Everything You Need to Know About the "Key to Disneyland" Souvenir/Scavenger Hunt
The Disneyland Resort has added a lot of exciting ways for Guests to celebrate Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary. Among them is an interactive merchandise item, the Key to Disneyland, a light-up toy that functions as a scavenger hunt at the park and a light-up wand at home. Each Key to Disneyland comes with a mystery pin, one of nine possible styles, and retails for $59.99. We received a complimentary Key to Disneyland during the 70th Anniversary kickoff event. Here’s what the experience entails.
The Key to Disneyland features an on/off slider on the back, and two buttons on the edge of the handle. One allows you to cycle through the colorful lands you’ve collected, while the other turns on the corresponding sound. At launch, it plays Walt Disney’s full dedication to Disneyland speech (“To all who come to this happy place, welcome…").
There are nine lands at Disneyland, and therefore, nine locks to activate. It’s a bit of a scavenger hunt to find them all, and if you want to remain unspoiled, skip over this list of where to find them. But if you need help, we’ve got you covered.
- Main Street U.S.A. - Inside the Fire Station (Note: This is inaccessible during performances by the Dapper Dans)
- Adventureland - Inside the Adventureland Bazaar in the former location of Aladdin’s magic lamp
- New Orleans Square - Near La Mascarade d'Orleans shop
- Bayou Country - On the porch of Louis' Critter Club shop
- Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge - By the X-Wings outside of the entrance to Rise of the Resistance
- Frontierland - By the red stagecoach on the Frontierland pathway to/from Galaxy’s Edge.
- Tomorrowland - Between Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters and the Little Green Men Store Command shop
- Mickey’s Toontown - Outside of the Jolly Trolley Barn near the entrance to Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
- Fantasyland - In the Fantasy Faire courtyard to the left of The Royal Hall
- Grand Finale - Near the main entrance to the left of the floral Mickey in front of the Main Street Train Station
Each lock triggers sounds to activate and some form of kinetic element, typically bubbles or a light projection. The locks also let you watch the new color flow into your key as the icon is added.
It’s fun to collect the colors, symbols, and sounds as you enjoy a day at Disneyland. We tried the Key to Disneyland on the first day of operation, and lines were about 20 minutes long at most of the locks. Presumably, this will be the exception, not the rule, but if you’re planning to add the Key to Disneyland to your day, carve out some time to complete the experience.
Another helpful tip: The Key to Disneyland sleeps when it’s not being regularly used. Be sure to activate it by pressing the top button on the handle before putting it into a lock. You’ll know it’s active if the lights are on. This learning curve could’ve contributed to the length of the lines on the first day.
As you collect the symbols and colors of the nine lands, you also have the ability to cycle through them and play music or sounds from the lands. It’s like collecting auditory souvenirs from each of the lands. The sounds collected include:
- Main Street - “Married Life" from Pixar’s Up
- Adventureland - Jungle Cruise sound effects and queue music
- New Orleans Square - “Grim Grinning Ghosts from Haunted Mansion
- Bayou Country - “The Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down Down" from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge - John Williams’ “Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite"
- Frontierland - Big Thunder Mountain sounds and queue music
- Tomorrowland - Michael Giacchino’s Space Mountain score
- Mickey’s Toontown - “Nothing Can Stop Us Now" from Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Fantasyland - “Once Upon a Dream" from King Arthur’s Carousel
- Completion song - “Fantasmic! Exit Music"
Several things happen when you return to the front of the park for the last lock. You collect all the colors and can activate a rainbow mode, plus the bonus song. But most exciting of all is that a secret compartment opens, revealing your mystery pin.
All of the pins have the Disneyland “D" (which is also the shape of the key’s handle), plus one of the icons you collected. We got Main Street’s icon, the Partners Statue.
Other pin options include a Jungle Cruise boat, Haunted Mansion candelabra, Winnie the Pooh honey pot, the Millennium Falcon, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Mickey Mouse’s house, Space Mountain, or the Mark Twain Riverboat.
The Key to Disneyland is sold at multiple locations around Disneyland, particularly in shops adjacent to locks, such as the Adventureland Bazaar. See the Key to Disneyland in action in our video below.
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