There's A Hard-To-Snag Piece Of Disney World Merch I Just Got My Hands On, And I Can't Believe It's Not Sold In The Parks

Disney World's Space Mountain
(Image credit: Walt Disney World)

While most people think of Disney as a company that makes movies or builds theme parks, it can’t be overlooked that there’s a third pillar of the massive Disney machine that is as valuable, if not more so, to the company’s bottom line: merchandise for those movies and theme parks.

Since the days of the first Mickey Mouse doll, selling “stuff” has been a major component of Disney’s market strategy. It feels like Disney will merchandise anything. Every year, the company releases all new merch to promote its new films, new Disney World attractions, the anniversaries of films and theme park attractions, and whatever else it thinks people will buy. This is why I was shocked to get my hands on something from Disney World that you can’t buy, but you absolutely should be able to.

Disney World Released A Unique Item For Space Mountain’s 50th Anniversary

January 15, 2025, marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain, the first version of Disney Parks' now iconic ride. As part of that, I recently received an item that I had never seen before, but something I bet Disney Parks could sell a ton of if they were available for purchase: a Disney World-themed height chart.

Space Mountain 50th anniversary height chart

(Image credit: Dirk Libbey)

The item is five feet long with notations every inch, a standard height chart that any family might use to keep track of a growing kid. With two small children of my own, I have a particular doorframe in my own house dedicated to the same purpose.

However, what sets this particular height chart apart is that it has notations for every Walt Disney World attraction that has a height requirement at the appropriate point. This means kids can not only keep track of how much taller they’re getting, but they can see how close they’re getting to being able to ride the next big Disney World attraction.

How Are Disney World And Disneyland Height Charts Not Already A Thing?

As a dad who visits theme parks often and loves to take his kids there when he can, I will be keeping this chart on hand to use for my own kids. I could even see myself, and others, planning trips to the parks based on hitting these milestones. Once a kid is tall enough to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, they’re going to want to ride it, after all.

The chart also has the potential to temper expectations. Just like it can be frustrating to discover the ride you wanted to do is closed at Disney World, it can be frustrating to discover you're not tall enough to ride it. This offers a physical way for kids to understand what they can't do before they get there.

This is why this feels like an obvious thing for Disney Parks and for the online Disney Store to offer, but they currently don’t and I can’t find evidence such things have ever been available. Something like this acts as both a merchandise item and a marketing opportunity. It’s the sort of cross-promotion that Disney loves to do.

Every Disney Parks location could have its own version, noting each of its height requirement attractions. They could even have them done in multiple themes depending on which particular attraction a kid is particularly working toward.

Having now seen this, I can't believe it's not a thing that already exists. It's so brilliant that, at least now, it's obviously a thing that should be available. Let's fix this please.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.