The Wreck-It Ralph penny presser - the Star Trader - Tomorrowland - Disneyland Park
We realize that we probably sound like a broken record saying it, and to be honest, we don't even remember if we swiped it from someone else or coined it on our own (we'll go with coined it on our own since it sounds better and sounds more intelligent), but when it comes to The Parks, it truly is about "the little things". Throw Space Mountain and Splash Mountain into a random field, and what do you have? Two awesome attractions in the middle of a field! Throw them into Disneyland and what do you have? Two awesome attractions inside the Happiest Place on Earth, which just happens to be decorated to the hilt and is an absolutely amazing place to wander around. See the difference? It's all about the little touches and little things you see all over that really stand out and will stay with you long after you've gone.
One of our favorite collectibles, or souvenirs inside The Parks, are the penny pressers. Even if you've never been to Disneyland before, they're certainly nothing new, and you can find them just about anywhere people are selling souvenirs. For all I know Pilot truck stops may have them these days... In case you're not familiar though, the concept is simple. You drop a couple of quarters into the machine, and a penny you're willing to sacrifice to the cause, turn a handle a few times, and your penny magically gets smushed, stretched, and imprinted with a little artwork commemorating your location or whatever it is that you're doing. Simple and easy souvenir, and easily stored too!
These things are everywhere around The Parks, and they even sell little books for you to keep all the ones you collect from the different attractions, restaurants, shops, and everywhere else inside. It's a neat, fun little thing to do and you can even turn it into a game: "How many penny pressers are there inside The Parks and can you find them all?" might be a fun one to play! No. Seriously. There are entire websites dedicated to these things people, and anytime someone finds a new one or a new one is introduced, it's a big deal. No. Seriously.
Although we're not huge penny pressers (is that a verb?) around here, we do indeed have a favorite presser inside The Park! This particular one was introduced when Disneyland started a Wreck-It Ralph Meet and Greet to hone in on the popularity of the movie when it was released, and when the Starcade was transformed to have a little mini-video game arcade inside, this little beauty came along with it; for the video game nerds, our very own Wreck-It Ralph penny presser, shaped just like Fix-It Felix's apartment building! And if that wasn't enough, for our fifty cents we could smush up our pennies to show pictures of either Ralph, Felix, or my own personal favorite, Vanellope on them! And yes, I do own a Vanellope penny, if I could just find it.
While many penny pressers around The Parks do have different styles they're shaped in, or themes according to where they are located, this particular presser always stood out to us not just because of its subject matter, which is pretty darn cool and close to our hearts, but because of the "little things". It would have been super easy to just throw another presser together, slap a Ralph logo on it, and place it inside the arcade and it still would have made a pretty penny (pun totally intended). In this case, however, someone decided to go that extra mile and design it in such a way that it evoked a fantastic memory from the movie and, like we said earlier up top, it stayed with us long after we'd gone after seeing it for the first time. In fact, we'd just assumed that it had gone away with the Meet and Greet when it was done, so imagine our surprise and glee this past weekend when we saw it still alive and well while walking through the Starcade after riding Space Mountain.
It's the "little things", all over, that really make The Parks special. It's true, and we will continue to espouse it as long as people are here reading about it. Probably longer.
What are some of your favorite things from around the Disneyland Resort?
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