Stitch’s Holiday Gift Hunt
Scavenger Hunt at Disney Springs, Walt Disney World ResortÂ
© Disney
How do you turn a scavenger hunt into a holiday shopping adventure?
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Disney Springs team embarked on a quest to create a holiday scavenger hunt, and I dove in faster than Stitch chasing after an ice cream truck.
The goal was to create a playful, interactive experience that encouraged guests to explore Disney Springs while searching for Stitch’s holiday gifts. The experience needed to feel festive, easy to follow, and true to Stitch’s mischievous personality while giving guests a reason to keep exploring from one discovery to the next.
I helped bring the hunt to life through storytelling, creative development, and guest-facing content, turning a simple scavenger hunt into a holiday adventure filled with Stitch-sized surprises.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
The challenge was creating a cohesive hunt across Disney Springs, where Stitch’s holiday gifts could be hidden among a wide range of shops and guest areas. With so many potential locations, we needed to determine the right placement for each gift while making sure the hunt felt intuitive, engaging, and worth exploring.
The experience had to encourage guests to move throughout Disney Springs without sending them on a confusing treasure hunt. Each placement needed to make sense within the guest journey, work within the individual shop environment, and give guests a clear reason to keep searching for the next discovery.
The goal was to turn the variety of shops and spaces throughout Disney Springs into part of the adventure—using placement, storytelling, and guest flow to create a holiday hunt that felt spontaneous, playful, and distinctly Stitch.
MY ROLE
Creative Leadership: Led the creative development of Stitch’s Holiday Gift Hunt, shaping the overall concept, storytelling approach, guest experience, and creative direction from the initial brainstorm through launch. I helped define what the hunt should feel like, how guests would experience it, and how Stitch’s mischievous personality could carry through every touchpoint.
Writing & Story Development: Developed the booklet copy and storytelling, using playful rhymes and holiday language infused with the spirit of Lilo & Stitch. Crafted the narrative to make each clue feel like part of Stitch’s holiday adventure.
Brainstorming & Naming: Led brainstorming for the overall experience and developed the name for the holiday hunt, finding a title that captured the playful, mischievous spirit of Stitch and the adventure guests were about to embark on.
Creative Concepts & Mood Boards: Developed creative concepts and mood boards for the hunt’s visual experience, including completion prizes, hidden gifts, booklet aesthetics, and sticker designs inspired by Easter eggs from the films. I helped shape how the experience would look and feel across its different guest touchpoints.
Location Scouting & Placement: Scouted Disney Springs to identify locations for the hidden gifts and determine strategic placement across the many shops and guest areas. Considered visibility, guest flow, accessibility, and the overall progression of the hunt to make each discovery feel intentional.
Quality Assurance & Testing: Tested the experience before and after launch, checking the clues, locations, guest flow, and creative elements to identify opportunities for refinement and ensure the hunt worked as intended.
RESULTS
Introduced a playful, Lilo & Stitch-inspired holiday experience at Disney Springs, giving guests a new way to explore and engage with the destination.
Drove guest traffic across multiple Disney Springs shops and locations through a festive scavenger hunt designed to keep guests moving from one discovery to the next.
Encouraged additional shopping and revenue opportunities by incorporating exclusive discounts and offers from participating shops into the scavenger hunt booklet.
Created an Instagrammable holiday experience that brought Lilo & Stitch’s playful spirit to life and gave guests memorable moments to discover, share, and enjoy.
Story
Scavenger Hunt Booklet & Copy
Scavenger Hunt Game Piece “Gifts” Hidden Around Disney Springs