Your Favourite Items of Zoo Merch

[LaughingDove]

There are various other threads with pictures of zoo T shirts or bemoaning the general poor standard of most zoo gift shops, but I thought it would be nice to share pictures of our favourite bits of zoo merchandise or anything zoo branded in your collection. I attach a picture of two pairs of socks I got at San Diego Zoo this summer:
I also picked up a branded water bottle which I've been using daily since.

This San Diego Zoo map T shirt is also really cool (photo by @splendens ) but I doubt I'd ever wear something like that out in the real world.

I also have a Brookfield Zoo hat, and I thought Bronx/the New York zoos had a particularly wide selection of shirts, I got one that says "The Beetles" with a rendition of the iconic Abbey Road picture done with actual beetles.

Please do post pictures or descriptions of any of your favourite bits of zoo merch!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Here's a photo I took with my phone some time ago showing several noteworthy items in my personal collection:



The aardwolf is not from a zoo, but otherwise....

Horned Guan - Walsrode
Shoebill - Walsrode
Manatee - Wroclaw
Kiwi - Zlin
Pangolin - Prague

I have a few other noteworthy items which I will post photographs of once I am back at my flat.

 

[LaughingDove]

I also bought those same shoebill and guan models at Walsrode! The aardwolf is impressive.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I also bought those same shoebill and guan models at Walsrode! The aardwolf is impressive.

Sadly, in the last few years the gift shop at Walsrode has taken a rather steep decline towards the floodplains of "bog-standard merchandise produced by Wild Republic and very little else" with a noticeable difference even between my September 2023 and May 2024 visits!

 

[LaughingDove]

Sadly, in the last few years the gift shop at Walsrode has taken a rather steep decline towards the floodplains of "bog-standard merchandise produced by Wild Republic and very little else" with a noticeable difference even between my September 2023 and May 2024 visits!

Oh that's a massive shame. Zoo gift shops are always best when they feature taxa that are iconic to that collection.

San Diego Safari Park for example seems to have gone big into platypus themed gifts.

I've bought a fridge magnet from each of the zoos I've visited in the last couple of years that sells them, looking at those places local to me in East Anglia I'd say Thrigby Hall is by far the best where I picked up two fridge magnets featuring a Moluccan Cockatoo and a pair of Sulawesi Black Crested Macaques. (Although the Moluccan Cockatoo looks more like a Major Mitchell's to be honest).

 

[LaughingDove]

This is supposed to be "Monty" the Moluccan cockatoo, although the yellow colouration on the crest probably makes it look more like a Major Mitchell's

 

[filovirus]

I don't have a photo of it, but last time i was at Henry Doorly, I got a big grey sweatshirt with "Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium" embroidered on it with a penguin. It's one of the comfiest things I own.

Similarly, when I went to Shedd, I got this embroidered beluga sweatshirt, but in orange instead of green. Similarly comfy. I love a good sweatshirt lol!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I've bought a fridge magnet from each of the zoos I've visited in the last couple of years that sells them, looking at those places local to me in East Anglia I'd say Thrigby Hall is by far the best where I picked up two fridge magnets featuring a Moluccan Cockatoo and a pair of Sulawesi Black Crested Macaques. (Although the Moluccan Cockatoo looks more like a Major Mitchell's to be honest).

I tend to get two or three magnets per place, and if they are collection-specific enough (the two Berlins are pretty good for this) rather more as a result my fridge, freezer and boiler have all now run out of space, and they are starting to populate a magnetic whiteboard!

 

[TNT]

I tend to get two or three magnets per place

That sounds expensive! I try to get a magnet if they have the zoos name on from most collections, but I won't pay more that £5. On a recent visit to Marwell, I seem to remember them costing far more than that.

 

[ZooNews2024]

Sadly, in the last few years the gift shop at Walsrode has taken a rather steep decline towards the floodplains of "bog-standard merchandise produced by Wild Republic and very little else" with a noticeable difference even between my September 2023 and May 2024 visits!

I don't think there are that many suppliers, so you do tend to see the same names on the tags. If you visit more zoos than the general public, then you would certainly notice.
On the flip side, I am sure that most shop managers, in zoos as well as elsewhere, have sales targets and will be interested to find new products in case they 'fly' - so if you find a different suppliers name on a tag, why not let your zoo know.

 

[ZooNews2024]

This is supposed to be "Monty" the Moluccan cockatoo, although the yellow colouration on the crest probably makes it look more like a Major Mitchell's

This looks rather like a generic 'Wild Republic' cockatoo simply personalised with Thrigby's logo, and not an individual one. Several of the suppliers catalogues I have seen offer this facility, in addition to genuinely bespoke items.
The suppliers are commercial companies with no specific interest in zoos, so will only import and list what sells - or if a zoo wants something special and different, there may be huge productions runs involved which small and medium size zoos cannot commit to.

 

[wayne williams]

Does anyone collect snow globes from visiting the gift shops with the same of the zoo, aquarium, park ect. I have started with new visits and attempting to “back collect” ones that have previously visited.

 

[merlin]

I purchased these socks a week ago at the Prague zoo. I actually got the pair for my partner, but I still find it very cool!

 

[Rizz Carlton]

I always like to bring home zoo maps, I figure it would be valuable later on for future zoo enthusiasts to learn more about zoos during my time. I often use them for future references and comparison if I ever visit them again.

I always love it when zoos or other facilities try to constantly update their map wherever there's changes in there, like with Gembira Loka Zoo (Pictured front, with the crocodile cover).