The Princesses and the Merchandise

I went to Disneyland yesterday and it was awesome. I rode lots of rides, ate a bunch of overpriced food and spent way too much money on stuff I now have to figure out how to get back home. It made me really want to revisit those movies I love like Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story. It wasn't until I got home that I realized what Disneyland had not instilled in me: a desire to see any of the more recent Disney movies like Tangled or The Princess and the Frog which I have heard all my friends talk about and compare but still haven't seen. In fact it seems every time I listen to other people talk about the two movies it’s to compare them. In spite of that, besides a Tiana (look her up, I had to) Christmas ornament and a stuffed frog, there really wasn't any merchandise for either movie in the Main Street stores. It exists too; anyone who's been in a Disney store recently knows how much it exists. So why is none of it in Disneyland (outside of Fantasyland)?



One could argue that the movies are simply too new. Walking into Disneyland is like walking into the aftermath of a giant nostalgia bomb, especially if you have memories of the park as a kid: staring at Sleeping Beauty's Castle and remembering how much taller it looked when you were five, waving to Cinderella, or giving Mickey a hug and forgetting for the time being that he's really a short person you've never met. One of its defining features is that the park changes very slowly. Hell, The Little Mermaid is old enough to drink and only just this year did it get its own ride (The animatronics are awesome; the ride is not). It allows you to experience the things that were popular when you were a kid and to a certain extent to relive the Disney-ish parts of your childhood, be they a context-less Splash Mountain or Star Tours (revamped and super awesome). The Princess and the Frog and Tangled are simply too young to bring out that sense of nostalgia, being two and one years old respectively.

At least that was what I thought until I looked up what costumed characters I had missed here. There's a Tangled Meet & Greet in Fantasyland with Rapunzel and the guy from Chuck, but no one from The Princess and the Frog. However, a quick look at that Wikipedia page I linked to above says that the costumed character existed in the park, had a parade, and is currently featured in World of Color, California Adventure’s answer to Fantasmic. She also apparently hangs out in New Orleans square, which I apparently missed despite hanging out there for quite a while to pine over the closed Pirates of the Caribbean (You don’t need maintenance, you’re perfect just the way you are!). So despite apparently being ninja princesses or just due to my own obliviousness, the two movies seem to be equally represented, right? Since one of the allures of the Disney parks is family friendliness, it makes sense to have characters that younger kids have seen in theaters and that’s all good in theory but boy is Tiana hard to find. I say this because thinking back, I’m pretty sure I stumbled upon where she hangs out. Mostly because at the time I thought it was super weird to have a decorated and sheltered staircase off by itself. Most of the characters that have specific areas to hang out at are either super popular or don’t have legs (Ariel) but they also tend to be centrally located and easy to get to. The staircase is in a corner of a narrow alley by two ornament stores. So why go through all the trouble of having a secluded Tiana, while Rapunzel gets the prized real estate?

Well, a quick look at Box Office Mojo might be the answer to my questions because despite more Oscar nominations and similar Rotten Tomatoes scores (okay, I lied, that part wasn't on Box Office Mojo), Tangled made more than double the dough of The Princess and the Frog and not in a "it did really well in India" kind of way. Tangled significantly outgrossed The Princess and the Frog both domestically and in foreign markets. Hell, in a comparison of the last five Disney movies to have come out in November in the last six years, The Princess and the Frog is #5. Chicken Little made more money than The Princess Frog. Do you remember Chicken Little? I don't and Disney doesn't seem to either since I haven't seen a lot of merchandise for that movie floating around. Tangled has even outsold The Princess and the Frog on DVD despite the latter having been out for almost an entire year longer.

When you look at the list of costumed characters who roam around Disneyland, what you're really seeing is what sells: Alice in Wonderland, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mickey, etc. When was the last time you saw a character from The Black Cauldron or The Emperor's New Groove walking around Disney? Tiana is there, but you have to track her down in what is arguably the “boy” section of the park (between Adventureland and Frontierland and hope she’s there, meeting Rapunzel is way easier. However, bringing it all back to where we started, if Tangled has proven that it can sell, why not put its merchandise on Main Street?

Main Street is the first and last place visitors to Disneyland see and it’s full of stuff to buy. And not just any stuff; only the most marketable merchandise sits in the Main Street stores, because nothing says impulse buy like visiting the last store on the corner before the exit with a tired kid who really wants a memento of their trip. Tangled has a character and merchandise but it is confined to Fantasyland, the "girls" area of the park. The Princess and the Frog has merchandise placed in the area that is supposed to appeal to all people and that has the most lasting appeal and it’s not just Disneyland. Go to the Disney Store website and search for buyable stuff by character, Tangled vs The Princess and the Frog. Which has more merchandise? Did you guess The Princess and the Frog? If you did, you’re wrong because, you see, the merchandise is displayed differently for each movie. The Princess and the Frog shows all of its merchandise on one page (Including an Oogie Boogie pin) while Tangled shows a selection from its top three categories: Toys, Clothes, and Home and Decor. The point is, all of the wares they showcase for Tangled are aimed at kids, the categories they don’t show: pins, art & collectibles and DVDs, music and books are not really what kids look at and think “I must have this or my world will explode!” They want dolls and bed sheets, not a framed canvas that costs over $300. Just like in Disneyland, the Mouse has decided that The Princess and the Frog appeals to a general audience and Tangled appeals to little girls.

To me, this says far more about which movie the Disney company is expecting to still be around once those little girls have grown up. On that note, I think it might be time for me to sit down and catch up on my Disney.