Celestial Park may serve as the hub for Epic Universe, but it gives the lore of Epic Universe a charming personality of its own. While there’s no franchise crossover to be found here like the other zones of the new park, it does have its own theme, inspired by fantastical astrological storytelling, that gives the star-adorned land “celestial decor from the ’90s” vibes in the best way. It’s as if Universal opened up its notebook and scribbled a tale to create a realm of fantasy delights and interstellar adventure, complete with new walk-around characters, to contain its gateway to all the portals to the park’s other lands. But even if there’s not much beyond that to the area, it does include the whimsical tale of a chocolate shop bear that stole our hearts.
Captain Cacao is the lovable teddy bear companion to Maya of the Skies, a young adventurer who traverses the universe to find treats to share at Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets, one of several stores throughout Celestial Park. Atop the shop you see the gorgeous artwork that brings you into the spacey comfort of the clouds and night skies—the same ones you can see riding Celestial Park’s main attraction, Constellation Carousel, a whimsical ride that really elevates the dreamlike atmosphere of the area’s constellation motif.
But while the shop is filled with the usual theme park sweet treats, the thing you’ll want to walk away the most with is Captain Cacao himself in teddy bear form. I’d say he’s hand down the cutest of all theme park bears, with a spot over his eye in the shape of a star and his midnight blue coloring. But, bad news: even before the park’s official opening today, he’s already sold out.
© io9 GizmodoOr, at least he was during the media preview we attended, and during Universal’s own public preview days for Epic Universe. Poor Captain Cacao in his fluffy form was nowhere to be found, much like How to Train Your Dragon‘s hatchling eggs in Isle of Berk—the cutest merch is already sold out, showing us what the clear favorites at the park are going to be. You could satisfy your Cacao craving with some other merchandise, like backpacks and other fashion accessories, but in teddy form you’re going to be out of luck.
I hope this convinces Universal that there’s a desire for Celestial Park’s original theming compared to the brand-overload of Epic’s other areas though, and to put Cacao more at the forefront of this area instead of making him a shop mascot. We are in dire need of a Captain Cacao meet and greet, and hope he flies in on his moonship soon, or he could be added as a part of Stardust Racers, Celestial Park’s own high-thrills dual coaster (which, in one tiny acquiescence to licensing, is equipped with its own Flux capacitor as a nod to Back to the Future).
For now, you can eat your feelings about missing out on the merch at Celestial Park’s various space-themed dining locations, particularly Pizza Moon, a 1900s space exploration-inspired cinema port of pizzas. Pizza is a solid theme park food staple, but this spot features A Trip to the Moon-style atmosphere in the most gorgeous way. I didn’t want to leave; I just wanted to eat the various moon pies all day, all of which had fun space theming, like the Space Cowboy (a spin on a BBQ pie) and the Pizzare Lunare (which featured a purple-colored crust, thanks to the addition of ube). All that’s missing is a Captain Cacao-themed kids menu!
© io9 GizmodoIt’s clear from the interest even in the preview phase of Epic Universe that Captain Cacao is one of the park’s biggest and most surprising hits. It’s a shame that he’s not really at the heart of what Celestial Park has to offer to visitors who might want to see something new over the familiar brand haunts of the other areas of the park. Maybe that will change as Epic Universe grows and evolves in the coming months and years, but first: Universal needs to restock that bear soon.
Epic Universe opens to the public starting today, May 22. Travel and accommodations were provided for the purpose of review
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