5 Disney's Hollywood Studios Stores I'll Never Shop at Again

Hollywood Studios is an incredible park for thrill seekers and those looking to soak in the atmosphere of Hollywood without needing to travel all the way over to the West Coast.

While Hollywood Studios has its strengths, it does have a few weaknesses, including the lack of spectacular food options (most of them are just meh), and there are multiple areas of the park that aren’t large enough to accommodate the amount of crowds they get. And that includes some merchandise locations — we’re in Disney World every single day of the year, and that means that there are some stores we just WON’T go into anymore if we can help it!

Droid Depot

Now, don’t get us wrong — the Droid Depot in Galaxy’s Edge is awesome, but since there are Droid Building experiences going on almost all throughout the day, it means that it’s often VERY crowded in here.

The Droid Building experience takes up about half of the store, and after builders are done, many of them check out the remainder of the store for more pieces. This, plus all the regular crowds, makes this store a hotspot nearly all the time, so we avoid it when we can.

Learn more about building a droid here!

Movieland Memorabilia

If you read the name of this store and went, “I have no clue where that is,” you’re not alone! This “store” is located right at the front of the park, literally at the front gates. Specifically, it’s by the gates where you typically exit.

This means that RIGHT as you’ve made it past the line of stores and you’ve avoided caving after your kiddo begged you for one last souvenir before you leave the park, you think you’re in the clear. Then BAM! A WALL of stuffed animals right there, and they’re hard to resist. Even if you’re not traveling with a little one or someone who wants these souvenirs, YOU yourself may be tempted one more time before walking out the gates, and that’s dangerous.

Disney Studio Store

Okay, we’re cheating a little bit with this one, but not really! The Disney Studio Store was located in Animation Courtyard (and still is, technically) and was themed to the Studio Backlot Tour you could take in the park from 1989 to 2014.

Water falling, oil trucks exploding, your tram rocking and rolling … it was all part of Catastrophe Canyon during the Backlot Tour at the Disney/MGM Studios. [The Walt Disney Company]

The store hasn’t been open as a merchandise location since the 2020 park closures, and we’re sad to say we don’t see it reopening any time soon, if at all. It could turn into a new merchandise spot, but with so many changes coming to Hollywood Studios soon and we’re not entirely sure where some of the new additions are going, we may continue to see it empty for quite some time.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Is About to Look Totally Different

Stage 1 Company Store

Speaking of closed stores that we miss greatly, we’re also worried about the future of Muppets Courtyard, which includes the Stage 1 Company Store, a.k.a. The Muppets store that’s also been closed since early 2020.

We’ve seen it open up rarely for special events in the past, but it hasn’t welcomed guests to shop in years. We’re waiting to hear about the fate of Muppets Courtyard (aka if the new Monsters Inc. land will be placed here or elsewhere in the park) before we can know what to expect out of this location, but for now, we’ll just take in the outdoor views!

Sunset Ranch Pins and Souvenirs

Another spot that a lot of people don’t know the actual name of is Sunset Ranch Pins and Souvenirs, which is located on Sunset Boulevard. You likely walk right past this post because, well, it’s OUTSIDE in the SUN when there are perfectly good indoor shops on the same street just a few steps away.

Sunset Boulevard doesn’t have a lot of shade, meaning it gets hot really fast (as a whole, Hollywood Studios struggles with the whole idea of shade), so you’re often just thinking about walking up or down it as fast as you can to get where you’re going, not stopping to see an outdoor display of pins and souvenirs.