Tropical Imports

Tropical Imports
Park	Disneyland
Land	Adventureland
Type	Dining-service/shop

This article is on the dining-service, for the fictional location of the same name see Tropical Imports (location).

Tropical Imports is a shop and dining-service in Disneyland's Adventureland.

History

Background

Tropical Imports was a shop in the 1930s built from a ruined middle-eastern building, having been active since at-least 1932. The shop was apparently run by the ancient merchant Trader Sam with another notable employee being one Louie Majors.

Development history

In the 2020s, the fruit sign on the side of the Tropical Imports building was changed to a stroller-parking message.

Summary

Tropical Imports serves as stroller-parking for the Jungle Cruise, having a symbol of a stroller and message from the Jungle Navigation Company reading, "Please, deposit all prams, buggies, strollers and perambulators inside. The Jungle Navigation Company".

Jungle Cruise connections

Adventure Trading Company

There were advertisements for Tropical Imports inside the Daily Gnus newspaper. There was also an article by journalist "Tiki" Teemu Ojanen titled, "Monkey Business at Tropical Imports" where employee Louie Majors spoke on monkeys ransacking the building. A Jungle Navigation Company board mentioned the company transporting a shipment of apples from Tropical Imports to, "Forbidden Landing" and transporting fragile cargo from Milan, Italy to the roof of Tropical Imports.

Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye

There is a crate atop Tropical Imports addressed to Delhi, India coming from the Lost Delta, while being sent by Indiana Jones to British Colonial Affairs.

Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries

Glyphs appeared on the boathouse and Tropical Imports which combined with glyphs across Adventureland, revealed the message, "To survive the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, beware the eyes of Mara". In Random Acts of Indy, Indiana Jones fought the villain Desert Hawk on the upper levels of the boathouse and Tropical Imports, using oars to fight.

Jungle Cruise

In Disneyland's Jungle Cruise, Nigel Greenwater refers to the shop as, "Trader Sam's", implicating it as being run by Jungle Cruise character Trader Sam and receiving a new shipment of quinine. In the shop's area on the map of the Rivers of Adventure is a quote presumably from the journal of Dr. Albert Falls which reads, "Last chance for provisions: local vendors, open all season, good prices". There is a message towards the end of the attraction advertising, "Don't forget to stop Tropical Imports curios for the curious lowest prices best selection all items guaranteed authentic English spoken". This was later replaced with an advertisement for the Tropical Hideaway. A removed audio tranmsission in the queue came from Tropical Imports saying a new shipment of canned goods, linens, ship's canvas, gunpowder and special orders was ready.

Jungle River Cruise: Curse of the Emerald Trinity

There was an advertisement for Tropical Imports in the Daily Colonial Journal.

Other connections

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

One of the monkey drummer tikis from the Enchanted Tiki Room sits atop the building.

Trivia

• The glass elephant in a crate atop the shop comes from Disneyland Paris' Penny Arcade and has the name Penny the elephant.
  • This elephant is illuminated green with red eyes during the Halloween season.
• Employee Louie Majors' name might be an allusion to actor Louie Prima who voiced King Louie in The Jungle Book.
• The shop being reported as getting ransacked by monkeys in the Daily Gnus mirrors Trader Sam's Gift Shop getting raided in the 2021 refurbishment of the Jungle Cruise.

Gallery