasionally turns up something genuinely special.
The same logic applies to moderate and value resorts. Everything POP at Pop Century, Calypso Trading Post at Caribbean Beach, and Fulton’s General Store at Port Orleans Riverside all carry ears that are easy to overlook but often less picked over than anything you will find at the Emporium at peak hours.
EPCOT
The Creations Shop is the main destination and it earns its reputation as the largest store in the park. Whatever is currently available across the resort, you will likely find it here.
The World Showcase is where it gets interesting. Country specific ears in the Canadian Pavilion, the UK Pavilion, and the Japan Pavilion are genuinely different from anything you will find at the main park stores. The Japan Pavilion in particular tends to carry designs that attract collectors. Gateway Gifts near the park entrance and World Traveler near the International Gateway are both worth a stop for ears that carry an EPCOT specific design.
ImageWorks in the Imagination Pavilion is easy to miss but carries a solid selection including some festival specific designs when events are running.
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Mickey’s of Hollywood is the main merchandise location and stocks a broad selection, but the attraction specific stores are where you want to spend your time.
Tatooine Traders at the exit of Star Wars Smugglers Run carries Star Wars specific ears that you will not find in the general merchandise stores. Celebrity 5 & 10 near the park entrance stocks a rotating selection and is worth checking early in your visit. Tower Hotel Gifts at the exit of Tower of Terror occasionally carries Twilight Zone themed ears that disappear quickly.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Discovery Trading Company is the main store and it is large enough to carry a solid cross section of what is currently available. Mariya’s Souvenirs near the Harambe Theatre and Riverside Depot near the exit of Kali River Rapids are both smaller locations that carry ears you may not find at the main store.
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CHARACTER WAREHOUSE AT ORLANDO PREMIUM OUTLETS
This one is genuinely unpredictable. The Character Warehouse at both Premium Outlet locations carries overstock and discontinued merchandise from Disney Parks, which means you might find ears that sold out months ago at a fraction of the original price. You might also find nothing interesting at all. The visit is worth it if you are already heading to the outlets, but it is not worth a special trip with specific ears in mind.
DISNEYSTORE.COM
The online store has become a serious destination in its own right, not just a fallback option for people who could not find what they wanted in the parks.
The current range includes designer collaborations that are not always available in park stores. Dooney & Bourke ears start at $198. Vera Wang has a crystal headband at $550. BaubleBar, Loungefly, and Stoney Clover Lane all have ongoing collections at various price points. If you are looking for something from a specific designer or a limited release that has already sold through at the parks, the website is the first place to check.
Ordering before your trip and having ears shipped to your resort is also still an option worth knowing about. If you have a specific pair in mind and do not want to spend vacation time hunting for them, this removes the uncertainty entirely.
Want the options? Check out DisneyStore.com
AMAZON
For ears at non-theme park prices, Amazon carries a wide selection of officially licensed Disney ear headbands. The quality varies more than it does with direct Disney purchases, so reading reviews carefully matters here. It is the right option for guests who want a solid pair without the park markup.
THE HONEST APPROACH TO EAR SHOPPING
There are 34 locations across Walt Disney World that sell Mickey Ears. No single one of them has everything. The guests who end up happiest with what they buy are usually the ones who browsed widely early in the trip, did not commit to anything immediately, and gave themselves the space to find something that actually felt right.
The resort stores and the attraction gift shops are where you find the surprises. The Create Your Own options at Ever After and elsewhere are where you find something nobody else has. And DisneyStore.com is where you find things that are already gone from the parks.
Start looking early. Buy when you find the right pair. And do not be surprised if the last store you walk into on your last day turns out to be the best one.
Did we miss a location that surprised you with a great selection? Let us know and we will add it to the list.