New Details Added to Universal’s Mardi Gras Tribute Store Hint at What’s to Come

Universal’s Mardi Gras is still rolling on until April 7, which means the Tribute Store is still welcoming guests. And while guests are shopping for their Mardi Gras merchandise, they might just notice some interesting new details that hint at what’s coming next.

  • For several years now, Universal Studios Florida has been cycling through four seasonal Tribute Stores annually:
    • Mardi Gras
    • Summer
    • Halloween Horror Nights
    • Holidays
  • In recent years, the Tribute Stores have begun receiving updates in their closing weeks hinting at what fans can expect to see at the next Tribute Store.
  • Recently, the Mardi Gras Tribute Store has received some new details in a couple of rooms.
  • In the final room of the store, in front of the skeleton pirate, guests will now find Mega Castle Arcade tickets and Mega Video Rentals membership club cards on the desk.
  • Additionally, a VHS tape can be seen on the desk with the title “Time Ghosts Again.”
  • The tape also says “A Tribute Store production.”

  • The tape also offers the following description for the fictional film:
    • “Suddenly, every morning, the world wakes up one minute before their alarms go off. The Geo-chronological Error Regulators & Ghost-hunters (G.E.R.G.) are called to put a stop to it! BUT! Once the beloved Gerg the Llama goes missing, a rag tag team of newbies steals a modified Time T.W.I.G. and breaks the time space continuum to save the day! Or did any of it happen to begin with…?”
  • The story references Gerg, a Tribute Store staple of the past couple of years and an original character who stemmed from a misspelled name on a Starbucks cup.
  • So what to these details mean? It seems likely we will see the summer Tribute Store themed to a movie rental store and arcade with focuses on some classic Universal films like Back to the Future and Ghostbusters, with the film pointing to time travel and ghost hunters.
  • But there might just be another classic Universal film we see play a role in that store.
  • In another room, themed to a sinking river boat, another new detail has been added. The room typically features projections of alligators swimming by on the floor, but now there is another creature patrolling those waters…

  • That’s right, guests can now spot a familiar giant great white shark swimming through this room, hinting at the inclusion of Jaws in the summer tribute store as well.
  • With just about a week left of Universal’s Mardi Gras, we’ll keep an eye on the Tribute Store to see if any additional details get added to hint at what’s to come in the summer Tribute Store.
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Mike Mack
Mack is the Editorial Director for Marvel and ESPN content and he has covered comic cons, theme park events, video game showcases and other fun events. He is a fan of theme parks, sports, movies, Marvel Comics and is a self-proclaimed "nerd."