Merchandising--Another View

[Wilt Dasney]

One of our favorite topics to gripe about here lately (and, boy, do we know how to gripe) is the glut of merchandising in the Disney parks these days--crude enticements to snap up Mickey key rings, Chip and Dale boxer shorts, TTA lollipops, and whatever else the company can fit a character or logo on beckon from every corner of property, it seems. I've joined several of you in the denouncing of this debasement of the Disney product, this blatant campaign to milk the properties for all they're worth.

Flipping through my copy of "The Disney Treasures" today, something hit me, though. Something I had known for some time but never really put together until today. As I flipped through the pages and saw the familiar pictures of Mickey Mouse watches and fountain pens from the '30s and Donald Duck's brands of bread and loganberry jelly from the '40s, I had to confront the fact that Walt's approach to merchandising was no different, it seems.

The Disney characters were attached to everything a kid might possibly want in the years following their creation. There's even a quote from Walt in there along the lines of "I realized it was very important to exploit the characters and make as much money as I could."

Can we really blame Eisner and Associates for turning the parks into orgies of capitalist feeding frenzies while pretending Walt was somehow guided by a higher vision? I don't think I can, anymore.

Let the rebuttals begin. (I think I hear Grizz typing right now.)

 

[General Grizz]

The products that Walt produced - watches, toys, comic books - where what the pepole wanted. Disney took his characters and respectably put them on the finest quality - and hopefully affordable! - goods.

That being said, I have no problem with TTA lollipops (heck, if I had a choice, I'd buy a lollipop that said TTA on it instead of nothing, but I wouldn't pay that much for it ) or Haunted Mansion apparel and stickers. Pin trading? That works, but I gotta stay away from it. Too addicting. . . (and evil! :goodnevil )

That's fine because Disney is creating loveable characters and stories, and guests can "bring the magic home" (to an extent).

There are THREE instances, however, where I think merchandising is out of hand:

(1) BAD QUALITY/INAPPROPRIATE MERCHANDISING: Mickey Mouse on paper towels? This just doesn't work. High-quality Mickey Mouse cups and straws that evoke Disney thought are pretty cool, but the line has to be drawn when a paper towel with a bunch of standard Mickey's are used to clean a spill, or, "Hey, Kids! Let's clean up Pluto's mess!" It is the "plastic" characters - you know, the low-quality Mickey or Minnie art - that degrades the Disney name if the same thing is used everywhere, too much, or in the wrong places (i.e. blowing snot in a Mickey kleenex where profit from merchandise is the MOTIVE to creativity). I think Michael Eisner on toilet paper rolls would be more appropriate - and profitable!

(2) MERCHANDISE DICTATES A DISNEY RIDE OR ATTRACTION: It's undeniable that most of the new changes at Disney are based on merchandise. Even attractions (i.e. Alien Encounter or Mr. Toad) that never had a gift shop are suddenly having new ones built. Disney even wanted Carousel of Progress, Galaxy Palace, and the Skyway area to be turned into a Tomorrowland Emporium (with one "small attraction"). Original attractions are slowly being replaced by Pixar, Stitch, Iago, Nemo (the list goes on), and we haven't seen a good cast of original characters at the Magic Kingdom for about an entire decade. Why? It has to be the merchandising. Disney can create brand new films and attractions, but rather than relying on creative talent on brand new projects, they rely on characters from past films and live in the past in order to make profit off those changes through merchandise.

(3) MERCHANT OF VENUS/ROCK'n'ROLLER COASTER MERCHANDISE: 'Nuff said.

I almost forgot...

