http://jezebel.com/frozen-merch-is-sold-out-everywhere-and-parents-are-los-1561331628
It has become impossible to get any official merchandise from Disney's animated megahit
Frozen—toys and clothing are sold out everywhere, even after a recent, large-scale restocking effort. Enterprising individuals are charging up to $1,000 for
Frozen items on eBay, which has driven parents completely insane. Frustrated moms are currently freaking out all over Disney's Facebook page, posting angry messages in the middle of the night.
Four and a half months after the film's initial domestic release, the pursuit for Anna and Elsa merch has reached a fever pitch. There's even a
Tumblr devoted to helping people track down
Frozen products. But good luck trying to get any dolls or princess paraphernalia from Toys R Us, Walmart, Target or the
Disney Store.
And people who care way more about it than you have certainly tried. Currently, the Disney Store's official
Facebook page is
flooded with ed-off parents who are desperate to buy something—
anything (even
Frozen beach towels)—for their children, even though Christmas was months ago. There have been at least 100
Frozen-related posts in the past 24 hours alone.
One mom writes:
So I finally get my Elsa singing doll during the restock today.....so I think. I go to my account and look at my order..and low and behold IM NOT GETTING THE DOLL FOR MY DAUGHTER. WHAT A SURPRISE. IM SO DISGUSTED WITH THE WAY DISNEY HAS HANDLED THE FROZEN SITUATION. Im just done with this whole thing. Everyone told me not to get my hopes up. But, I thought no way Disney would put it thru and not send it. I Was so wrong. Thanks Disney...
Another mom is ed that Disney has ruined Christmas
and Easter for her daughter:
I have been staying up late every night checking the site. I didn't think the site would refresh during the day. SO irritated! My girl has been waiting for a classic Elsa doll since Christmas. She can't understand why Santa didn't get her one since it was what she wanted most. Now she is hoping that the Easter Bunny will put one in her basket. She has been so patient. I really think this might be what stops her believing in Santa and the Easter Bunny. I can't afford to spend over $100 on eBay for a $16 doll. This whole situation makes me so sad and angry. Thank you Disney for killing the magic for my 6 year old.
Many people, like this mom, feel cheated after funneling all their money to Disney for their entire lives:
Why can no one give a real answer as to what is going on with the Frozen merchandise? I think that is the most frustrating thing. A ball has been dropped, you've let customers down, but no one is acknowledging it. So many of us have spent exorbitant amounts of money on Disney related products. We purchase season passes, pay a premium for your cruises, pay upwards of twenty grand for your incredibly overpriced Disney "Adventures", and tell ourselves that it was worth it because we got the Disney touch. This experience has not even come close to what we know of The Disney touch. I'm sorry to complain but I'm sick of being talked to like I'm not worth speaking to by associates, I'm tired of being cut off when I mention the word "Frozen."
Currently, Disney has a rule set that no more than two of each
Frozen item can be purchased at a time, in an effort to cut down on the scalping that is currently happening online. But the purchasing cap doesn't really help when there aren't any items to buy in stores, which leaves eBay and independent Amazon sellers left as the only options if you absolutely must get your hands on some Elsa merch.
Currently, the limited-edition Anna and Elsa dolls are going for up to
$1750 on eBay. The
regular dolls are upwards of $150 in a tight bidding war, but you can typically chose a Buy It Now option for $300. (The dolls retail at about $30.)
If you want an official
Disney Elsa princess dress, it will set you back about $300, unless you want to buy a
knockoff on eBay, which are going for over $100.
Disney Store Frozen Princess Elsa Costume Size Medium 7/8
Amazon.com: $239.90
Buy now
Your best chance at getting some Frozen merch at its original retail price is at
various stores at the actual Disney World Resort. But even that's dicey. It's mostly T-shirts and they don't seem to have the
singing Elsa with the light-up hands that everyone is going bonkers for.
Going to Disney World for a Frozen experience actually presents its own set of problems. Currently, the
wait time for meeting Anna or Elsa is over 100 minutes, and it doesn't seem like Fast Passes are eligible for it. Word has it that those characters are like the Beatles now, attracting large crowds of screaming females.
The latest wave of
Frozen-mania probably has something to do with its DVD release two weeks ago, which opened the movie up to a whole new audience of kids who are too young or too wild to sit still in a theater. (That's a pretty big market.)
Apparently, Disney didn't expect
Frozen to be such a colossal hit—last month it officially became the
highest-grossing animated film of all time ($1.072 billion and counting) after opening in Japan—or else they surely would've anticipated the demand for its merchandise.
But for all the crazed parents out there who are holding on to the hope that they can get some
Frozen-related merch in their children's Easter baskets this year, they should take a cue from Elsa and "let it go."
