Since I sell Disney collectibles, one question I am often asked is "Is this genuine Disney Park merchandise, or is it a cheap, poorly made knock-off?" Another FAQ about Disney Theme park DVDs is "Is this one of those advertising DVDs, or is it produced by Disney?" The purpose of this guide is to explain how to recognize the real, quality Disney merchandise. There are many licensed Disney items available almost anywhere. They vary is quality - usually good to below average. A lot of T shirts are sold near Disney parks, and are usually of an inferior quality. One sure way to recognize these is that they will say the name of the state underneath the picture. They might have a picture of Mickey and his pals, and underneath, it says "Florida" or "California". Disney theme park shirts don't usually say the state name on them. Also, the tag inside will say "Walt Disney World" or "Disneyland". Other manufacturers will usually have a tag with the brand name of the shirt. Some of the boxed items, such as toys, diecast collectibles, etc. will have distinct ways to determine if these are theme park exclusives, or from another source. Ome of the most obvious is if it says "Disneyland - Walt Disney World" on the box. Another is the theme park exclusive symbol, now found on many items. It is a small picture of a castle and says Theme Park Exclusive under it, and is usually found in the bottom right corner of the box, but sometimes located in another spot. Only genuine Disney park merchandise has this label. This also applies to DVDs and CDs. Advertising videos and CDs will not carry this label, but often (not always) the park merchandise does. When selecting animation art, one thing you can look for is the Art of Disney symbol on the front, back or bottom of an item. This is a genuine, Disney made work of art. On less expensive Disney park pieces, such as figurines or snowglobes under $30, it will often say "Disney" and have the country of production printed on the bottom. Some of the figurines or snowglobes will have a movie logo, such as "Cinderella" or "Sleeping Beauty" printed on the underside. Looking for these labels can help you to find the quality item you want. When buying Disney plush, always look at the sewn-on tag on the item. It should say "Disney" or the name of a Disney theme park. The paper tag will usually indicate if it is a park item, also. It will have the castle symbol, or the logo for one of the parks. There are many brands of Disney plush dolls, but only the genuine Disney parks dolls can have that labeling. Of course, no guide to Disney merchandise can be 100% all inclusive - books have been written on the topic over the years. Some of the park merchandise has no definite way to determine the origin. The best way to be sure that you are getting the real thing is to buy from a seller you can trust, such as mydisneystuff and crazyfourdisney. These two sellers live close to Disney World, and deal almost exclusively in Park merchandise. If there is ever a question, they would be happy to let you know the origin of an item. This is a sure way to avoid disappointment, and receive the quality merchandise you expect.