Disneyland Limits Sales of Mickey Mouse-Shaped Gingerbread Cookies

Disneyland Resort is putting a limit on an extremely popular holiday treat this year. Selling for $7.49 each, gingerbread cookies shaped like Mickey Mouse usually fly off the shelves as Disney visitors stock up on them.

Yet, in an apparent attempt to prevent hoarding, several theme park cafes are restricting sales to “five per person, per transaction.” Periodically, the eateries also suspend mobile sales so that they don’t run out.

The gingerbread cookies are available at several Disneyland locations, including the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe and the Market House as well as at Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe in Disney California Adventure. Even after a cake shop at Orlando’s Disney World got criticized for its extreme food prices, a pop-up cafe in the lobby of Disneyland’s Grand Californian is selling the treats for $10 apiece.

“It’s literally Christmas in a cookie,” Disney fan Tiffany Calderon told SFGATE. “Just cuddling up on a couch, watching some Christmas movies, getting a gingerbread cookie out and just — small bites, make it last. Make it linger.” 

Some Disneyland visitors place orders at different eatery locations hoping to snag more than the five limit, often waiting in long lines to pick them up. Going on a gingerbread cookie run doesn’t have to be an early morning excursion either as many of the cafes still have the gingerbread cookies available into the afternoon despite the demand.

The Mickey Mouse-shaped gingerbread cookies are so sought-after, it seems to have inspired other gingerbread treats. Dining spot Harbour Galley is selling warm, fresh-from-the-oven gingerbread cookies for $7.29 a half-dozen.

Why Are Disneyland’s Mickey Mouse Gingerbread Cookies So Popular?

While the Disneyland restaurants claim the limitation on Mickey Mouse gingerbread cookies is to curb selling out, it may be a marketing tactic to increase demand. Leveraging humans’ natural fear of missing out, a product’s perceived value increases when it becomes exclusive or rare. Limiting how many of something a person can buy artificially creates scarcity, which often boosts sales and revenues as word-of-mouth spreads and consumers flock to purchase.

Scarcity creates a compelling sense of urgency. Consumers feel they need to buy now or miss out on an opportunity, worrying it might not return. The desirability of a product also goes up as the few people who do purchase feel they have got something others can’t have. When done effectively, a business can create high demand and brand allure simply by making a product, like gingerbread cookies, scarce.

Whatever the real reason Disneyland eateries are limiting Mickey Mouse-shaped gingerbread cookies, fans are still finding ways to buy as many as they can. The fear of missing out is clear, and people are responding accordingly.