What's New at Disney's Animal Kingdom: A Fan-Favorite Character Returns Plus Multiple Outdoor Kiosk Closures

We’re in the Disney World theme parks every day checking in on what’s new, and today we’re sharing all of the latest discoveries from Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

From new merchandise to returning character meet and greets, there’s plenty going on in Animal Kingdom — let’s dive in and see what’s happening!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom General Updates

Over the past few week’s we’ve seen more and more character meet and greets return across Disney World. This week, Kevin returned to greet guests at Animal Kingdom!

Hello, Kevin!

Guests can spot Kevin at Character Landing on Discovery Island, which is across from Isle of Java.

Never a dull moment when Kevin is around!

We’ve been waiting for this character to return to Disney World since the parks reopened, so this was a pretty exciting visit to Animal Kingdom!

Click here to check out more photos and videos of Kevin returning to Disney World!

Over at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, the Out of the Wild shopping area has closed.

Out of the Wild has closed

A Cast Member told us that Out of the Wild will reopen as a rest area with tables and vending machines. This is subject to change so we will check back to see if there are any changes. We were told that the location will open by February 1st, so we’ll keep an eye on any developments in the coming weeks! Speaking of shopping kiosks, we spotted several other outdoor kiosks closed throughout the park on our recent visits. These include the kiosk across from Tiffins…

Kiosk across from Tiffins closed

…as well as the kiosk outside of Festival of the Lion King.

Kiosk near Festival of the Lion King closed

Over at Dinosaur, we’ve noticed on our recent visits some primer being applied to the Iguanodon statue out front, as well as the fountains being drained.

Looks like work is about to begin outside of Dinosaur!

We’ll keep checking in on this location to monitor what appears to be a bit of a refurbishment!

Click here to see what Dinosaur looks like with the lights on!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Merchandise Updates

Island Mercantile

Let’s recap the latest merchandise we’ve seen on our recent trips to Animal Kingdom. Over at Island Mercantile, we found these adorable Shanghai Disneyland Mickey Mouse plush for $29.99.

Shanghai Disneyland Mickey Plush

The bottom of his foot is decorated with the Shanghai Disneyland logo as well as as a tiger design in celebration of the Year of the Tiger!

So fun to see merch from other resorts available in Disney World!

We also spotted the new 50th Anniversary Celebration Jacket available at Animal Kingdom for $179.99.

50th Anniversary Celebration Jacket

The temperatures in Florida have been quite chilly lately, so this jacket would be the perfect outer layer to help you warm up! Once the temperatures warm up again, you’ll be able to shed some layers and wear this Mickey Mouse “Original” t-shirt.

Mickey Mouse “Original” T-Shirt!

The shirt is available at Island Mercantile for $24.99.

Chester & Hester’s

Over at Chester & Hester’s, we found a pair of Princess pen sets!

Princess Pen Sets

They each retail for $19.99 and come with different princesses in each pack.

Click here for an updated list of what 50th Anniversary Merchandise you can currently buy online!

That’s a wrap from Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Be sure to check back frequently ahead of your next Disney World vacation so you can stay up-to-date on the latest news and updates from the parks and resorts.

Click here to read what’s new at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

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