The Best (Almost) Free Disneyland Souvenirs You Didn’t Know About

Don’t get us wrong.: we LOVE Disneyland…

Independence Day – July 4 – Patriotic Main Street, U.S.A.  (Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)

…but in a world where ticket prices have risen over 3000% (seriously!) over the last 60+ years, we’re always looking for ways we can to enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth on the cheap! We’ve got a few unique and awesome souvenirs in Disneyland that fit the bill!

Did you know throughout Disneyland are a few ultra-cheap souvenirs that date back almost to the park’s infancy?! Yup, it’s true! And the best part — these classic Disneyland souvenirs can be acquired for around a buck TOTAL.

Esmeralda the Fortune Teller

About halfway down Main Street, U.S.A. you’ll find the twinkling lights of the Penny Arcade. Sitting at its entrance is an old fortune telling machine featuring a woman inside. Her name? Esmeralda. And she’s been with Disneyland since its earliest days!

Esmeralda the Fortune Teller ©Disney

Esmeralda is a real, working fortune teller machine. And the best part? She costs a quarter to read you your fortune. Yep, just a quarter! Drop a quarter in and watch as a fortune card pops out of her machine. The fortunes are all different and this is a tradition for many families visiting the park.

Esmeralda Fortune Card

These make a great memento. Some people even swear by her otherworldly predictions coming true! Hey, for a quarter, it’s worth a shot, right?!

Fortune Red

Esmeralda’s surlier other half (if only in fortune telling abilities!) is Fortune Red. He’s a bit trickier to hunt down unless you know to look for him. Fortune Red lives tucked away behind the Pieces of Eight shop in New Orleans Square. If you find him, you’ll be rewarded with another 25 cent fortune!

Fortune Red ©Disney

Fortune Red is admittedly a bit creepier than Esmeralda, but drop a quarter in and after a wave of his hand, you’ll be granted a pirate’s booty of fortune as well as some nifty knowledge about pirates!

Back of Fortune Red Card

Fortune Red has moved a few times around New Orleans Square, but he appears to have no plans to stop doling out fortunes to guests any time soon!

Shrunken Ned

Our favorite of the Disneyland fortune-tellers has to be Shrunken Ned!

Shrunken Ned ©Disney

Journey to the tropical jungle of the Adventureland Bazaar (yea, he’s smack dab in the middle of a gift shop!) and you might see many guests meandering right past one of the coolest souvenirs in the park! Ned’s more of a high roller — it’ll cost you 50 cents for him to impart his wisdom! Simply place your hand on the, well…hand, and Ned’s wisdom will come forth!

Place Your Hand in Front of Shrunken Ned for Your Fortune ©Disney

You’ll receive a piece of jungle wisdom from Ned for your troubles. Keep an eye on Ned as well; you don’t want him to get ahead of himself! 😉

Shrunken Ned card
Shrunken Ned Card

We have a feeling the Jungle Cruise Skippers must get advice from Ned often! 😉

Bonus: Aladdin’s OTHER Lamp

Our last source of wisdom comes from the back of the very same Adventureland Bazaar shop. At the back-center of the store you’ll find Aladdin’s other genie lamp. It lives in the store and, with a little bit of monetary persuasion to the tune of 50 cents, the genie within will give you his wisdom. There’s no card here though, so listen up! The genie’s lamp will light up and a puff of smoke will arise from the spout as he divines your future.

We love that in the days of ultra-expensive merchandise and ever-rising ticket costs, there are still a few glimmers of Walt’s original Disneyland tucked in his park for guests to discover. For a buck fifty (or a buck flat if you skip Aladdin’s lamp and stick to the machines that produce cards!) you can walk away with a slice of Disneyland. If you ask us, that’s a pretty great deal!

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Have you ever encountered these fortune tellers in Disneyland? Let us know in the comments!

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One Reply to “The Best (Almost) Free Disneyland Souvenirs You Didn’t Know About”

  1. Oh I love this article. I never realized they would pop out a fortune card. Going on my must do for our next trip. Thank you!