With the subtitle “Gifts of Future World,” Centorium was a two-level gift shop nestled inside CommuniCore East. The first floor offered classic EPCOT and Walt Disney World merchandise—clothing, jewelry, books, plush toys—while the second floor, accessible only by elevator, originally featured more unusual items like electronics. Over time, this upper level transitioned into a hub for Team Mickey gear and Art of Disney collectibles.
In 1999, roughly five years after CommuniCore was rebranded as Innoventions, Centorium was relocated to a temporary space in CommuniCore West. Its original location was gutted and rebuilt into a new store: Mouse Gear. Once Mouse Gear opened, the temporary Centorium closed for good.
Mouse Gear was a single-level retail space, divided into themed departments and stocked with familiar EPCOT and Walt Disney World merchandise. Though the second floor was no longer accessible to guests, the original elevator remained, used by Cast Members to reach office and storage areas above. Clever shelf placement and décor kept it hidden—though the occasional lucky guest might glimpse it in action, as noted in a Twitter post by @DreamfinderGuy.
Mouse Gear was known for its abundance of Hidden Mickeys, but one of its most remarkable secrets was a piece of EPCOT Center history hiding in plain sight. Suspended near the ceiling in the apparel section was one of Dreamfinder’s airships, featured in the opening sequence of Journey Into Imagination. With the store’s steampunk-inspired décor, the airship blended seamlessly—most guests never realized they were standing beneath a legacy artifact.
In 2020, as part of EPCOT’s sweeping Central Hub redesign, Mouse Gear was (somewhat ironically, given Centorium’s own relocation history) moved to a temporary location in Innoventions West while its original space was reimagined.
By April 2021, Disney confirmed that Mouse Gear would not be returning. In its place, EPCOT’s new flagship merchandise location would be known as Creations Shop—a sleek, modern retail experience marking the next chapter in Future World’s evolution.
