Merchandise is not good

[timoteo]

If you want to see the kind of stuff that can be done with disney merchandise see link below. They need to work with more people like


http://www.register123.com/event/profile/web/index.cfm?PKwebID=0x208823ae9&varPage=info

 

[timoteo]

Peter Pan at Disneyland has been updated. After riding both I have to say the Disneyland version is just better.

Disneyland version.
1. It is actually dark in there as a background with great punchy lighting
2. Really cool use of fiber optics. You sail through the stars to neverland. It is really cool.
3. No aluminum foil is used as in WDW volcanos
4. Sound system better
5. The loading area has more 3D look which transitions nicely into the childern's bedroom.
6. No visible drapery, dirt, chips or tubular blacklighing fixtures

I was so disappointed with WDW one after I was exposed to Disneyland I do not think I will ever care to wait for the WDW version again. Its over for me.

 

[Ausdaddy]

Peter Pan at Disneyland has been updated. After riding both I have to say the Disneyland version is just better.

Disneyland version.
1. It is actually dark in there as a background with great punchy lighting
2. Really cool use of fiber optics. You sail through the stars to neverland. It is really cool.
3. No aluminum foil is used as in WDW volcanos
4. Sound system better
5. The loading area has more 3D look which transitions nicely into the childern's bedroom.
6. No visible drapery, dirt, chips or tubular blacklighing fixtures

I was so disappointed with WDW one after I was exposed to Disneyland I do not think I will ever care to wait for the WDW version again. Its over for me.

I went to Disneyland last summer for the first time and I have to agree. I liked that one a bit more. I love them both, but it seemed to be a more immersive experience. You get much closer the scenes, or so it seems.

 

[timoteo]

I must say it seems I am making a play for Disneyland. I admit that this last trip to WDW did make me realize that If you are a true Magic Kingdom fan you need to get to Disneyland for a couple of days at least once in your life. The place is just better and you need to see to what level a Disney Park can achieve. It is a lot of little subtle thing maybe, but if you are a Fan you will notice.

 

[k.hunter30]

I must say it seems I am making a play for Disneyland. I admit that this last trip to WDW did make me realize that If you are a true Magic Kingdom fan you need to get to Disneyland for a couple of days at least once in your life. The place is just better and you need to see to what level a Disney Park can achieve. It is a lot of little subtle thing maybe, but if you are a Fan you will notice.

Wow - I couldn't disagree more. For me, the last two visits I've made to DL - the "magic" just hasn't been there. I never felt like I entered the world of Disney...:shrug:

 

[timoteo]

I am just talking magic kingdom to magic kingdom. I admit WDW is a better vacation destination and you really loose yourself. I go to WDW a lot. But take it from a fan who is an architect. Disneyland california is a better park than WDW's magic kingdom from a design, ride, landscaping, upkeep, and architectural detail point of view. Park to Park. You cannot beat WDW for the full monty vacation and I guess that is why when you zoom in to one part it suffers compared to Disneyland because it can.

 

[bgraham34]

While in Paris last August the merchandise there was such crap. We were so mad. We wanted to bring back a momento from there but nothing was worth bringing home.

 

[timoteo]

I am very sorry to hear the Paris merchandise is also crap. I would have thought Europeans would demand a higher level of design. I think Disney is really underestimating the desire for great designed merchandise. Hiring a good designer is so cost effective when you are producing lots of units. Look at Target

 

[ToTBellHop]

yeah...it's really dumb. Of all the things to cut funding to, merchandising, I would think, would be last. I know I spend much less on souvenirs now than I used to, and would guess I'm not alone...

 

[shoppingnut]

yeah...it's really dumb. Of all the things to cut funding to, merchandising, I would think, would be last. I know I spend much less on souvenirs now than I used to, and would guess I'm not alone...

Totally agree with you. You know it's a bad day for disney when I come home with money in my pocket because I found nothing to buy or merchandise that I could buy at the local Walmart for less money. There are so many nice shirts they make for kids and juniors, why can't they make some of those in adult sizes. One thing I am glad of is that they have finally started making women's style shirts because I won't buy one of the men's shirts anymore they are too long and I want something more stylish.

 

[timoteo]

I know Disney has good designers who design those snow globe things. We have a friend who does just that for Disney and I love looking at his portfolio. The last time I looked at it he showed me a section he entitled, "unrealized" I swear to you that stuff was the best. Disney recently seems a bit timid to extend their design imaginations in certain areas. As a designer I can confirm that a little design cost can really pay off. Look at what the shoe companies do, Target as I mentioned and I believe the other Big box retailers are following the same with Martha Stewart and Todd Oldham. They did it once with . But the sad thing is, I know they have talent in-house or very very close who are not celebraties who can produce really nice design, colors, graphics and best of all ideas. Disney should be at the forefront of this trend not the back.

 

[RiversideBunny]

WDW needs a panel of park guests to help them decide what merchandise is needed.
Currently it seems like they sit in a back room and try to guess what people want.

The internet would be very useful in signing up a list of guests to survey periodically on merchandise.

