Gingerbread Giraffe and Zebra Add Holiday Touch to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

An adorable gingerbread display featuring a giraffe and zebra returns to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge for its fourth year in 2024. It’s a fitting display considering that both animals it represents have homes on the resort’s savannas. Below, we’ll preview a few photos of last year’s gingerbread creation. This year’s display will be available starting November 24, 2024.

📝 This post is related to the holiday season in 2024. For our most recent updates, see our 2025 Christmas Guide. Or for a general overview, explore our entire Christmas coverage of Walt Disney World.

Created by the Animal Kingdom Lodge bakery team led by Pastry Chef Lexy Ross, the display stands tall, a few feet from the massive lobby tree. This is the third year the Jambo House lobby has been home to “Ginger”-affe, a nearly 7′ tall gingerbread giraffe. It is the second year for the baby zebra, nicknamed Debra. Both were made from gingerbread, sugar, dough, and modeling chocolate, among other ingredients. Here are a few photos:

A sign near the display shares some of the specifics of the gingerbread creations. For example, Gingeraffe is comparable in size to Humphrey, a giraffe that guests can look for on the Uzima Savanna. This is the viewing area that sits behind the resort’s pool. Additionally, Debra the Zebra is the size of Raden, a zebra foal on the Sunset Savanna, which is between Jambo House and Kidani Village. If you’re interested in seeing the zebras, we have had good luck finding them at the viewing area near Sanaa at Kidani Village.

A caption at the bottom reads, “This display is brought to you by approximately 18,904 honey bees pollinating nearly 68 million flowers to produce the 34 pounds of honey used. One honey bee visits around 100 flowers, making 10 to 15 trips in a single day or up to 500 flowers on a productive day. Thus, the phrase “busy as a bee” rings true!”

The display includes two hidden Mickeys. One is in the photo below. See if you can find it!

We happened to run into the resort character caravan during our visit. Dale posed for a few photos.

A pop-up treat shop is set up near the back of the Jambo House lobby. Guests can purchase special treats made for the holiday season.

The popular Gingeraffe cookie representing the display returns in 2024.

Overall, the giraffe and zebra add a fun twist to the gingerbread displays at Walt Disney World. If you have time, make sure to stop by and see them. Of course, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is always worth a visit!

For more resort hopping over the Christmas holiday, you might enjoy the following:

• Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Christmas 2023 Photos
• Christmas at Disney’s Grand Floridian in 2023
• Christmas at Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club (2023 Photos)
• 2023 Christmas Photos: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• 2023 Christmas Photos: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

More Planning

Resorts Gal specializes in Disney World Resorts, Characters, and Dining. Explore our resources, including our Disney World Resorts Guide. It provides an overview of everything you need to know about the Disney Resort Hotels. For dining, our Disney World Dining Guide is an excellent place to start. Our Disney World Transportation Guide is a wonderful resource for planning your routes. It’s one of our most popular resources. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks and where to find rare characters throughout the year. Lastly, our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.

In the Comments

What do you think of the gingerbread giraffe and zebra at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge? Will you have time to see this display during the holiday season? Let us know in the comments section below.