I would like to see Disney market its Villains much more. I think Disney is missing the boat pertaining to the Disney Villains, and the appeal that they would have. Think about it, Disney does a great job marketing everything toward the positive characters from each story or movie. But where would the movie or story be without its villain? One could argue that the bad guy/girl makes the story what it is.
Presently there is one store, Villains in Vogue, in Disney’s Hollywood Studios that caters to the villains, by selling merchandise of various bad guys. For some reason people have always liked the bad guys, maybe it is a way to rebel, I am not sure.
The Disney marketing merchandise machine seems geared like this- loveable characters such as Mickey, Pooh and friends to toddlers, classic characters such as Mickey, Donald, and the seven dwarfs to adults and Hannah Montana to the tweens. I am a middle school teacher and can attest that many tweens do not like the Hannah Montana type shows. They are too cool for the toddler characters, but don’t want to be walking around in a Mickey Mouse T-shirt like their dad. Kids of this age are beginning to try to rebel a bit and experience some independence and here is where the villain market is.
The Disney Villains provide a nice combination for certain tweens. They get to wear a cartoon character on their chest, but it is a “cool” character to them, not some childish one. You may not think this is true, but I can verify after asking quite a few of my tween age students who like Disney. They want something they can identify with. I think Pirates of the Caribbean was an option, but not necessarily for girls.
The good thing about marketing the villains is that there are both boy and girl villains that kids can associate with. Think about having a roller coaster for grown-ups featuring Jafar, Maleficent, and Ursula. What about a tame dark ride for youngsters featuring Cruella De Vil, Captain Hook, and Syndrome? They could have a character meal using various characters set in a darker dungeon type building, but still mild enough as to not scare the younger children.
Just think of all of the Disney movies and the villains for each movie. This is such an untapped resource that I think Disney is missing the boat. The options seem limitless to me, what are your thoughts?
Presently there is one store, Villains in Vogue, in Disney’s Hollywood Studios that caters to the villains, by selling merchandise of various bad guys. For some reason people have always liked the bad guys, maybe it is a way to rebel, I am not sure.
The Disney marketing merchandise machine seems geared like this- loveable characters such as Mickey, Pooh and friends to toddlers, classic characters such as Mickey, Donald, and the seven dwarfs to adults and Hannah Montana to the tweens. I am a middle school teacher and can attest that many tweens do not like the Hannah Montana type shows. They are too cool for the toddler characters, but don’t want to be walking around in a Mickey Mouse T-shirt like their dad. Kids of this age are beginning to try to rebel a bit and experience some independence and here is where the villain market is.
The Disney Villains provide a nice combination for certain tweens. They get to wear a cartoon character on their chest, but it is a “cool” character to them, not some childish one. You may not think this is true, but I can verify after asking quite a few of my tween age students who like Disney. They want something they can identify with. I think Pirates of the Caribbean was an option, but not necessarily for girls.
The good thing about marketing the villains is that there are both boy and girl villains that kids can associate with. Think about having a roller coaster for grown-ups featuring Jafar, Maleficent, and Ursula. What about a tame dark ride for youngsters featuring Cruella De Vil, Captain Hook, and Syndrome? They could have a character meal using various characters set in a darker dungeon type building, but still mild enough as to not scare the younger children.
Just think of all of the Disney movies and the villains for each movie. This is such an untapped resource that I think Disney is missing the boat. The options seem limitless to me, what are your thoughts?
