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JLKirscher
01-07-2003, 10:45 AM
I just read David Koenig's article, and I have to say that I am a little disappointed that there is so much hype over the princesses. I understand that they are making a killing off of all the merch. and marketing etc., and kids like it. But why does it seem that all of the other movies/characters are always forgotten. IMHO, there are a lot of great movies that get very little recognition at DL, Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood etc. (note: I am a huge A in W collector, and therefore a bit biased). I am not against the princesses, just inundated by them and feel that other movies deserve some equality.

Am I the only one that feels this way?? If I am forgive me for feeling the need to vent.;)

GeminiAngel
01-07-2003, 11:10 AM
I think you are right. personally, i would like to see fair rotation of the spotlight of characters. for example jungle book characters for 6 months, then peter pan for 6 months. do this in the way of merchandise, rerelease of movies... etc..

cemeinke
01-07-2003, 12:12 PM
I don't mind promoting the princesses. As face characters the guest interaction is the best. But I would like to see more variety of characters as well.

I loved the fact that this last Halloween the Villains were out, it'd be nice if they got to come out more often.

mad4mky
01-07-2003, 12:31 PM
While I agree with you...

Think of it in Disney style...(and parent of former 3-6 year old girls...now pre-teen and teenagers)...

Little girls come to Disneyland...lots of 'em. They LOVE princesses...and want to see them...then they want to dress like them...so they put out princess dresses. The more the girls see those princesses, the more they want to dress and be like them...and the more money Disney makes...

:( :rolleyes:

How many little boys want to dress up like Stromboli? While I personally love seeing the villians a lot more than the princesses...I haven't seen any little Stromboli's walking around on Halloween night. I think they'd rather be Freddie Kruger or something horrible like that...;)

cemeinke
01-07-2003, 12:39 PM
Originally posted by mad4mky
How many little boys want to dress up like Stromboli? While I personally love seeing the villians a lot more than the princesses...I haven't seen any little Stromboli's walking around on Halloween night. I think they'd rather be Freddie Kruger or something horrible like that...;)

Well, while I haven't seen any Stromboli's I have seen some pretty cool Peter Pans and Captain Hooks at the Park, along with an occasional Buzz Lightyear. The best though, has to be the Beast - who Snow White called to from the other side of the bridge - cutest thing ever.

But while the boys may not dress up like the girls, there are plenty of swords, pirate hats, laser blasters, light sabers, and other such accessories that keep them in the market place.

JLKirscher
01-07-2003, 01:05 PM
I wanted to clarify that I am not against the princesses altogether. In fact I am for almost all things Disney, I was just trying to make the point that there are many great Disney features out there and merchandising as well as characters should reflect many others in addition to the princesses.

adriennek
01-07-2003, 01:26 PM
I don't have any children of my own who dress-up as princesses, but I do have a little guy who adores Peter Pan (http://www.project-insomnia.com/mpupload/peterpan.jpg) and Sorcerer Mickey (http://www.project-insomnia.com/mpupload/halloweenmk.jpg). He's asked me to make him a Buzz costume and others, too. And he'd wear them to DLR in a heartbeat if it was up to him.

Adrienne K

mad4mky
01-07-2003, 01:50 PM
I have had a cool looking Capt. Hook in my home too. In fact, she was him for 3 Halloween's in a row. She loves that guy (couldn't be that ruffled shirt could it?) One of my girls refuses to dress as anything "girl"...
We gave her a bad time this past weekend (because gee...doesn't EVERY store at DLR sell princess dresses???:rolleyes: :eek: ;) )...and picked out a beautiful Princess Aurora dress and told her that we were buying that for her as her DLR souvenir. She acted as though someone just threw up on her!!! :D :eek:

So...I jest when I joke about the princesses folks. But I am serious about the Stromboli thing. Who wants to dress up like a mean, overweight, old man? Oh, that's right...my dad is that...only he's not Italian!;)

