Disney World Confirms Return of 37-Year-Old Hollywood Studios Icon This Christmas

Christmas at Walt Disney World often gives familiar characters a festive makeover, but this year, Disney is turning to an icon that has been around for nearly four decades.

Disney Jollywood Nights returns in 2026 with several new offerings, and a familiar dinosaur is becoming an important part of the celebration. Gertie has called the park home since 1989, and 37 years later, Disney is giving her another moment in the Christmas spotlight.

This time, guests can bring a little piece of that history home with them.

Gertie Returns to the Holiday Spotlight

Gertie the Dinosaur has been part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios since the park opened in 1989, and she remains a familiar sight along Echo Lake 37 years later. Through decades of changes across the park, the massive dinosaur has remained one of the few recognizable pieces connecting guests directly to Hollywood Studios’ opening year.

For 2026, Disney is giving the longtime icon a much bigger role at Disney Jollywood Nights. Instead of featuring Gertie in just one place, Disney has worked her into several new designs, putting the opening-day favorite firmly back in the spotlight.

It gives longtime fans another reason to appreciate a character that has been part of the park from the very beginning, while newer visitors may discover Gertie and her history for the first time.

And Gertie won’t be taking center stage by herself.

Duffy and Gertie Team Up for Jollywood Nights

One of the new wearable options brings Gertie together with Duffy on a Disney Jollywood Nights Mickey ear headband.

Gertie appears on one side, while Duffy gets his own place on the design. Between them sits a bright red bow that immediately gives the ears a Christmas look.

A gold ornament in the center of the bow adds another seasonal detail.

While the headband allows both characters to share the spotlight, another new accessory makes Gertie the undeniable star.

Disney Turns Gertie Into a Loungefly

The new Gertie Loungefly bag takes a much different approach than simply adding the dinosaur’s image to the front.

Disney shaped the overall look around Gertie, turning the longtime park icon into the centerpiece of the bag.

Her Christmas makeover includes a Santa hat and a bright red ornament hanging from her mouth. The result connects the recognizable Echo Lake dinosaur with the holiday atmosphere of Disney Jollywood Nights.

But Gertie’s presence extends beyond accessories.

A New Sweatshirt Brings Gertie Into the Design

Guests will also find Gertie on a new blue Disney Jollywood Nights sweatshirt.

The apparel features the event logo surrounded by a star pattern, creating a look that fits Jollywood Nights’ old-Hollywood-inspired Christmas atmosphere.

Instead of placing Gertie directly in the center, Disney positions her near the area where a pocket would normally sit. Wearing her Santa hat, she appears to pop into the design.

Collectors, meanwhile, have another smaller option that combines several faces from the 2026 celebration.

Gertie, Duffy, and Gingerbread Come Together

A new 2026 Disney Jollywood Nights pin brings Gertie and Duffy together with a festive Jollywood gingerbread character.

All three appear on the collectible, with the Disney Jollywood Nights logo running along the bottom. The design also includes 2026, making it specifically connected to this year’s event.

For guests who collect Disney pins, it offers another way to remember their Jollywood Nights visit while still giving Gertie a prominent place.

She also gets one collectible largely to herself.

Gertie Gets Ready for the Christmas Tree

Disney has turned the 37-year-old icon into a Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas ornament.

Gertie wears her Santa hat while holding a bright red ornament, carrying over the Christmas styling found elsewhere in the collection.

The design includes “Jollywood Nights 2026” along the bottom, clearly connecting it to this year’s celebration.

That also makes the ornament more than another Gertie souvenir. For guests attending Disney Jollywood Nights this year, it can serve as a dated reminder of their 2026 visit.

Disney Reaches Back to 1989 for Christmas

Gertie has watched Disney’s Hollywood Studios transform around her for 37 years.

Attractions have changed, different experiences have come and gone, and the park itself has evolved considerably since opening in 1989. Through it all, the massive dinosaur has remained along Echo Lake.

Now Disney is making that history part of its 2026 Christmas celebration.

Between the Mickey ears, Loungefly bag, sweatshirt, pin, and ornament, guests will see plenty of Gertie throughout the Disney Jollywood Nights collection.

For longtime fans, the designs bring an opening-day favorite back into focus.