EPCOT was full of life on Monday morning, the 17th of January. The weather was cool and sometimes windy. Pop Eats was quite busy. Very busy. A line snaked from this spot all the way around to nearly the back end of Spaceship Earth. So what were all these people, including yours indeed, in line for?

The International Festival of the Arts not only brought with it several unique food items, but it also released a new hyped-up limited item: A Figment popcorn bucket. Figment is in demand. There’s no doubt.

Unlike last week, the line never reached the excessive 5 or 8 hour wait time for the personification of imagination. We waited just over an hour to finally get to the little pink dragon. We observed several people leaving with around 10-12 Figments in tow. Disney has limited the buckets to two-per-guest, but it was apparent people were using their kids and extended family as a workaround to get as many as possible.

Once we’d reached the goal, we were informed that the popcorn supposed to come with Figment was out of stock. However, the helpful and always friendly cast members told us that we could come back for it later if we wanted.

Figment was a little bit cumbersome to haul around the park. If you happen to get one, I’d suggest dumping him off in your car before continuing on rides. His horns and wings are a little uncomfortable when you’re trying to get into a ride vehicle.

Figments were getting scarce around noon. As we reported yesterday, a sign was put up letting guests know that the popcorn buckets were out of stock. This wasn’t entirely true. Though the sign was up, cast members allowed guests to queue at Pop Eats.

Guests were informed that standing in line did not guarantee they’d get a Figment. This cut the line down dramatically. In addition, the line now extended only to the guest seating area just across from the Figment stand rather than almost back to Spaceship Earth. Around 2 PM, we passed by the stall, and Figments could still be seen waiting to go to new homes … or eBay.

The last time I was at EPCOT was in 2019. Construction had started in some areas but nowhere near its current scale. Construction walls still plague the front of EPCOT. Nearly everything around Spaceship Earth is walled off, making the vistas rather unsightly.

Hiding ongoing construction isn’t easy when a park has to stay open seven days a week, we know. However, so many of these walls are blank, making the walk between the park’s centerpiece and the World Showcase somewhat tedious.

Disney did break up the monotony of the dark walls here and there. One of these cases was near the end of the Figment popcorn bucket line. Drawing On Inspiration: Celebrating 50 Years Of Magic is a series of panels created by individual artists showcasing the sights and memories of the Magic Kingdom, both old and new.

Speaking of art, several booths were dotted around the World Showcase selling artwork dedicated to the Disney parks, movies, and various characters. Some artists were on hand to sign prints, and some were even creating new works during the day. A rarity, for me at least, was seeing a painting on Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He only showed up a couple of times, but seeing this Walt Disney character show up within the park was a pleasant surprise.

Want to know which desserts are the best at the Arts Festival? Check out our upcoming article on the best desserts and entres.