Berry Princess
01-07-2003, 02:20 PM
I'm tired of them myself. I feel like that is all I see for merchandise (and pooh..which I am sick of). I have 2 boys though but one is a baby and the other is 4 and doesn't care about dressing up but he loves Minnie Mouse. I would really like to see them go back to more of the basic characters. I have my favorites but they are villians and Stitch. There is a total store though in Fantasyland for the princesses. So why not limit what is sold elsewhere? I can't walk into the stores there or any Disney Stores in malls without it being almost all girl stuff with princesses. Its getting very hard to find boy things for the kids in these places.


there are plenty of swords, pirate hats, laser blasters, light sabers, and other such accessories that keep them in the market place.

Yes but alot of this stuff you can go to a local mall and buy. When you go to a theme park you want something that you can't find anywhere else BUT there KWIM?

Bill Catherall
01-07-2003, 02:38 PM
This reminds me that I need to go buy a new Aurora snow globe. :rolleyes:

My daughter is into everything that has to do with Disney Princesses. It used to be all Cinderella stuff. She was Cinderella one Halloween. Now it's Aurora and she was Aurora last Halloween. She loves the Disney Princess dolls, dresses, coloring books, etc. In fact, most of her Christmas was just Disney Princess stuff. Of course we did mix it up with a few doll house accessories and Barbie stuff, but the Aurora snow globe we got her (one of the really small ones) broke and I have to go buy another to replace it.

When we were at Disneyland last October she went and met Aurora out in front of the castle and told her "I'm going to be you for Halloween." Aurora responded, "Well, if you're going to be me, who am I going to be?" :D We all love the princesses.

I don't mind so much Disney pushing the princess merchandise by having it in their shops. I just wish they'd let each shop have it's own type of merchandise instead of having all the same things in all the shops.

Also, I don't like the idea of the characters pushing the merchandise. Keep the merchandise away from the characters, that's just way too commercial and takes away from the charm of the meet-and-greets.

mad4mky
01-07-2003, 03:19 PM
Originally posted by Bill Catherall

I don't mind so much Disney pushing the princess merchandise by having it in their shops. I just wish they'd let each shop have it's own type of merchandise instead of having all the same things in all the shops.


Amen...!!! My thoughts exactly. Does anyone remember when Disneyland used to have things unique to each shop? You wouldn't find the same junk in every store...each store was special in its own way. Not anymore! Except for the watch shop, jewelery store, Star Wars and Disneyana...most the stuff is repeat junk...even The World of Disney has the same crap that's in DL.

I used to love to go to Bear Country (yes children, there was a time when it was "Bear Country"...not "Critter Country")...and they sold Black Hills Gold jewelry and other unique country items.
The Pendleton store sold just that. New Orleans square had the unique food items...and the best store for the best clothing was at The Clothiers...which is now where you can buy the same junk t-shirts that you can find at The Emporium.
Sad...sad...sad.

Course...I don't have to "shop" in DLR...I can just go to The Emporium...buy it all, and shove it in a locker and then spend the rest of the time on rides. So...I save money. Disney back fired on me on this one.

And Bill...see what I mean about having to buy all Princess stuff when you have sweet little girls...it's never ending...
this I know from having a girl who was Cinderella one year, Jasmine one year...Ariel one year...and an older one who was Alice...

:D

Those princess bring in the big bucks!:D

Klutch
01-07-2003, 04:36 PM
The reality is the Princesses are what little girls like. My daughter is now a teen, but she sure liked the princesses when she was younger.

It's like Barbie. Now matter how much people might want girls to like the "Free to Be Me Doll", their going to ask for Barbie and Ken at Christmas.

cstephens
01-07-2003, 05:27 PM
I'm not partial to the princesses myself, but I can see how popular they are and how well the merchandise is selling. They even have a new princess-themed birthday bucket (similar to the Sorceror Mickey one). A friend has two granddaughters who love the princess stuff, and she bought them some princess things this past Christmas. I'm even game to try the Princess Tea when/if that happens, but it's gonna take a little cajoling to get my husband to go.