EDIT: There is horrible merchandising focus on MAIN STREET, USA and FRONTIERLAND. Good SHOW is being sacrificed for Pin and Disney stores replacing all of Main Street and the Frontier Mercantile. This is both very wrong and very dangerous!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

You're right - there's merchandising and there's merchandising. But if we're honest we know that Disney is answerable to its shareholders and if everyone else does it then the shareholders would only demand that Disney join in. They have to get a return on their investment even though it cheapens the Disney image

 

[Lynx04]

Merchandising is one thing I think is a strong viable business stratagy. As far as paper towels and other products disney. I am all for it, if people want it and there is a demand, give it to them. Its all supply and demand. Having shops at the end of every ride isn't a negative appeal to me. Actually it shows the company has an active marketing campaign to market there products.
Now one thing I am against is a particular product taking precident over creativity. Although, for disney to say lets make an attraction based off a well selling character or movie is valid idea. But, let the people who do the creating take over after you established what premise you wish to have an attraction based on. Don't forget even though we don't like it. People flock to an attraction that has there favorite character in it. Stitch comes to mind. While AE was one of my favorite attractions in the MK and many others as well. There are alot of fans of the Stitch character that can not wait to see the new attraction. And while I am disappointed because I have to do with out AE and could care less about Stitch. I don't think disney did a terrible business decision, or at least not yet. I still have to see the ride and the publics reaction. However, if I was in the decision makers show, I probably do the same thing.

 

[barnum42]

People love to buy "stuff", but they hate being sold things!

I'm not troubled by Mickey on a paper towel, but I don't like crap quality overpriced merchandise - example the monorail salt and pepper shakers. They look of a quality that you would find in a Dollar Store, but Disney want about $16+ for them. It's a poor article to begin with and the high price adds insult to the injury.

My other oft-quoted gripe is that Disney now sell the same junk in practically every shop in Magic Kingdom. The themeing has gone from the lands. You will find the same generic t-shirts in every land along with the same kitchen products.

I will add my agreement to the negative feelings that merchandise drives the film or the attraction rather than the other way around.

 

[CaptainMichael]

The only positive effects of more merchandise is that it creates more jobs. Someone has be there at a register.

 

[friendofgoofy]

I leaning more with the fact that they put to much products out there for the kids to want and then the parents have to buy it. I also agree that there is to much out there for the kids like cereal or candy ect. things that are always not good for the kids.

 

[Erika]

The only positive effects of more merchandise is that it creates more jobs. Someone has be there at a register.

True, but somebody is at the same register whether I buy the box of Kleenex with the Disney characters on it or just a regular box.

 

[barnum42]

I leaning more with the fact that they put to much products out there for the kids to want and then the parents have to buy it.

Parents do not haveto buy anything. Maybe they just need to eductate their children that everything has a price and the child will have to decide what they would like the most. Not want , but like.

 

[rosebud's mom]

True, but when they put the Princesses on everything it seems like all I do is say no, or not this time !

Rosebud is a 4 year old Disney Princess herself, and I take full responsibility for that. :lol:

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I don't know if I buy the "quality" argument, Grizz. I mean, can you really say it's beyond the pale to put Mickey on paper towels but defend a yummy jar of Donald's loganberry jam? They're both short-lived products that get "used up" (i.e., not meant to last).

One argument I expected to hear was that Walt wouldn't have approved of all this merchandising in the parks themselves, even if he took advantage of it in department stores and the like.

 

[EpcotGrl]

I'm not troubled by Mickey on a paper towel, but I don't like crap quality overpriced merchandise - example the monorail salt and pepper shakers. They look of a quality that you would find in a Dollar Store, but Disney want about $16+ for them. It's a poor article to begin with and the high price adds insult to the injury.

My other oft-quoted gripe is that Disney now sell the same junk in practically every shop in Magic Kingdom. The themeing has gone from the lands. You will find the same generic t-shirts in every land along with the same kitchen products.

YES! I get so annoyed by cross-eyed Tinkerbells or three-fingered Grumpies or whatever... The influx of obviously mass-produced and foreign-made merchandise has cheapened the shopping experience. If I have to dig through a shelf-full of Tinkerbell figurines to find one that looks human, I'm probably gonna stop after looking at two mutant Tinks.

And again YES! While there are a few of those "only in This Park" things, they're harder and harder to find. It's like Disney wants people to buy things so badly that they're not going to ask them to do it at the place that actually has to do with that merchandise...which I think cheapens the theming thhat works so well on the outside.

