There’s a lot going on in the Disney World parks today with the release of Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection.

But besides these new features (which you can learn all about here), what else is new in the parks? We’re heading to EPCOT to check out some updates in new merchandise, construction, crowds, and more. Let’s go see what’s new!

There weren’t any updates for new food in EPCOT (although there’s still plenty to eat between the ongoing Food and Wine Festival and new 50th Anniversary treats), so let’s jump into some updates with new merchandise.

EPCOT Merchandise Updates

We’re starting out at EPCOT’s main gift shop, the Creations Shop (located in World Celebration).

At this spot, we saw a new 50th Anniversary jacket, which looks like the top half of a track suit.

It’s dark blue with an EARidescent gold 50th Anniversary logo on the front.

There are white stripes going down the sleeves as well.

In the same shop, we found a new Minnie Mouse backpack, which was covered in sequins!

The bag is red, with Minnie’s iconic polka dots in white. It’s even got little Minnie ears on the top, complete with a red sequin bow.

And nearby we found a fun Mandalorian-themed art set. The set came with a paint palette, some paint tubes, washable markers, crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, oil pastels, pencils, paint brushes, a mixing palette, a stencil, a sketch pad, eraser, pencil sharpener, ruler, scissors, and tape.

Basically, it’s got everything you need for some amazing art projects!

You can get the set for $29.99. Head to the Creations Shop to find all of those treasures. And over in the World Showcase, we spotted more new items.

In the UK pavilion, the Sportsman’s Shoppe partially reopened.

You can find all kinds of UK sporting gear here, including soccer jerseys for Chelsea, Manchester United, and more.

Over in the Italy pavilion, we found a new skirt that’s decorated with Italian scenes, plus Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

The skirt is yellow with red designs, and it has a ruffle down the front.

You can get this skirt for $78.

If you head to the China pavilion instead, you’ll find some accessories for your dog, including this hat!

It attaches with a clip, and it looks like the perfect thing to get your pup ready for a party.

You can get this hat for $4.50.

Finally, we headed to the World Traveler gift shop because there’s a new 50th Anniversary Figment pressed penny there!

We found the penny machine…

…and got our Figment penny.

Isn’t he cute?

That’s all for our EPCOT merchandise updates, but during all of our shopping we noticed a few construction projects around as well.

EPCOT Construction Updates

In World Discovery, we stopped by Test Track and saw that the FastPass kiosks have been removed from this area.

They used to sit right in front of the ride, but you won’t find them there anymore. Since Genie+ is replacing FastPass in the parks (and it’s all accessed through your smartphone), we don’t need the kiosks anymore.

We also saw some work being done on the Harmonious barges in the middle of the World Showcase Lagoon.

There were construction vehicles on the main barge, likely for some routine maintenance or adjustments.

We’ve been to see the new Harmonious show a couple of times now, so you can click here to check it out!

Click Here to See the Harmonious Show in EPCOT

Other EPCOT Updates

One BIG update is that you can now use the Disney Genie in EPCOT (and all the Disney World parks). We’ve got all kinds of updates and information about this new system, so make sure to check out our pages on that. Here are a few that might come in handy:

Click Here to See Our First Experiences With the Disney Genie

Click Here to Learn How to Use the Free Disney Genie

Click Here to Learn How to Buy Genie+

Click Here to Learn How to Buy Pay-Per-Ride Reservations

In less confusing news, we saw some sea urchins wearing Mickey hats in the Seas aquarium (in the World Nature section of EPCOT)!

We learned recently that these creatures actually pick up things in their environment and put them on top themselves for camouflage, so when their keepers added some Mickey hats near them, the urchins picked them up and put them on!

When we went back later, though, the sea urchins had apparently grown bored of the Mickey hats, because they were just laying around the tank instead of on top of the creatures.

And on our way out we said hello to Goofy, who was greeting guests from near Spaceship Earth.

See ya later Goof!

Keep following DFB for more updates on what’s new around the Disney World parks and hotels.

Click Here to See What’s New at the Disney World Hotels

What’s your favorite ride in EPCOT? Let us know in the comments.