Bill Catherall
01-08-2003, 09:08 AM
Originally posted by cstephens
I'm even game to try the Princess Tea when/if that happens, but it's gonna take a little cajoling to get my husband to go. Oh, I'm game for that too. Those princesses are hot! :D (And I'm sure my daughter would like it too. ;) )

cemeinke
01-08-2003, 09:25 AM
Originally posted by Bill Catherall
Oh, I'm game for that too. Those princesses are hot! :D (And I'm sure my daughter would like it too. ;) )

Yes, but when are they going to offer Patty Cake with Jessica Rabbit? I'm sure that would be a huge toontown draw.

:eek: ;) :cool:

saturday97
01-08-2003, 09:26 AM
As an Alice collector myself, I'm always frustrated that she gets less attention because she doesn't have a tiara. I agree there should be more merchandise, events, and character greetings related to old favorites. In general, the quality of the merchandise, princess or otherwise, is really not up to what I'd consider Disney standards.

KarenW2
01-08-2003, 09:52 AM
Hi JLKirscher,
I soooo totally agree with what you said about the overkill on the princesses! I've been frustrated trying to find Alice things over the years. Just because she doesn't have a PRINCE to come RESCUE her, I guess she doesn't count?!

It seems like all the shops have turned into princess-selling shops, even Treasures in DCA!! I really liked the fact that they had unique merchandise there when they opened, but now it's turned into another princess shop, with lots of the other more interesting things gone. I miss the days of unique shops too!

Why do people buy into such an unrealistic stereotype in this day and age of women's equality & all? I think Gloria S. would have a few things to say about it!! :D

Bill Catherall
01-08-2003, 11:10 AM
Originally posted by KarenW2
Why do people buy into such an unrealistic stereotype in this day and age of women's equality & all? I think Gloria S. would have a few things to say about it!! :D Alice and her drug induced halucinations is a better roll model? ;) (I'm teasing...I think...)

It's funny that people bring up Alice when complaining about overexposure to princesses, when actually, I've always felt a little "too Aliced" whenever I go to the park. I see Alice and gang all over the place all day long. Can you think of another movie that has 2 rides? And the "Very Merry Un-birthday" song is so dominant in the "Alice area" of Fantasyland that you end up singing it all day long.

Berry Princess
01-08-2003, 12:09 PM
It's funny that people bring up Alice when complaining about overexposure to princesses, when actually, I've always felt a little "too Aliced" whenever I go to the park. I see Alice and gang all over the place all day long. Can you think of another movie that has 2 rides? And the "Very Merry Un-birthday" song is so dominant in the "Alice area" of Fantasyland that you end up singing it all day long.

I do like Alice but I like other characters better. My MIL collects Alice stuff. I think we bought the last thing (at least that is in our price range) that she didn't have for Christmas for her. But you would think that with having 2 rides and the characters out and about like they are that they would have more merchandise for that movie. I would really like to see more Villian items and some Stitch stuff that is ONLY from Disneyland. Of course my husband would love to see stuff with Runaway Brain Mickey only on it. We have found a couple of things with him included on it (which was surprising since that cartoon is not shown here) but nothing with just him. I remember the days when the shirts were just Mickey and they had Mickey Mouse Club shirts. I had one when I was a kid. I wonder what happened to it. :crying: I do think they should not stick the same things in all the stores. The pins I don't mind so much but when it comes to the clothes, mugs etc.. it is a little much. They need to go back to the themeing in the stores to the land they are in. Let the World of Disney store give you a mixture of some of that stuff that is fine. Its like the last chance souvenir stand. LOL I just think that there is enough princess stuff in Fantasyland alone to not have to put it in every other shop there and in DCA.

