Shannon (‘23) Recreates the Magic of Disneyland With Her Homemade Disney Ears

Though COVID-19 has closed the “Happiest Place On Earth,” Naomi Shannon (‘23) has found a way to recreate the magic of Disneyland at home by making and selling her own Disney ears.

Shannon said she has loved Disney for as long as she can remember, and it’s always been a dream of hers to make her own custom Disney ears. It wasn’t until quarantine began that she actually had time to go through with it. What started as a hobby soon turned into a profitable business when Shannon opened her Etsy shop, Silly Old Ears, this past February. 

Shannon first gained practice creating a wide variety of Disney ears as a surprise gift for her friends. She had asked each of them to name their favorite Disney character and designed ears to match. She recalls packaging them in wedding cake boxes filled with confetti to match the character’s signature color. This has since become the packaging method Shannon uses for business orders. 

So far, she has created Disney ears inspired by all the Disney princesses, Stitch, Indiana Jones, Scarlet Witch, Princess Raya, Winnie the Pooh, and more. 

Shannon admits that it was a process of trial and error to come up with her current ear-making method. She initially tried creating ears from cardstock, paper, and felt before upgrading to a sturdier version made of fabric and stuffing. When creating a pair of ears, she begins by designing a blueprint of what the ears will look like on paper. For each character, Shannon tries to incorporate their signature color and a defining characteristic of them into the ears. 

“For Rapunzel, her hair is very iconic so I made one of the ears resemble a golden braid with flowers woven in, and I made the other side resemble her purple dress,” Shannon said.

Since opening her business in February, Shannon claims that there is slightly more pressure to stay on top of everything. 

“I’ve had to prioritize it more than when making ears was just a hobby,” Shannon said. Being a new business owner, Shannon has also gained unexpected experience with things like creating shipping labels and calculating the price of her products based on profit and expenses. 

However, Shannon admits that the added pressure is nothing compared to the excitement of selling Disney ears.

“I remember when I got my first order. I didn’t believe it at first and had to refresh the page a couple of times before it really sunk in,” Shannon said. 

“Being a youtuber has also definitely helped me publicize and bring attention to my business,” Shannon said. She posted a video on her Youtube channel, Miscellaneous Fuz, which has since directed people to her shop. 

For Shannon, Silly Old Ears continues to spread the magic of Disneyland to others despite its current closure.