Frequently Asked Questions about Disney Parks Merchandise

The official Disney Parks blog recently published a helpful post for any fans of Disney merchandise: answers to the most frequently asked questions about shopping at the Disney parks.  If you like to collect all the unique swag that you can from the parks, this post is just for you.  Let’s look at the points. The first is that some merchandise is completely unique to the Disney Parks.  While the Disney Store and other affiliates do sell some pieces in locations all around the world, there are some things that you can only get if you’re in one of the … Continue reading

Disney at E3 and Other Video Games Update

A Kinect demo booth at this year’s E3 The E3 Video Game exhibition might be over now, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop talking about all we learned about upcoming video games. Put E3 up there for me with other conventions, like Comic Con and the D23 Expo, that I’d love to attend one day. Disney didn’t dominate E3, as the company isn’t really known for putting out much more than thrown-together movie tie-in games. Titles like “Epic Mickey” and “Kingdom Hearts” are the exceptions to the rule, though the latter doesn’t quite count because it was a … Continue reading

A Disney Lover’s Valentine Treat

I really didn’t think I’d have anything Disney-related to post about Valentine’s Day. I could report on the lists of special flower arrangements scattered around the Disney parks for the occasion, or perhaps I could find details on special Valentine’s menus offered at Disney restaurants. But honestly, neither of those things is enough for an article. Despite the insinuation with which I opened today’s blog, I haven’t really found a strong topic connecting Disney and Valentine’s Day. What I did discover, however, is the plethora of Disney gift cards available at The Disney Store online. Guess what: there are currently … Continue reading

Disney a Most Trusted Company

Last week I mentioned that Forbes Magazine named the Walt Disney Corporation as the world’s third most trusted company. I promised I’d elucidate the idea further. The parameters of the study, which was actually carried out by the Reputation Institute (a company which “helps corporate clients manage their images”), declared these companies the ones that “consumers like, trust, and respect the most.” Disney, following Google and Sony, earned a global reputation score of 77.97. Unfortunately the study doesn’t specify what that’s out of; I’m assuming out of 100 but list topper Google only ranked a 78.62 so it might be … Continue reading

Disney Dithering on Next Marvel Movie Hero

Way back when Disney bought Marvel, a move first announced almost a year ago, a few questions immediately popped to fans’ minds. One of the most prominent: what will the movies look like? Will they take on a classy but maybe too squeaky-clean Disney shine? Will Disney keep their hands off entirely, or will the combination of Disney’s resources with the Marvel movie studio make for even bigger and better superhero films? We haven’t seen the answers to any of those questions yet. While Disney did profit from “Iron Man 2,” due to its release by Marvel Studios, now a … Continue reading

Would You Buy Walt Disney Signature Products?

I’ve talked a lot about the Disney merchandise permeating our lives, about the “must have” mania it can sometimes inspire, or just the fun experience of being a collector it can involve. I’ve mentioned some of the bizarre merchandise Disney offers, but I haven’t really gone into just how much Disney there is that we don’t recognize. Obviously a company as large as Disney owns several properties that don’t brandish their Mouse Ears: television channels ABC and ESPN, the newly-acquired Marvel, even the publishing company Hyperion. But that’s not what I’m talking about. Today I’m interested in the brands bearing … Continue reading

Bizarre Disney Merchandise

How’s this for bizarre Disney merchandise: scratch and sniff Mickey Mouse Popcorn Ears. That’s right, you read it. I’d repeat it if I were speaking aloud so you could hear it again, but in this instance, you can just head back to the previous sentence and reread. If only I had a picture I could show you here. Instead, I’ll have to describe it: picture the typical Mouseketeer hat, the simple black felt cap with two round black ears on either side. Instead of the felt cap being black, it displays, the whole way around its base, an image of … Continue reading

The Disney Toy Company

The LA Times has recently run a number of articles on the new philosophies of the Walt Disney Corporation, as determined by CEO Bob Iger. One of the latest summarizes Iger’s position the best: he’s all about the merchandising. Case in point: “The Proposal.” The Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy from last year grossed millions, making back the cost of its production in spades. So, inevitably, the suits behind the film suggested a sequel. But because the film comes from Touchstone Pictures, which is a subsidiary of Disney, Iger ultimately calls the shots (should he so choose) on this sort … Continue reading

The Disneyfication of the Olympics

Thousands of people around the world cram into their local roads, to contribute to the joyous roar of the crowd as a runner pounds past, bearing a flickering flame above their heads. Athletes become celebrities, grinning at the world first from a podium amidst a colorful snowstorm of confetti, then from orange cereal boxes under the fluorescent glow of the grocery store. Today the Olympics are synonymous with fanfare. I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty tonight at the opening ceremony in Vancouver. What few people know is that before the 1960 Winter Olympics, and Walt Disney’s involvement in them, the … Continue reading

Disney Resort to Open in Hawaii

Because it’s a cold February for most of us (it’s currently snowing outside my window), I’ve decided to name this Hawaii week at the families.com Disney blog. Today and Friday I’ll post articles about what Disney’s got going on in Hawaii, and those of us freezing elsewhere in the country can squeeze our eyes shut and pretend we’re somewhere sunny and warm. First up is Disney’s announcement that in Fall 2011 they will open a resort on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The resort’s full name is Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, Ko Olina, Hawaii. According to Disney officials … Continue reading