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Seeing Stars: Where You Can Shop for the Stars
(The
locations marked with an asterisk * are described in greater detail in
separate pages on this website; see those articles for addresses and phone
numbers.)
In Hollywood, you
can find a wide selection of souvenirs at:
 PARAMOUNT
STUDIOS*: Their studio store is located inside
the studio walls, so you have to pay $15 and take the studio tour in
order to reach the store. But if you do go inside to see the studio,
the tour makes a stop at the studio store (near the studio commissary),
and allows you plenty of time to pick up all the Paramount souvenirs you
could want, most emblazoned with the Paramount name and its famous
mountain logo.  |
| CBS
TELEVISION CITY*: You can't tour this TV studio,
but just around the corner from the ticket window (at the northwest corner
of the building) is a small studio gift shop offering the usual mugs, t-shirts,
and the like, all bearing the famous "eye" logo of CBS,
or the names of shows carried on the CBS network. The shop is open
to the public, and there is no admission charge. |
| FARMERS
MARKET*: There is more tourist junk here than
you can shake a pitchfork at: color postcards of every imaginable Hollywood
landmark, movie star posters, old B&W photos of the stars, Hollywood
maps & guide books, miniature golden Oscars, mock California license
plates, you name it... you'll probably find it here. |
And on a smaller
scale, in Hollywood, you might want to try:
| CINEMA
COLLECTORS: One of the world's largest collections of original
movie posters and still photos of the stars, as well as collectable books
& magazines. Located at 1507 Wilcox Avenue. (323) 461-6516. |
| HOLLYWOOD
BOOK CITY: Over 200,000 new, used & rare book titles, including
books about the movies, lots of autographed photos, press kits, movie scripts,
art, etc. Located at 6627 Hollywood Boulevard. (323) 466-1049. Open daily
until 10 PM. (http://www.hollywoodbookcity.com) |
| BOOK CASTLE's
Magazine and Movie World sells plaster life masks taken directly from
actual molds of the faces of stars such as Boris
Karloff and Sly Stallone,
for about $150. They also sell Maltese Falcon reproductions, books, and
old newspapers and magazines dating back to the 1920's. 212 N. San Fernando
Road, in Burbank. (818) 845-1563. (http://pageplace.com/movies) |
And outside of Hollywood
proper, you'll find:
| UNIVERSAL
STUDIOS*: Almost every shop and boutique inside
Universal is devoted to Hollywood souvenirs, if you're willing to
pay the admission price - over a dozen themed stores ranging from The
Flintstones Store to The Emporium. And there are even more shops
to be found outside the gates, along the free CityWalk.
The souvenirs in Universal's many shops may well constitute the largest
selection of Hollywood trinkets known to man. From props to old movie stills,
from "Murder She Wrote" journals to "SeaQuest"
sweatshirts, they have just about everything a Hollywood tourist could
possibly want. |
| NBC
STUDIOS*: their "Peacock Shop"
kiosk in the studio's main lobby (at the foot of the stairway leading up
the "The Tonight Show's" Studio One) sells assorted souvenirs
with the NBC peacock logo. The drawback is that you have pay to
take the NBC tour to reach the shop, and even then the kiosk isn't
always open. |
| The
official Warner
Bros. Tour *Store
at their studio in Burbank, is near the gate at Olive Avenue and
Hollywood Way. It sells studio items aimed at adults, based on Warner Bros
movies and TV shows such as "Friends" and "E.R."
|
| THE
MGM STUDIO STORE*: This single store is
located inside the MGM center,
at 2501 Colorado Avenue, in Santa Monica. It offers various souvenirs
most sporting the famous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo of "Leo the
Lion," as well as movie-making products, from script bags to gaffer
tape. It is more adult in focus than most other studio stores, and it has
a more authentic studio store feel to it. With cement floors, black walls,
grip carts, scaffolding and even a handsome Oscar trophy case (displaying
five genuine Academy Award statuettes), it offers the kind of items actually
used by studio employees, along with the standard t-shirts and hats. And
the prices are the same as they would cost on the lot. (800) 405-4646.
|
| DISNEYLAND*:
If you're a big fan of Disney movies, you'll love the selection of merchandise
you can find in the various stores & shops inside Disneyland. Not only
will you find the same items you can buy at the Disney Stores in the malls,
but the park also offers unique specialty shops such as the "Disney
Villains" store (in Fantasyland), where all items relate to one
of the dastardly villains from Disney's classic films (including the evil
Queen in "Snow White," the demon in "Fantasia,"
etc.). Many stores on Main Street specialize in Disney clothing; another
shop specializes in Disney books and tapes. A tiny shop (in New Orleans
Square) offers only Disney Christmas decorations. While yet another store
specializes in original animation art & color cels from the movies.
The drawback, of course, is that you have to pay the $34 admission to the
park to shop inside the Magic Kingdom. Fortunately, the free "Downtown
Disney" shopping district (located between the Disneyland Hotel and
the theme park), also has several large stores specializing in Disney goodies.
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And online, you
can find an incredible selection of Hollywood souvenirs, ranging from life-size
stand-ups of celebrities to shiny award replicas, at Hollywood
Megastore.com.
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Also see:
Reel Clothes, It's a Wrap!,
The Address and Where
the Stars Shop.
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