Have you visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom recently? No? Okay. No need to panic! We’ve got you covered. 

We’re here with all the news and updates from Animal Kingdom. And as a bit of a sneak peek, if you’re still looking for Christmas merchandise in Disney World, Animal Kingdom apparently has you covered?

Animal Kingdom Food Updates

Harambe Market

Recently, we gave the Hot Link Bowl from Harambe Market a try! This is a vegetarian dish featuring plant-based sausage, cilantro rice, mixed greens, and salsa for $12.99.

We weren’t huge fans of this dish, but the good news is that there are SO many other better vegetarian dishes around Animal Kingdom, so you’re not stuck with this dish as your only choice!

Click here for our full review of the Hot Link Bowl!

Animal Kingdom Construction Updates

Aladar, the Igunodon from the 2000 film Dinosaur, is undergoing a bit of a rough time. At the moment, if you pass by him, you might be surprised to see just how rough he looks! You can find Aladar in front of the Dinosaur ride in DinoLand U.S.A. We’ll be keeping an eye out for updates on this friend.

Construction walls also remain around Dino-Bite Snacks and Restaurantosaurus, so we’ll be watching DinoLand closely for any progress!

Animal Kingdom Merchandise Updates

Discovery Trading

We’ve seen this Tie-Dye Kids’ Sweatshirt around Disney World and online, and we spotted it in Discovery Trading recently as well. The sweatshirt is $36.99.

The matching Tie-Dye Jogger Pants are $34.99. You can also find this set on shopDisney!

There was a really cute Mickey-shaped item! It was available for $22.99. What this item is exactly is a bit of a mystery. From what we gathered, it could be a combined business card holder and pen holder. But we think it could just make an adorable decoration!

We also found a vintage-inspired Disney World T-Shirt featuring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald for $36.99.

There were also new Gold Print Cups with a gold print of wintery trees and animals, along with Cinderella Castle!

Let’s cross over to Island Mercantile!

Island Mercantile

Island Mercantile had LOTS of Christmas merchandise available for purchase. 

Seriously, if you want to start stocking up for Christmas 2022, head to Island Mercantile! 

Windtraders

Remember how we said Cast Members were hoping to get in more colors of banshee toys at Windtraders soon? This week we saw an orange/yellow banshee arrive!

The new banshee display was moved to an inner wall, and there are now 6 total banshee colors available.

We’ll be looking out for more colors to arrive in the future!

Serka Zong (Expedition Everest Store)

The Expedition Everest gift shop, which is still open even though the ride is under refurbishment until April 2022, had a restock of the Adventure Pack!

This little set could be perfect for kiddos who want to explore and have an adventure of their own!

Dino Institute Shop

Okay, this item might not be brand new, but it was one we HAD to show off — it’s our surprise find of the week — a Dinosaur Lightsaber! Y’ALL we cannot even here. A dinosaur lightsaber (okay, light up wand, but you know what we mean)?! We have so many questions but we are enthralled.

Sometimes it’s worth checking out those tucked away shops in Disney World — you never know what you may find.

If you want a more unique lightsaber that’ll truly impress your dinosaur loving friends, this is IT.

Click here to learn more about the Dinosaur Lightsaber!

Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures

Chip ‘n’ Dale were no longer available in dino plush form at Chester and Hester’s, but a plush Donald Duck is available now!

And with that, we’ve got one last stop for our trip around the park!

Popcorn Carts

Available around Animal Kingdom at most popcorn carts were the Gold Christmas Tree Popcorn Buckets. Cast Members told us these buckets will be available until January 31st, or until they sell out — whichever comes first.

One Cast Member told us they were selling fast, so you might want to head over to Animal Kingdom if you’re hoping to snag one! They cost $25 each.

Check out more photos of the Gold Popcorn Bucket here!

And that’s all the news from Animal Kingdom! Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World news!

Click here to see 9 Disney World rides to AVOID if you struggle with motion sickness!

What do you think of the news from Animal Kingdom this week? Tell us in the comments!