Father’s Day gift ideas for Disney fans

Mother’s Day is easy: Flowers, jewelry, breakfast in bed. No sweat.

But Father’s Day? That’s much harder. For most men you can’t even fall back on the traditional necktie, because ties are nearly extinct in today’s workplace.

This year we’re here to help.

For “Avengers” fans

A lot of today’s dads are taking their kids to see “The Avengers” with absolute glee. After all, they’ve been reading the comic books since they were kids themselves.

Tell your dad he’s your hero with a Captain America T-shirt ($24.50 from the Disney Store).

Or, let him know he’s always with you by giving him a flash drive featuring Thor, the Hulk, Captain America or Iron Man ($11-$14 through Amazon.com).

If the dad in your life is a newly minted Avengers fan, he has a lot of catching up to do. Marvel Comics Presents 40 Years of The Avengers on DVD includes printable versions of complete issues of the comic spanning September 1963 through December 2005. At almost $400 from Amazon, you might have to break open your kid’s piggy bank for this one.

A little more affordable is The Avengers Omnibus, Vol. 1, a 744-page collection of early Avengers stories written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Don Heck ($63 from Amazon.com).

Or, if he’s an iPad user, you could give him an unlimited Marvel gift subscription. (If you haven’t tried the Marvel iPad app, it’s spectacular, letting you see complete pages or zoom in on individual panels). A year-long subscription costs about $60 and gives access to more than 10,000 new and “classic” titles, plus new issues available online first. (In addition to the Avengers, Marvel is the home of Spider-Man and the X-Men, among others.)

Where’s My Water ... and stuff?

Disney is just in time for Father’s Day with a new line of merchandise based on Swampy the Alligator of the Where’s My Water game.

For now, you can build a customized iPad case or iPhone case featuring Swampy ($49.95 or $39.95, respectively). Or, if he’s not afraid to show his Swampy Pride, you can get him a “See You Later, Alligator” t-shirt or one featuring the game’s rubber duckies ($24.50 at the Disney Store).

But if gift ideas for dad always stump you, you might want to hold back on Where’s My Water products. By Christmas, there will be much more to choose from, with Disney planning to launch a new game and home accessories tied to the popular game this fall.

Disney Parks fans


More T-shirts ... these straight from the Disney Parks for men with discerning tastes.

May 27 marked the 35th anniversary of the Space Mountain attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland, and the company is recognizing the milestone with a limited edition Space Mountain t-shirt ($24.95 at the Disney Store online).

Or perhaps he's a foodie -- one of those guys who puts a turkey leg higher on his to-do list than Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Make him hungry anytime with a t-shirt commemorating Dole Whips or turkey legs or churros ($21.95 each at the Disney Store online).

For the football fan

It’s only three months until the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys open the 2012 football season. If he’s counting the days, you might be able to combine his two passions -- football and Disney -- with a figurine of Mickey playing quarterback for his favorite team ($29.99 from Amazon.com). I couldn’t find all the NFL teams, but I did find some with rabid fanbases: the Giants, Cowboys, Bears, Steelers and Packers.

 

And finally ...

I know I started out by snarking on one of the classic Father’s Day gift ideas. But if your dad still wears a tie to work -- and he’s fashion-forward enough to wear purple -- this silk Mickey Mouse tie ($34.95 from the Disney store) will add a bit of fun to his wardrobe, without leaving him open to too much abuse from his buttoned-down colleagues.