USF Prop Shop Update Thread

[Jakemeister]

New Prez Karen Irwin (succeeded retired Bill Davis). According to insiders she told the staff she hated the Superstar Parade and then shut it down a few weeks after. The Parade was probably a bit outdated, and it's OK to shut it down IF, you replace it with something better. Hopefully these closings aren't to improve the bottom line and will usher in 'new' replacements. USF is overcrowded daily, and to keep reducing capacity is a questionable practice. I'd of thought they'd keep running the parade (as an example) until they had a replacement ready.

I think it's slightly more nuanced then Karen not liking it. It's probably Karen not liking it AND cost to benefit/spending being high. Each transaction might have "cost" the organization more than it was worth & it's not like it really ends up in GSATs.

The Parade is a whole other thing. It cost a lot of labor to run a parade & in turn the GSATs should really be reflective of that. From an "Armchair Engineer/Exec" view I think it'd be a far better idea to have a new better parade, or import Japan's parade to USF. But I'm not involved in those sort of decisions.

 

[shiekra38]

Real talk, this was always a "look, don't buy" type store for me

Considering how little it costs to print the coroplast signs they were selling for hundreds of dollars lol

I don't really care if Helen Hunt sneezed on it

 

[Mad Dog]

I think it's slightly more nuanced then Karen not liking it. It's probably Karen not liking it AND cost to benefit/spending being high. Each transaction might have "cost" the organization more than it was worth & it's not like it really ends up in GSATs.

The Parade is a whole other thing. It cost a lot of labor to run a parade & in turn the GSATs should really be reflective of that. From an "Armchair Engineer/Exec" view I think it'd be a far better idea to have a new better parade, or import Japan's parade to USF. But I'm not involved in those sort of decisions.

Yes, they needed a new updated and better parade. Key is whether they do it or not. If they do a new one...great....If they just abandon having a parade , for a better bottom line, then that's not OK. The park is crying for more capacity, and the parade relieves ride times for a good hour or two between people lining up, waiting, and viewing. Parks are crowded and profit ratios are at record levels. No need to penny pinch the bottom line. With the totality of park operations, not everything turns in the black. Example: Things like live street entertainment crowds aren't large enough to pay for themselves, but they're essential for the park, as a whole, to be entertaining and enjoyable to guests. Everything doesn't need to be an attraction or restaurant operating in the black.....and, with Williams of Hollywood, it's normally no big thing to close it....but with so many things down, it just accentuates the perception of so much closed, worked on, or no replacement for a closed spot.

 

[Coolbfitz]

How long before Brown Derby follows?

It's still on the website (though not on the app), but it's been closed for around a year or so and used as storage.

 

[tyro]

I’ll be there on its last day, wonder if there will be huge discounts in the store that day?

 

[Clive]

I liked the store and will miss it. Hopefully it does not become another dormant space.

 

[TheGentTrent]

I’ve always been curious of the financial success of this place. Has anyone here purchased a prop from there worth more than $500?

Real talk, this was always a "look, don't buy" type store for me

Considering how little it costs to print the coroplast signs they were selling for hundreds of dollars lol

I don't really care if Helen Hunt sneezed on it

Yeah, as much as we wanted this store to succeed, I have trouble believing that it drove much revenue to justify keeping open. I suspect that the general public never really knew the history behind many of the items for sale and anything that was worth purchasing was out of most people's price range.

 

[Alicia]

I liked being able to buy props and Universal items, but most of the items for sale were filler merch from a local antiques store. So, it was 90% bleh to me to be honest. But still well worth it for that 10% when something fun showed up.

 

[emsvcs3]

On a somewhat related note, does anyone know what became of defunct ride memorabilia prior to this store being around? As a devotee of the “Ride the Movies” era, I always wonder if Hanna-Barbera and Hitchcock stuff was just unceremoniously junked.

 

[Alicia]

On a somewhat related note, does anyone know what became of defunct ride memorabilia prior to this store being around? As a devotee of the “Ride the Movies” era, I always wonder if Hanna-Barbera and Hitchcock stuff was just unceremoniously junked.

They must keep tons of stuff in the prop warehouse somewhere, because I’ll recognize things from old attractions all the time at special event, HHN mazes, and Tribute Stores.

The Legacy Store shows they clearly have a bunch of old ride props lying around still.

 

[Nick]

Unpopular opinion maybe, but this is a positive change. I know there was some cool stuff in there but the merch mainly consisted of junk dug up from random back of house warehouses. Came off like a garage sale, not a high-end retail outlet. You can honor your history and cater to your diehard fans without pawning off theming.

I’ll be interested to see if they invest anything new in the space though.

Yeah, they can probably transition to selling some of this stuff in the Legacy Store in CityWalk anyway.

 

[JoeCamel]

They must keep tons of stuff in the prop warehouse somewhere, because I’ll recognize things from old attractions all the time at special event, HHN mazes, and Tribute Stores.

The Legacy Store shows they clearly have a bunch of old ride props lying around still.

For the set designers it must be like going to the candy store when they visit the warehouse.

 

[Legacy]

On a somewhat related note, does anyone know what became of defunct ride memorabilia prior to this store being around? As a devotee of the “Ride the Movies” era, I always wonder if Hanna-Barbera and Hitchcock stuff was just unceremoniously junked.

Hannah Barbera I know got junked. The dumpster was behind the Screamhouse green room.

 

[Clive]

Hannah Barbera I know got junked. The dumpster was behind the Screamhouse green room.

That tracks. I remember hearing some of the dinosaurs from the post show may have survived, but I’ve never heard about anything else.

I also seem to remember hearing many of the more mobile Hitchcock props were stored in the upper floor of Shrek. Not sure what their status is now with the new build. The bigger set pieces were initially mothballed in place but were later junked when they built the second theater.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Hannah Barbera I know got junked. The dumpster was behind the Screamhouse green room.

I imagine they had to be destroyed as it's not their property, similar to what happens to non-Uni controlled IP after HHN.

 

[Jakemeister]

This to me was interesting though.

 

[Brian G.]

Williams of Hollywood Prop Shop at Universal Studios Florida to permanently close on June 26

Universal Orlando has confirmed that the Williams of Hollywood Prop Shop at Universal Studios Florida will permanently close on June 26, 2022. Per Universal, the store will close "to make way for a new retail experience" and "more details will be shared in the months ahead." Located in Hollywo

www.insideuniversal.net

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Nintendo? Monsters? Something else?

 

[Alicia]

Nintendo? Monsters? Something else?

Word around town is a mini Epic preview store, but I haven’t heard any evidence of it yet. But if it means seeing new concept art and maybe being able to purchase some early Epic logo merch I’d be all for it.

I feel like it’s too early for that yet, but we’ll see.

 

[GAcoaster]

Word around town is a mini Epic preview store, but I haven’t heard any evidence of it yet. But if it means seeing new concept art and maybe being able to purchase some early Epic logo merch I’d be all for it.

I'd think the logical idea would be to move the Legacy Store into Universal, then put the preview center/store into the current Legacy Store site on CityWalk so it's accessible to all guests.