Excellent points, Barnum! :sohappy:

 

[barnum42]

If I have to dig through a shelf-full of Tinkerbell figurines to find one that looks human, I'm probably gonna stop after looking at two mutant Tinks.

:lol: Good way of putting it - even a Disney bean counter may be able to understand that

 

[Woody13]

Disney has a very long and proud history of mining franchises for every dollar they can get. Walt was the master of crass commercialism! The original Disneyland television shows were among the first infomercials. Let's not forget the millions of cheap Mickey Mouse watches that were sold and the Davy Crocket junk (coonskin caps, lunch boxes, toy guns, etc.) as well as all the Zorro stuff. Disney has (over the years) made more money on its merchandising efforts than any of it other products. I think Walt would be very proud of the way in which Eisner has expanded the Disney junkarama sales.

One of the reasons why Disney decided to sell The Disney Stores is because Wal-Mart can move a heck of a lot more product. It just makes sense.

 

[no2apprentice]

Mass merchandising in the parks and the resorts is a double edged sword. I would imagine the profits on those items are considerable, but if it wasn't there, I would guess (since I don't have the hard numbers) that we would be paying more for admission and rooms.

 

[rogerrabbitfan9]

I personally think that Disney is good about where they place there shops . A little less PinShops but..........

The quality is ok, just not always for the price .

 

[cherrynegra]

I don't mind all the merchandise in the parks. I really don't. Though it sometimes catches me off guard to find stuff in the supermarket. Like today I did a double take because they were selling those mylar balloons with Mickey and Winnie for Halloween. Maybe because it was a balloon of Mickey as a vampire bat with fangs that threw me for a loop.

I think what I do have a problem with is the need to places stores selling the stuff in the exit areas of most attractions. Why can't they just continue the theming of an attraction? Why dump you into a store? I mean, I know why they do, but every top attraction?

And as for the quality of merchandise, eh. One man's junk is another man's treasure. And sadly, that also goes for the monorail salt and pepper shakers. They're a corporation. They have to make money. They have to answer to shareholders. It's the nature of the beast.

 

[MissM]

My other oft-quoted gripe is that Disney now sell the same junk in practically every shop in Magic Kingdom. The themeing has gone from the lands. You will find the same generic t-shirts in every land along with the same kitchen products.

I agree. It's very...disappointing that you can't find more exclusive, theme-specific items at stores. For example, there's some pirate items in the POTC store, but the vast majority of it are items you can get elsewhere. And though many may not like pins, it'd be nice if the pins at a location were actually related to the location itself. It's always a case of throw two or three items in the store but then fill the rest of it up with the same stuff. There's just such repitition! It doesn't encourage me to look if I know I can just get it at the next store down the path.
-m

 

[KaliSplash]

As has been well explained above, Walt was a master of merchandising. I have no problem with the selling of Mickey and the gang in virtually every form they can think of.
I am sorry to see the end of unique shops at the Magic Kingdom such as the perfume shop in Liberty Square, and the Yankee Trader store that had more than Disney-themed cooking items. As well as some of the shops in Frontierland and Tomorrowland.
And there is a disconcerting 'sameness' in many of the stores in all of the parks.
Speaking of merchandising, I wish they would bring back the large park maps. I know they stopped making them because they would be out-of-date every year or so as new attractions and shops opened. But I loved the big old 3 foot by two-foot maps of the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. And even the ones of the entire World. I have all of those hanging on the walls in my house and would love to have new maps of each park!

 

[speck76]

Merchandise and gift shops are based on simple supply/demand. If people did not go to the gift shops, they would not be there. Maybe the reason the frontierland shop was replaced by pin trading is because there is more demand for the pins than the stuff that was being sold in the previous store.

If WDW opened a new store, and nobody came to it, it would not last long.

Also, although I would like everything to be top quality, some people can not afford such high quality. The Mickey dolls in the parks are much nicer than those you can buy at Wal-Mart, but they are also more expensive. For families that can not afford $20 for a Mickey doll, wouldn't a $5 not as nice version be better for their kids than nothing?