FROM: MouseMerch Published Thursdays
Disney Merch on Parade
Got enough merch? Disney merch? If you say yes, you lie. First rule of MouseMerch: you can't have enough MouseMerch. Second rule: if you're Chris Taylor, you write about it. Make sure you check out those Wish-a-Littles. And who designs 'em!
You've got your ears, t-shirts, balloons, glow necklace, antenna topper, and gifts for all occasions. What now?
It's time to stretch your Disney merchandise mind a little.
This week, we'll talk about some new little items you can pick up online, or possibly at a local Disney Store - though the one closest to me is woefully deficient in cool merch. How many Tiana nightgowns and Buzz costumes are people buying these days, anyway?
But let's move on.
Video Games
First, the new LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean video game. The LEGO games are my favorite of all, with the Complete Star Wars Saga topping the list.
I've been waiting for LEGO Pirates since it was announced late last year. All I've seen so far are the trailers, but it looks great and has all the humor that players of these games have come to expect.
Trading Pins
I don't know about you, but I don't go crazy with the trading pins when at Disney World, though I do like them. I'll wear them on a hat or my shirt. I can't stand the lanyards, but that's just me.
Quite a few were released online this week. My faves, by far, are the Disney cupcakes!
Unless you've been in a cave for the past 6 months, you know cupcakes are the food du jour. We've got two cupcake shops in my little town alone.
click an image to expand:
Swing that controller like a cutlass, matey!f
ou don't eat 'em, you wear 'em.
A 40th anniversary tote with vintage logos.
An iPad case done up in shades of blah.
A nifty iPhone case - waiting for the iPad model.
Wish a lot for this Snow White Wish-a-Little.
I really should have seen this coming, because Disney knows how to exploit a trend. These pins are adorable. Order some now before they're gone. I think the Tinkerbell is oddly fitting as it looks just like her hair, and I can totally see these on a shirt, or even better, on a set of ears. (Someone call Disney, and please mention my name!)
Disney Totes
More 40th Anniversary gear is being released this spring, including a nifty tote. As you know, we can't get enough bags in my house, and this tote sports logos from 1970's through today.
What's not to love?
iPad Cases
I'm the proud owner of an iPad. It's life changing. But it's also fragile and needs protection.
The very first website I used my iPod to visit was the DisneyStore. I wanted to see what cases they sold for iPads. They have a few, but I'm not too excited about them. Their vintage Mickey case will fit an iPad2, but it leaves me cold.
I'd really love to have one of their nifty Mickey iPhone cases, instead. These come in Mickey, Minnie, and Donald versions, and fit both iPhone 3 and 4Gs. Nothing quite shows your Disney love than keeping your phone out all the time, like mine is. Here's hoping they make some new iPad versions by Christmas.
Wish-a-Littles
Finally, I need to address the newest Disney must-have: Wish-a-Littles by Kidada.
The first Wish-a-Little set includes four Disney princesses, each with a surprise inside. They remind me of It's a Small World' figures. I can see them proliferating like the Vinylmations since both share many of the same characteristics: small, fun to hold, round corners, always the same shape, and you can paint them to match anything.
But the secret here is the secret inside. Each Wish-a-Little comes with a charm necklace in a unique shape: Snow White has an apple, Belle a bell (wouldn't a book or a rose have been more appropriate?), Cinderella a carriage (I would have gone with the glass shoe), and Tiana a star.
I have no idea what's coming next, but I could see Ariel with a shell or a hair brush, Rapunzel with a frying pan, and Jasmine with a carpet. I'd also like to see Lilo with a peanut butter sandwich and Mulan with a sword, so I may not be the best person to design these things.
Kidada (who is a person) has designed some other princess charms, including a rose for Belle and a glass slipper for Cinderella. But you have to buy those separately.
Bob's Three Cents: Not only is Kidada a person, her last name is Jones, her father is musician, composer, and record producer Quincy Jones, and formerly she was the fiancee of late rapper Tupac Shakur.
Your little girl (or yourself!) will love 'em.
By the way, Wish-a-Littles remind me of an important merchandise design axiom: round equals cute. The more round, the cuter. Don't believe me? Look around.
Rounded shapes feel better to hold, which I think not enough toy and collectible designers take into account these days.
Of course, that's just my opinion. What's yours?
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