Less is more, or, may your daughters’ dream be to drive a Disney Princess car someday
Mom at Outside the (Toy) Box writes about the ever-decreasing range of playtime choices for today’s little girls — specifically, do you like Barbie or Disney Princesses? And while the “character” choice may be limited, the number of products available has exploded: she lists no less than forty Princess-themed items you can’t live without (before she stops, exhausted).
I recently read that Disney plans to offer 2,000 licensed products in conjunction with High School Musical 2. That’s TWO THOUSAND. I sat my 10-year-old down to come up with a list of 2,000 possibilities. We couldn’t even get to 50 (of course, things like “musical eggs” didn’t even cross my mind).
And what’s wrong with that? asks Disney’s John Hardie:
What we do is very honest and direct. Children live in the same commercial world as the rest of us. We make TV shows and movies for kids to watch. What’s wrong with that? Imagine a world without Jungle Book or Finding Nemo. And what’s wrong with then having products which tie into that?
Well, since he asked:
Decreased attention span, obesity, intellectural passivity and inhibited imaginative play: seems that all those TV shows and videos may not actually be good for kids.
Choking hazards, lead contamination, and burn hazards: in their mad dash to produce more crap to sell, safety issues sometimes, just maybe, might be, well, overlooked.
It’s time for the big corps to stop and ask themselves: by mass-producing these products and spending billions to make sure someone buys them, are we contributing to children’s health? And the well-being of American families?
Oh, and Rudyard Kipling may be dead and an easy target, but I am not going to let Disney take credit for Jungle Book.
September 12th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you for the princess potty. I can’t stop smiling. If only they would make princess toilet paper so we could do the entire brand justice.
Thanks for answering the “so what” question. Excellent.
September 13th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
I can’t wait for my very own Zak gym shorts, and who’s life would be complete without official High School Musical II branded breakfast cereal and Jell-o?
September 14th, 2007 at 7:07 am
Mike, we’ll add Jell-o to our list. Now we’re up to 51. Maybe you have some specialty products in Australia that we won’t get here in the U.S. — ?
September 14th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Hey it’s your former co-worker here just checking in. Loved this post. I just had the horrendous experience of trying to find a gift for a 1 year old girl’s birthday. Everything is Barbie, Princess, and Dora. Don’t forget Dora, she is EVERYWHERE! It is also impossible to find a toy that does not light up, make noise, and require batteries. I just went with the old standby of children’s books. Ugh, I’m terrified of having a girl in our overwhelming “pink” society these days. They don’t leave many other options for young girls.
September 14th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Well I don’t think that branded Vegemite would go over very big anywhere…
Maureen - for a one-year old; how about clothes or a *ball*? I’m trying recall life before Disney channel, but it’s all a blur now.
September 15th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Hey Maureen, so good to hear from you! Books are the best present ever. We avoided a lot of the pink problems by shopping for clothes at Goodwill. No sections for “boys” or “girls.” Makes it a lot easier when they can pick out what they really like and not what is prescribed for them.
You’ve got about a month left, right? The worst month. Hopefully it’s not too hot there?
September 16th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Maureen, your old pal Mel the Writing Mohel here in Minneapolis. Here is one of my favorite presents to give to one-year-olds. Unisex, with just a little room to grow!
November 26th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
[…] Disney spends four billion dollars marketing Disney princesses to girls. And babies. And brides. And everyone else. Amazon.com lists no less than 7,806 Disney Princess […]