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Tis the season to be jolly AND to give gifts, so why not give a special gift to a special someone from your favourite attraction? We took a look at some of our favourite stocking fillers from the world’s biggest attractions
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 08 Dec 2021
We’ve scoured the stores for some of the world’s top attractions to bring you the very best gift ideas for this holiday season Credit: Canva
Well we are well and truly into the holiday season and almost certainly you still have at least one or two gifts to get for your loved ones, or your Secret Santa… or maybe even yourself. With that in mind, Planet Attractions took a look at some of our favourite purchases available to purchase from your own home in the online stores of some of the world’s biggest attractions.
You can find some unique treasures inside New York’s MoMA Design Store and just as many in the online version. This Albert Clock caught our eye, with the MoMA exclusive German-made digital clock encouraging thinking by inviting you to calculate the time according to six levels of difficulty.
The Albert Clock can be set for 12- or 24-hour time, is wall-mountable and stands 6.5 inches tall and 13 inches wide. Like most items in the store, it comes at a premium price, this one costing £379.99, though if you think that’s expensive, the most valuable listing on the shop’s website - a limited edition photography portfolio - comes in at an eye-watering £47,752.99.
It’s definitely worth exploring the shop’s website, it’s almost like an art exhibition in its own right!
Get the Albert Clock here
Combining STEM education and fashion, London’s Science Museum has a very special t-shirt on sale. Dubbed the Virtuali-Tee, the product from Curiscope pairs with an app to bring the design to life through augmented reality.
By interacting with 'hotspots' on the t-shirt wearers can look inside their own body to see how it functions, diving into the bloodstream, the lungs and the intestines in 360/VR mode.
Through the AR app, anatomy expert Hans Glover will guide users through the vital organs in the body while sharing interesting facts and images. The app can also be Chromecasted or Airplayed onto a TV for group learning.
The tee is available for children aged three to 13 years old.
Buy it here
What kind of a list would this be if we didn’t include a sword? And why not a replica of possibly the most famous sword of them all - King Arthur’s Excalibur.
The name Excalibur is given to two different swords - the one that the young king pulled from the stone and the other which the king took from the arm that rose above the surface of the lake.
Available from the online store of English Heritage, this purchasable version of Excalibur is a product of the world-famous Art Gladius factory in the historic sword manufacturing city of Toledo, Spain.
The ornate hilt features heraldic dragons on both the pommel and guard and tops a broad, etched stainless steel blade.
Help a loved one to start wielding Excalibur by purchasing it at this link
Now here’s an item we can personally attest to being a great product as we recently purchased one while in Orlando just a few weeks ago for the IAAPA Expo.
Pictured on the actual Christmas Tree at Planet Attractions Towers, this metal decorative ornament spins on its axis, showcasing the iconic symbol of Universal Studios. The pop of contrasting enamel along with gold-tone accents is a perfect way to bring attention to your holiday decorations.
Get it here
Available as a limited release, the official online store for Disney World is selling a 4080-piece Lego version of its iconic Cinderella Castle.
Created especially for Walt Disney World Resort, in addition to the castle itself, the set comes with five mini-figures including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Tinker Bell. The main tower also comes complete with a fireworks function!
Over in the UK store, the Lego Mini Disney Castle is available at a much lower price, with the smaller model celebrating Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th anniversary with the alternate version of the Cinderella Castle, complete with pearlised golden tower tops, opalescent blue rooftop cones and a vintage-style Mickey Mouse mini-figure.
Buy the larger castle here (note that UK & EU shipping is currently unavailable from the US due to recently introduced tax laws)
Buy the mini castle on the UK store here
Sticking with Walt Disney but moving over to New York’s iconic Met, this reproduction of the original poster for the 1950s version Cinderella is a new addition to the store as part of the upcoming exhibition: Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts.
Opening December 10, the exhibition will be the first-ever at The Met to explore the work of Walt Disney and the hand-drawn animation of the Walt Disney Animation Studios.
The print is 11 by 14 inches and touts Cinderella as “a love story with music” and declares it the “greatest since Snow White”.
Get your copy here
If there's no place like home, find your way back there with a set of Wizard of Oz ornaments from the Smithsonian.
The classic book and movie characters, says the store, will “add nostalgic charm and whimsy to the Christmas tree”.
Glinda leads the way along with Dorothy and the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion, while the Ruby Slippers and the Wicked Witch aren't far behind on the yellow brick road.
The ornaments are linked to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Behring Center, which is responsible for the collection, care, and preservation of more than three million objects. Among its collection, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz movie are one of the museum’s most famous artefacts.
Get the set here
This levitating moon lamp is an incredible piece of artistry. Available from the Getty Museum, the gravity-defying light seems to magically ‘float’ above a walnut wood base and slowly rotates just like the real elliptical orbiting moon.
The moon itself is 3D printed with a textured surface just like the moon’s own craters and glows ethereally as it emits a cool white light.
Suspended by a strong built-in magnet, the light creates a fascinating and life-like illusion of the real thing.
Get it here
This gift from the National Gallery in London allows your loved one to celebrate one of the pioneers of impressionism with a quirky Monet figurine.
This miniature version of the famous artist comes with a lily-pad, amphibian friend and a tiny easel featuring a portfolio of paintings including The Magpie, Bridge Over a Pond of Lilies, Woman with a Parasol, Grainstack (Sunset) and Impression, Sunrise.
Inspired by his love of colour and the aquatic nature of his well-known Water-Lilies series, Monet's jacket, trousers and frog change colour when submerged in warm water.
The figurine comes with a transparent base and box featuring ten interesting facts about the artist.
Get it here
Celebrate the holiday season with a little bit of the bubbly! Also celebrating 45 years of Europa-Park, this specially bottled white wine and rosé was selected by wine expert, Vincenzo De Biase.
Due to the shipping method, it is currently only possible to order this item from Germany.
To purchase, click here
If you’ve never played a game of Dobble then you’re definitely missing out. The award-winning game with takes visual perception to a new level has its own special version dedicated to the famous Louvre in Paris, France.
Available from the museum’s online store, the special edition features more than 50 symbols inspired by the Louvre's collections and history: the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, the Autumn of Arcimboldo and more. It’s up to the player to work out the unique common symbol between each card to win the pair.
Get your hands on the game here here
Still (after making your way through this entire list) trying to figure out what to get that person who seemingly has everything? Well, they probably don’t own a bronze replica of the head of Aphrodite of Satale and at the cost of a mere £2,999, then what’s stopping you?!
This is the most expensive item in the British Museum’s online store, with the bronze made in the UK using a mould taken directly from the original housed in the museum.
The bronze head was originally part of a complete statue, believed to represent Anahita, the eastern equivalent of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love. The head dates to the 2nd or 1st century BC and was discovered at Satale, modern Sagagh, in north-eastern Turkey.
“A majestic ornament for a lover of a classical Greek statue,” says the British Museum Shop.
Get it here. Go on. You know you want to.
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