Engraved souvenirs for zoo and aquarium gift shops
A zoo shop sells the animals its guests just walked past. That only works if the cup shows the animals you actually keep, drawn the way they really look. This page is about doing that with engraved drinkware, layered wood ornaments and magnets, and about the questions zoo and sanctuary buyers have asked us.
Only the animals you really keep
Zoo guests notice a giraffe on a cup when your zoo has no giraffes. One city-run zoo corrected our first package for exactly that reason: it showed a giraffe, a flamingo and an elephant that zoo does not have, so we redrew it with its own residents. Send your species list and we draw from it, or tell us which catalog animal to swap out.
A catalog "penguin" or "lion" is not any one species. If your colony is Magellanic or African, or your tigers are Amur, say so and the art is redrawn to match. A sea turtle hospital gave us a stricter rule for marine animals: a manatee has a rounded paddle tail, never a dolphin tail, and a sea turtle has four flippers and a scute shell. You approve every proof before anything is engraved, so a wrong tail or a wrong stripe pattern gets caught on paper.
Catalog designs for zoo and aquarium shops
These are real catalog numbers from the 66-design Wildlife & Sea Life chapter. Every animal design is for a zoo or aquarium that keeps that animal.
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W-056 Sea Turtle
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W-213 Coral Garden Reef Wrap
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W-215 Kelp Forest Sea Otters Wrap
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W-049 Apex Grizzly
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B-215 Penguin
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B-216 Manta Ray
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N-037 Penguin Huddle
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N-066 Sea Otter
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N-065 Manatee
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N-117 Gorilla - Gentle Giant
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N-118 Giant Tortoise - Slow And Steady
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M-089 Sea Otter - Stay Wild
Aquarium and sea life
W-056 Sea Turtle, W-213 Coral Garden Reef Wrap, W-214 Manta Rays Glide Wrap, W-215 Kelp Forest Sea Otters Wrap, B-216 Manta Ray, B-071 Shark Shield, N-066 Sea Otter, N-065 Manatee, M-089 Sea Otter - Stay Wild.
Zoo animals
W-049 Apex Grizzly, B-215 Penguin, B-217 Giraffe, N-037 Penguin Huddle, N-071 Red Panda, N-072 Sloth, N-117 Gorilla - Gentle Giant, N-115 Rhino - Armored Giant, N-118 Giant Tortoise - Slow And Steady, N-146 Zebra - Savanna Stripes, M-114 Zebra - Savanna Stripes.
See every design, with photos, on the phone-friendly catalog.
Keeper gifts and a few no-name cups to test
The most specific zoo request we have had was a set of keeper gifts: one cup for each keeper with the keeper name and that keeper's own animal, plus a handful of no-name zoo cups for the gift shop to see what guests reach for. It came in as 24 pieces wanted by mid-December, with a decision needed about three weeks earlier. That is a good model for a first order. A few keeper pieces are custom art, the rest can come from the catalog designs below with your zoo name swapped in for free.
Another zoo buyer asked to start with a few designs and a small quantity to see what guests ask for, because the ornament programs she had looked at wanted large minimums. Ours are 4 per design on drinkware and 6 per design on ornaments and magnets, mixed freely, so three or four designs is a real first order.
Where this fits next to plush and apparel
Plush and apparel usually fill a zoo shop. Engraved drinkware, ornaments and magnets are the hard-goods shelf beside them. A collectible ornament with the zoo name is a common yearly item in zoo shops, and the layered wood ornaments here are made for that: an engraved wood front over one painted backer color. The tumblers are Polar Camel 18/8 stainless with a double wall and a clear slider lid, laser-engraved so the art will not peel or rub off.
Names, logos and words you cannot sell under
Your zoo logo goes on a piece only with your written okay. Association logos, such as an accreditation mark, are members-only, so we letter your zoo name in our own style instead. One sanctuary buyer told us there is a phrase her organization may not sell under at all. If you have a term like that, tell us before the first proof and we keep it off every proof and file. Name swaps on catalog designs are free.
Paperwork for city zoos and nonprofits
A city-run zoo asked what we need and what it has to supply: a PO number, a tax-exempt form, a W-9 and a credit reference sheet. Send us the vendor form and we complete our part. Net 30 is available to institutions, and a nonprofit shop can send its tax-exempt or resale certificate for our file. If your shop buying is run through a concessionaire or a director, tell us who signs, so the quote goes to the person who approves it.
Seasons, several shops and one bill
Many zoos run on a gate calendar. One closes for the season in late November, which makes that buy a spring purchase for the next year. A city zoo that is open spring through fall plans keeper gifts for December and shop stock for March and April. Give us your reopening date and we work backward from it. If your zoo has two or more shops, one order can carry one billing address and a box shipped to each shop.
Ordering terms in brief
Production is 5 to 10 business days after proof approval. Minimums are 4 per design on drinkware and 6 per design on ornaments and magnets, with designs and colors mixed freely. The opening order is $300 and reorders are $125. Catalog name swaps are free; custom artwork is a $35 setup with one revision included, and nothing is engraved until you approve the proof. Opening orders are prepaid by card, ACH or check; Net 30 is available to approved repeat accounts and to institutions. Shipping is UPS Ground at cost from Prattville, Alabama, or your own carrier account. The full details are in the wholesale terms article.
Buyer FAQ
- Can you draw only the animals our zoo really keeps?
- Yes. Send your species list and the art is drawn from it, or name the catalog animals to swap out. A catalog penguin, lion or tiger is not a specific species, so tell us which one you keep and we redraw to match. You approve a proof before anything is engraved.
- Can each keeper get a cup with their own name and animal?
- Yes. Keeper gifts with a name and a specific animal are custom art at a $35 setup with one revision included. A few no-name zoo cups from the catalog can ride along in the same order for the gift shop.
- Can you keep a trademarked phrase off our products?
- Yes. Tell us any term your organization may not sell under and we keep it off every proof and file. Zoo and association logos are used only with your written okay.
- Can a city-run zoo or nonprofit buy on Net 30?
- Net 30 is available to institutions. Send your vendor form, PO number and tax-exempt or resale certificate and we complete our part. A W-9 is available on request.
- Where are the pieces made and engraved?
- Every piece is engraved in our shop in Prattville, Alabama. The drinkware and birch blanks are imported, so we say Engraved in Alabama and nothing broader. Wood Unlimited is veteran-owned.
- Can we start with a small test order?
- Yes. The opening order is $300 and drinkware starts at 4 pieces per design, so three or four designs is a normal first order. Ornaments and magnets start at 6 per design. Designs and colors mix freely.
Related wholesale guides
Ask for a quote
Tell us the design numbers, the colors and how many you need. Email wholesale@woodunlimited.org or call Louie Hartley at (334) 310-4506 and you will get a written quote and invoice. You can also go back to the wholesale program overview for the line sheet request form.
Wood Unlimited is a brand of Signature Craft LLC. Veteran-owned. Engraved in Alabama. 12,000+ Verified Reviews · 4.97 Average.