:king:

 

[raven]

If you want to see the kind of stuff that can be done with disney merchandise see link below. They need to work with more people like


http://www.register123.com/event/profile/web/index.cfm?PKwebID=0x208823ae9&varPage=info

I went to that gallery at DL above Pirates and loved the merchandise. is such a talented artist and I hope he does more with Disney in the future! :wave:

 

[timoteo]

It is a good idea to poll guests on what types of things they want, but very shortly after that you need to get designers who can make things fun and unique. If a guest poll says, We want more books with picures of Disney parks, great, but then you need someone to come up with the idea of glueing remnants of the parks to the pages like a collage. An old "E" ride ticket, a funny post card, a reproduced stamp with walt Disney's face, a "post-it" with a reminder to the cast, A page that requires 3D glasses, a reticulated page. Disneyland had a book like this for sale, not WDW. Nope nothing. I thought it was so great and only a clever desinger would have come up with the level of detail and the general idea.

If a guest poll says we want more button down shirts with collars, then a designer has to say, well what cool prints could we use? How subtle or bold should the Disney imagery be? Could we do a shirt that could be customized easily for the guest by adding say a missing piece of the print or contrasting buttons.

Polling guests is good, but clothing designers and artists kinda know the trends before everyone else.

 

[JimboJones123]

Yeah, the stuff really has that Gotta-have-it quality. I love it. Is it his stuff they did for the magical beginnings last year too?

 

[fizzle75]

This is exactly why eBay is so great. That's where I get my Disney merchandise!

Yes. I actually bought a second set of shirts from E-bay. But isn't sad that there is so much square footage at WDW devoted to mechandise and shopping and looking at stuff is kinnda fun. Access to their shops what you are partly paying for... but its crap. And not just 80% crap 10% good but 99% crap. I want to be able to go to WDW and say I have 30 minutes till my fast pass comes due.. let me wander in here. They have taken that part of my vacation away so to speak.

I also have bought quite a few articles of clothing on ebay. I posted a thread several months back asking if anyone know where I could get a series of Disney bowling shirts that I had seen on our first trip to WDW. Nobody knew but several suggested I try ebay. I ended up finding 2 of the shirts from WDW on ebay and 2 that I had never seen from Disneyland. I love them! These particular shirts sold for around $50-$60 in the parks and I got 3 of them for under $20 and one of them for around $40. I have bought several Disney t-shirts on ebay for around $2 each and with shipping they were only $7 each. They were all New With Tag also!

I totally agree, when I saw the women's new YOMD shirts, I couldn't believe how poorly made they were. Plus they were in like light pink??? Ew! I ended up buying a small men's shirt, which was MUCH nicer!!!!!

I buy disney stuff on ebay too, also on disneyoutlets, I tend to find better stuff there. It's just the excitement of buying things at Disney World, you know!

Call me crazy but I love WDW merchandise! Maybe it has something to do with where I live and was raised and the fact that we do most of our shopping at Wal-Mart(my wife has bought TONS of Disney clothing and accessories at Wal-Mart) but I don't have any problem with the quality or variety of the merchandise I have seen or bought at WDW. I do agree that the prices are way too inflated though. I also agree that there is just something about shopping at WDW, I mean where else can you get park specific and resort specific merchandise that relates to WDW other than...WDW? I must admit that I probably love shopping at WDW waaay more than I should, at least as much as our finances will allow(which isn't much).

I do like the stuff but somehow, for me, it fits Disneyland better. Being a character freak I also don't like that the stuff doesn't seem to incorporate the characters into the designs very much.

 

[timoteo]

Fizzle. I agree with you. I love shopping for Disney mechandise too, but I think they could do much better. I do not think they have to offer better stuff everywhere, but give me a Disneyland Gallery shop, give me a Disneyland main street book store, give me more things like the beloved Mickey waffle iron. For example:

Better art work. Why aren't art prints utilized in the Contemporary for sale at the Contemporary?

Why can't I buy a print version of the art from my polynesian resort room?

Why cant I get print posters of old park maps? Why do I have to go to E-bay?

Why can't I get books on Disney art and park construction anymore. OK at Disneyland and E-bay sure?

Why can't I get magic tricks anymore?

Why can't I get any cool graphics on T-shirt outside Mission space. The stuff is so blah? Space is better than that crap.

Why can't I get authentic Polynesian crafts at the Polynesian?

Why can't I get a book devoted to Disney watercraft?

Why can't I get any solar powered stuff made by Disney?

Why can't I download specific audio tracks from rides and have a Disney machine burn them onto a CD for me?

Why can't I view snipets of the DVD's they sell in the shops?

Why don't they sell an electric version of the monorail that is better quality then the battery plastic deal?

Why don't they sell retro - 50's style shirts outside COP or Sci-Fi dine?

Why don't they sell a mini - version toy utilizing the pepper's ghost effect from the haunted mansion.

Why no riverboart model or toy. Heck why no model kits at all?

Why in the middle of Florida can I not get a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice?