On May 15th, the Daps Magic team was invited to the BoxLunch Gifts store at the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square Mall in Sherman Oaks, California! This event was to celebrate Donald Duck’s 90th birthday. It also showed off exclusive new BoxLunch merchandise, included photo ops, a sketch artist, give aways, trivia, and a whole lot more. Daps Magic team members Angela and Doug made the trek up to Sherman Oaks to experience this celebration of Donald Duck. Below is what Angela shared about this very special event!
BoxLunch Donald Duck 90th Beach Bash
The event was held at the Sherman Oaks BoxLunch Gifts store in the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square Mall. The mall closed at 8pm and the event began at 9. A group of journalists and influencers gathered outside eagerly waiting for the doors to open. Many had worn their best Donald tribute outfits or beach attire. We watched as the staff meticulously prepared the store to showcase the new merch. At precisely 9pm, the doors were thrown wide, the DJ’s music started pumping, and we were welcomed inside. The BoxLunch Beach Bash was underway!
Guests immediately flocked to take a picture at the Donald 90th birthday photo op, which was displayed prominently at the entrance. Turntables with Donald-themed records, beach balls, buckets of sand, and blue and yellow sunglasses decorated the area. Many guests posed with their own Donald props and really had fun with the photo moment. We took our turn for photos and videos as well. The back of the photo op looked like a giant vinyl record with Donald’s face and name bursting out in the style of a classic cartoon. It said, “Number One!” and “Since 1934!”
Sketch Art With Jeff Shelly
We immediately took a tour of the space and noticed all of the amazing details provided for the party. One of the first things we took advantage of was having a custom pencil sketch done by Disney artist Jeff Shelly (IG @jeffshelly23). Jeff had an easel set up at the front of the store and was taking custom requests for classic or contemporary Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, or Scrooge McDuck. Guests could choose from a range of emotions, from happy, sad, angry, sassy, or mischievous. As far as we could tell, each portrait was unique in some way, if not in style or emotion then in pose or the direction the subject was facing. Jeff was such a pleasure to watch. He took no more than two minutes to draw a classic Donald sketch. It was as if the character just appeared on the page. Later in the night, the line for this got very long as people started realizing it was there. Some of the sketches got more elaborate with Jeff adding a second character, like both Donald and Daisy or Donald and Goofy.
Exclusive BoxLunch Donald Duck Merchandise
Portraits in hand, we toured the merch in detail. The main common thread seems to be the beach and/or ice cream. The collection includes several shirts and sweaters for adults and kids, super cute ice cream-themed toddler overalls, a ball cap, a Loungefly backpack that includes real sand in a clear pocket at the front, a Loungefly wallet featuring Donald’s fluffy backside, a cute hair scrunchie with Donald’s head and feet, some jewelry, and Funko Pop figures with dapper, angry, and heart-eyed Donald.
Tasty hors d’oeuvres started coming around on platters and a small bar opened up, so most of the guests got in line. The headline drink was the blue pina colada-inspired Beach Bash Splash, made strong and garnished with fruit and mini umbrellas. It packed quite the punch! Near the bar was a table laid with elaborate macarons. There were three styles and flavors—an emoji-style Donald face that tasted like birthday cake, a blue and yellow “90” that was salted caramel, and a palm frond that was passion fruit. Everything we tried was fantastic!
Around this time, bags of giveaways started coming out. Guests could pick a number and would receive a gift bag with one of the new merch items inside. I picked number 33 and was delighted to find the Donald beach BoxLunch backpack inside my bag! Doug and I were both were lucky enough to receive this prize. I saw that you could also get shirts, hats, and the wallet.
Donald Duck Trivia
With the party going strong, the DJ announced that there would be a game of Donald Duck trivia. The first person to raise their hand and answer correctly would receive a prize. We went to the front and Doug answered the first question. It was a multiple choice about Donald’s middle name—Fauntleroy. He was correct and won a $25 gift card! The next question was in what year Donald premiered—1934. The final question was in which Silly Symphony short Donald first appeared in—The Wise Little Hen. I got this one right and also won a $25 gift card!
Active Airbrush Magic
Meanwhile, airbrush artists from Active Airbrush (IG @activeairbrush) were creating custom designs on tote bags for guests. Most people had their name hand-drawn artistically in bright colors. There were also displays of beach and sunset landscapes that the artists had drawn on some of the bags. We discovered that the paint was water based, so there was very little residue and no smell. They dried very quickly! The artists were also kind enough to create an extra-personalized bag especially for Mr. Daps!
Everybody Dance Now
As the night neared its end and guests got into the groove, a round of limbo and a dance party kicked off. To encourage participation, anyone who was brave enough to join in first received a prize from the merch collection. Doug got a Donald BoxLunch wallet! Pretty soon though, people felt comfortable and the dance floor filled with music and fun.
Feeling entertained and grateful, we bid the party goodbye as the clock struck 11pm.
A Weekend of Donald Duck BoxLunchCelebrations
This event was held for content creators and members of the media. Over the weekend, BoxLunch is continuing the celebration of Donald Duck’s 90th birthday with more of these parties. On Saturday and Sunday (May 18-19), BoxLunch will be continuing the special celebration from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM each day. There will be an in-store DJ, face painting, beach party games, giveaways, and an exclusive photo experience. This is the address for where this will be taking place at:
BoxLunch Sherman Oaks Fashion Square
14006 Riverside Dr
Sherman Oaks , CA 91423-6332 US
What do you think of this BoxLunch celebration of Donald Duck for his 90th birthday? What is your favorite part of it? What do you think of the exclusive merchandise? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
