The first World of Disney store opened October 2, 1996 in the Disney Village Marketplace (currently
Disney Springs) at
Walt Disney World Resort. At approximately of retail space, it is said to offer the largest selection of
Disney character merchandise in the world, according to the company. A 2006 renovation added a small princess-themed salon called Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, plus a new children's merchandise area inspired by
Pirates of the Caribbean and
Stitch. The Boutique was moved out of this store with the Disney Springs overhaul of Downtown Disney in mid to late 2016 to Once Upon a Toy store, located in the Marketplace section. A second, 40,000 square feet location opened on January 1, 2001, coinciding with the opening of
Downtown Disney of the
Disneyland Resort in
Anaheim. On October 5, 2004, a third location opened within a three-story
New York City (30,000-square-foot) space formerly occupied by the flagship
Disney Store on
Manhattan's
Fifth Avenue as the rest of the Disney Store chain in the US was sold. The store closed on December 31, 2009, and the interior was dismantled on January 4, 2010 to make way for a traditional Disney Store in Times Square in fall 2010 at the former
Virgin Megastore location. The rental cost for the location had become unreasonable and Disney had purchased back the US Disney Stores. Disney Parks' merchandising department added another retail location, Disney Vault 28, its first high-end apparel store, which opened on October 11, 2006 in
Downtown Disney. Vault 28 was closed down by the end of September 2017. An additional location opened at
Disney Village in
Disneyland Paris on July 12, 2012, the third location currently in operation. The 1,400 square-meters (15,000 square feet) store was a part of a major overhaul for the village. The newest World of Disney location opened in the
Disneytown area of the
Shanghai Disney Resort at the park's opening on June 14, 2016, bringing the total to four stores in operation. The flagship store at Downtown Disney in Anaheim started a remodel in 2017 by
PCL Construction with a soft reopening on October 19 and a grand opening on October 26, 2018. The remodeling added a back story to the location that it was "a bus depot turned into an animation studio for Disney artists." The Disney Springs location was also remodeled with its grand reopening on October 27.
Disney Adventure, the eighth and largest cruise ship of
Disney Cruise Line, contains a World of Disney store on Deck 5, along with a smaller shop called World of Disney Too. Both stores opened upon the ship's maiden voyage on March 10, 2026. == References ==