For a long time, Disney World attendees have struggled with the same problem. Wearing Mickey ear headbands all day can be tiresome. Not only that, but it can also be difficult. You will want to take it off for rides, and if the ride doesn’t have a pouch for your belongings, you’ll just have to hold onto it tightly if your bag isn’t big enough. For a lot of the popular mini Loungefly bags, this can be the case.
There are some keychains and other clip-on attachments designed to hold ears as well, but that is hardly secure enough for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. In 2021, Loungefly, in collaboration with Disney Parks, released a bag featuring a set of straps designed to hold your Mickey ears, where the ears would still be peeking out the top.
Disney Loungefly Minnie Mouse Ear Headband Holder Backpack
This Minnie Ear backpack was an instant hit and beloved by all for its special ear-holding compartment. While I don’t find it to be Loungefly’s strongest concept, it is certainly iconic for starting the trend of bags-that-hold-your-ears. Ever since then, Disney has been slowly but surely creeping this design feature into more and more of their bags.
While this design choice became a staple in Disney Parks Loungefly bags, Disney has been attempting to break away from this exclusivity and incorporate the design into some of their own bags. These, while park-exclusive, are available in most shops and are not barred behind the Loungefly price tag. Nor are they limited to the mini backpack style.
The recent Mickey bag releases feature these Ear Headband holding straps, which I think perfectly suit them and increase their functionality at the parks.
Mickey Mouse Velvet Mini Backpack – $59.99
Mickey Mouse Velvet Hip Pack – $49.99
One of the best parts about the ear-holding addition to these bags, Loungefly and otherwise, was that it allowed for the addition of your ear headbands to become part of the bag. Oftentimes, these things are released in sets. I find that they look best as a pair. When together, these matching ear and bag combos enhance the bag so much, and in turn elevate the whole outfit.
This year’s Christmas Ear Headbands were some of the cutest holiday ears ever. If you haven’t seen them, I seriously encourage you to take a look at this article where I talk all about them. The one thing these two ears have in common is the gorgeous red velvet bow. Sound familiar?
While these two bags aren’t strictly holiday-themed, slotting in one of the two adorable pairs of ears magically transforms your Mickey bag into a Christmas Mickey bag! The perfect accessory to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
When perusing the World of Disney store in Disney Springs, I found this bag in the seasonal section, right next to the ears. While it is not a holiday-branded item, its placement there is not a coincidence! Someone somewhere knew that these bags and those ears were meant to be together, and who would I be to separate them?
When the ear headbands are removed from their straps and placed back into your collection, your bag detransforms into a stunningly elegant staple. A pouch of many uses, perfectly timeless and year-round. Except when it isn’t.
I hope these straps find their way, sooner or later, into all Disney bags and merchandise. I see amazing potential here for some cute mix-and-matches. A Pixar bag where you could put in your Wall-E ears one day and your Toy Story ones the next. The options are endless!
