Disney World is handing out a Kermit magnet starting August 11, and if history is any guide, you have got about a week before they evaporate.
Some context first.
Look, the Muppets have been at Disney's Hollywood Studios basically forever, but their address keeps changing. For decades, they lived on the Street of America, which later became Muppets Courtyard. Quiet corner, a little weird, the kind of spot regulars wandered to on purpose. That area is closed permanently now and is being turned into a Monsters, Inc. area.
But the Muppets did not get evicted. They moved up. Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets planted them on Sunset Boulevard, which is a wildly bigger stage than the tucked-away courtyard they were in.
Disney is capitalizing. And Annual Passholders are the ones cashing in.
What You Are Getting
Walt Disney World announced a run of Kermit the Frog offerings at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Passholders only. The main event is the first-ever Muppet Passholder magnet.
Runs August 11 through September 24.
Pick up the magnet at Mickey Shorts Theater, park open to park close, while supplies last.
That phrase is doing heavy lifting. Passholder magnets disappear quickly under normal circumstances, and a Muppets one will move faster than usual. Want it? Go early in the window, not late in September.
One per Passholder.
What You Need on You at Disney World
You have to show up for yourself. Nobody can grab one on your behalf.
Bring a valid Annual Pass card, linked MagicBand or MagicBand+, or MagicMobile pass, plus a government-issued photo ID.
There Is Also a Photo Op
A Passholder-exclusive PhotoPass Magic Shot is set up near the end of Hollywood Boulevard, right by Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. Available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The setup: you hold a banjo prop, and Kermit gets dropped into the photo afterward. Anyone who knows the Muppets knows exactly what that is referring to, and it is a great touch.
To get in, pull up your Annual Pass ID under “Tickets and Passes” in My Disney Experience and have your government-issued photo ID ready.
Watch those hours. The magnet is available all day long. The Magic Shot is a six-hour window. Build your day around the shorter one or you will miss it.
And Something to Drink at Disney World
Dockside Diner is pouring the Key Lime Kermit Milk Shake. Vanilla Ice Cream, Key Lime Cake Crumbs, Key Lime Sauce, Sprinkles.
Passholders need a valid Annual Pass in their My Disney Experience app and a photo ID to buy one.
Key lime is a genuinely smart call here. You get the green without a bucket of food coloring, and it is a flavor that actually survives August in Florida, which is more than you can say for a lot of seasonal stuff.
Why This Is Happening Now
All of it lands on the heels of Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets' opening.
That reimagining relocated the characters to Sunset Boulevard and gave them a placement they had never had before. Muppets Courtyard had a devoted following, but you had to go find it. Sunset Boulevard is a main artery, and every single person walking toward the Tower of Terror goes right past it.
So the timing makes sense. Freshly reimagined headliner, decades of built-up goodwill, and a Passholder program that is the obvious way to ride that wave through late summer.
How to Hit All Three at Disney World
Practical routing, since the hours do not line up.
Mickey Shorts Theater for the magnet, open to close.
Hollywood Boulevard by Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway for the Magic Shot, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. only.
Dockside Diner over on Echo Lake for the milkshake, easy to fold into either trip.
Everything sits in the front half of the park, so you are not zigzagging all day.
Keep the pass and photo ID accessible at all times. Every offering requires verification, and having the app already open to Tickets and Passes will save you time at the Magic Shot in particular.
Do Not Wait
August 11 to September 24.
Six weeks reads like plenty of time. It is not, at least not for the magnet, which is capped at while supplies last and is the first thing that will run out.
For Passholders who grew up on this stuff and watched Muppets Courtyard shut down for good, this is a decent olive branch. The characters are still here; they are on a much bigger stage, and there is finally a magnet to prove it.
