Souvenirs for a 13-year-old boy

[c.mouse]

Could anyone recommend souvenirs for a 13 year old boy? My son enjoys our yearly visit to WDW but it seems that there aren't many options for boys his age. His twin sister buys clothing, charms and other jewelry. There seems to be a lot more options for girls. We try to go for 10 days and it would be cool if he had some things to buy that he could use while we are there.
Thanks

 

[momtwoboys]

T Shirt? My boys both have been going to disney yearly since babies, once they hit 10-12 they stopped wearing Disney T's and they also stopped buying anything while there. Which is fine with us we arent shoppers at all. Our younger son who is now 16 has liked buying different chocolates around WDW. Especially Epcot. Sorry that wasnt super helpful!

 

[VillainFavs]

My oldest has gravitated to some of the ESPN merchandise. You can find it at World of Disney in Disney Springs or even at the ESPN Grille on the Boardwalk. He has t-shirts, a baseball cap, a sling bag, even a glass shaped like a football! My younger son likes Legos so we always hit that store as well! They really enjoyed buying some candy at each of the countries in World Showcase. How about trading pins? That becomes a fun activity while there as well.

 

[mrzrich]

My 13 year old loves Marvel, Star Wars and Oswald the Rabbit. There are lots of cool shirts available around the parks and in Disney Springs. He especially liked the Uniqlo store.

 

[rlk]

I have found it difficult to buy a disney souvenir for teen boys. My two teen boys picked up mugs on our last visit. They had some cool looking Mickey t-shirts at Uniqlo at Disney Springs; my 14 yo bought one.

 

[housetomouse]

Is he into Pokemon? The Japan store at Epcot used to have Pokemon plush, shirts, etc.

 

[100acreHiker]

We have 12 and 8 year old boys. They are soccer players and fans of British pop culture, so they love finding jerseys to buy (they are expensive, though!) in Germany and UK pavilions, as well as all of the fun British pop stuff (rock n roll and dr who souvenirs) in the British stores. Star Wars souvenirs sometimes appeals to them. They also like exploring the department store in the Japanese pavilion which has manga, Pokemon and great Japanese candy and snacks. They aren't into any of the classic Disney souvenirs, anymore, like they did when they were little.

 

[houseful of boys]

As a mom of 4 boys ages 19 through 9, I agree with the Japan and U.K. Pavilions at Epcot. My boys nag me to no end until they get their Japan "fix." Also, DHS gift shops have some unique pop culture items. They used to have comics at DHS but I'm not sure if that's still the case. Disney Springs also has some great Marvel and Star Wars merchandise.

 

[ariane37]

Older DS is almost 15 and gave up the Disney shirts a couple years ago I'll echo what pp's said about candy, he likes getting different chocolate from the countries in WS and trying lots of foods from the store in Japan. He does like snow globes and will admit to still being a fan of Sorcerer Mickey, so will occasionally pick up a snow globe of some sort or Sorcerer Mickey ornament from the Christmas store in DS. Really the candy/edible souvenirs are his favorites lol.

 

[danikoski]

My 12 year old loves Marvel and Star Wars, so he got some souvenirs from this IPs. I also got him a tub of Legos from the Lego wall at DS. He really liked his Star Wars name tag from DHS.

 

[Klayfish]

Every kid is different. What does your son like? My DS12 likes pins, Star Wars and Marvel. On our last trip, he bought 10 pins (many were at an off site gift shop), a few things at the Marvel Store and one or two Star Wars things. I think he also bought a small glass figurine...I know my twins did, can't recall for sure if DS12 did. But if your son doesn't like those things, then that wouldn't interest him.

All my kids have an envelope in their room labeled "Disney money". DS12 has got a few hundred dollars in there, but he may not spend it. If he doesn't want physical souvenirs, that's perfectly fine with me. I know for a fact that he brings home memories that he will cherish forever, and that's better than anything he can buy in the parks.

 

[disneyvoice]

My son is 15 but when we lived in Tampa and went to WDW almost every weekend he used to buy pins. He starting collecting them when he little and used to trade them but when he got older he would buy ones he thought looked cool with no intention of trading. He also liked the stuff in the Star Wars gift shop - t-shirts, collectables, etc. Most of the time he didn't see anything he wanted. In our family there is huge difference between me, and my husband and my son. I have to stop myself from dropping too much money on souvenirs, my DH and DS really don't care about souvenirs.

 

[carlymcqueen]

I always try to get something for my boyfriend when I go, and he always prefers the star wars stuff. He's 17 and asked me for a build your own light saber!

 

[AllieBoo]

My son bought a really cool Hollywood Hotel shirt in the Tower of Terror gift shop. It's not kiddish looking at all and he wore it a lot.

 

[BrianL]

I can see that age being tough. I agree that Mikasa in Japan will have a lot of things that they might be into. I remember getting this samurai scroll that you hang on the wall when I was about that age (and it still hangs on my wall; and last time I was there they still sold the exact same one).

Also, if they are outgrowing the Mickey, etc. t-shirts, maybe have a look at the Twenty-Eight and Main collection, which have shirts meant to appeal to men. They are more subtle in design. I love them and have several now. A lot of them are very cool and fashionable.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

My son (14) liked the ESPN stuff and got a drink tumbler that he uses a lot. He is into coins, and they have had various collectible coins over the years that he has bought. He is not a hat kid, but seems to buy one each trip. One trip he also got a set of ride "cars" for Space Mountain, Astro Orbiter, Big Thunder Mountain etc. It had 5 in it. He also bought a die cast Mono Rail set one time too. His biggest deal is pressed pennies. I bet he has close to 100 of them from various trips.

 

[ejdmomma]

Depends on your son's interests at home...my son is 14 and he likes Marvel and Star Wars. Last trip he was on the hunt for a baseball hat that was Marvel or Star Wars. All 3 of my kids like vinylmations but depends on what series is out. We always purchase ornaments for each of the kids but he probably wouldn't request one on his own.

 

[loves to dive]

My son is a pin collector as well, he didn't trade them but has a cork board type thing he's set up where he puts all his pins, has had it for years. He gets a pin anywhere we go, whether it's on a diving trip, disney or just to a state park. He started collecting them when he was around 5, he 36 now so you can imagine the pins he has. I would always give him a budget for one big item every trip and usually he would find some special collection pin thing in the art store.

 

[BrianL]

My son (14) liked the ESPN stuff and got a drink tumbler that he uses a lot. He is into coins, and they have had various collectible coins over the years that he has bought. He is not a hat kid, but seems to buy one each trip. One trip he also got a set of ride "cars" for Space Mountain, Astro Orbiter, Big Thunder Mountain etc. It had 5 in it. He also bought a die cast Mono Rail set one time too. His biggest deal is pressed pennies. I bet he has close to 100 of them from various trips.

Can you refer me to the "Ride Cars" item. That sounds like something that is right up my alley! Thanks.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

Can you refer me to the "Ride Cars" item. That sounds like something that is right up my alley! Thanks.

It is hard to explain. I may need to take a photo of what he has and post it. Basically, it was a die cast set (the size of hot wheels, maybe a bit bigger) of the "cars" from various rides in the World. The "mountains" were included for sure, Everest, Astro Orbiter. I think that may be it. He has them on his headboard. If anything, they are not cheap plastic and will be around a while.

Edited to add: He got these on a trip in 2013 when he was 11, so I don't know if they even make/sell it anymore