MammaSilva
01-08-2003, 12:31 PM
Personally I MISS the Practically Perfect Tea I loved the chance for Brandy to get one on one with Mary who is one of her favorite characters....but if they ever get the princess tea off the ground and all the princesses show then I'm so there, I hate that standing and waiting for one, then do it again for the next one... getting all of them in one fell swoop would be worth the ticket IMHO!

KarenW2
01-08-2003, 12:44 PM
Hi Bill,
You must be at the parks at different times than we've ever been, because we've seldom seen "Alice and gang" in the park, certainly much less often than all the princesses.

It is odd that there are two rides based on the movie and so little merchandise in the parks. I'm surprised someone in merchandising hasn't noticed that! :D

I've read both Alice books, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, upon which the animated feature was VERY, VERY loosely based (still don't know where they got some of the stuff they came up with for the film!) and found no "drug induced halucinations" therein. Have you read the books?

Unless, of course, you're thinking of that Jefferson Airplane song, White Rabbit, but then I've never heard it played at Disneyland and I don't think Lewis Carroll ever met Grace Slick. He was a little before her time I think. :D

Bill Catherall
01-08-2003, 01:09 PM
Originally posted by KarenW2
...found no "drug induced halucinations" therein. What do you think is in those little bottles and cakes that she keeps drinking and eating? The more she drinks and eats the weirder things become. ;)

Of course, I know that's not what Lewis Carroll meant by those plot devices, but many people argue that it was just a big drug trip. It's not my theory, I'm just playing off of it. :D

But there is that bong smoking caterpillar and his magic mushroom. Hmmm...

Anyway, we always see Alice and gang over in Fantasyland by Casey Jr. And I mean always. Everytime we've walked by that spot they're either just coming out, just leaving, or are already there putting on a show. We've also often seen them walking down Main Street early in the day as guests are arriving in the park.

It is a bit odd that somebody doesn't capitalize on this in merchandising. Maybe they thought that would be overkill. ;)

Berry Princess
01-08-2003, 01:34 PM
You must be at the parks at different times than we've ever been, because we've seldom seen "Alice and gang" in the park, certainly much less often than all the princesses.

I think I see them every visit. Its never in the same spot though. One of the last times we saw them was when we first walked in to Disneyland through the main gates and the band was playing the Unbirthday song and all the characters were out dancing around to it. It was really cool. I wish I had the video camera that time too. I know more so then some of the princesses. But of course usually they are back by the Snow White wishing well and stuff.


I know that's not what Lewis Carroll meant by those plot devices, but many people argue that it was just a big drug trip.

That man was crazy. Has anyone ever read books on him? He was VERY wacked!! Among other things.

JeffG
01-08-2003, 02:02 PM
Originally posted by Berry Princess
That man was crazy. Has anyone ever read books on him? He was VERY wacked!! Among other things.

It also is pretty widely accepted that Lewis Carroll was an opium addict. The "drug trip" interpretations of the stories might not be that far off from what he had in mind.

-Jeff

JLKirscher
01-08-2003, 02:14 PM
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know that's not what Lewis Carroll meant by those plot devices, but many people argue that it was just a big drug trip.
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As an Alice collector (and not a drug user, I might add), the original book had a lot of "drug induced" context. Caroll was an opium user.

But back to my original posting, I was simply stating that there are a great many other characters that are overlooked. Disney merchandise does carry a great deal more Alice stuff than say Robin Hood, or the Rescuers or Jungle Book, for example. My complaint wasn't about Alice particularly, that was my personal take on it because that happens to be my favorite. (and like your MIL, Berry Princess, I too have almost everything that comes out)

My point was there are other characters that tend to be overlooked a lot within the Park as far as characters and merchandising. When I was last there in late Nov./early Dec. there was Princess merch. in almost every store and it was difficult to find other favorite characters (even Donald Duck items were pretty limited). Again, I have no doubt that they don't make a huge profit from all the princess stuff, I am sure little girls love it. I was just suggesting that merchandising be a little more broadly based among the hundreds of Disney characters.

Didn't they used to have a character of the month?