• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

Jousting with the Princess Factory

princess.jpg

I’ve done my best to keep the Disney Princess invasion at bay. We have none of the movies or, uh, “books” which are just ads for the movies, and none of the merchandise or apparel or personal care items that feature the Royal Threat. Except. We do have one Disney Princess ball. No, not the kind with music and party dresses. The kind you can kick.

It was an Easter egg hunt prize, and as hard as I try to “lose” it, it keeps getting found. Lately, my preschooler has taken to asking me what each princess is named.

“Mommy, who’s that?”

“Snow White.”

“Oh, she’s pretty. Who’s this?”

“Sleeping Beauty.”

“Sleeping Booty?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Not one of my mom friends is a fan of the Princess Pack. Some helpless woman, lying around, waiting on the man to rescue her just doesn’t cut it for a role model. And, yet, all of us with girls around the ages of three to six are facing the fascination our daughters have with all things pink, fluffy and Disney.

Where does this come from, this whole princess thing we work so hard to shut out? In the beginning — just like all the colds, stomach flu and communicable diseases — they get it from their friends. As an observer-type, I’ve also noticed a strong correlation between the onset of the princess phase and the first bout of backtalk and experiments with “We don’t like (this girl) …” and other irritating behaviors associated with girlhood. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Rapunzel may have been shut away in that tower for good reason. By her real mother.

The best thing about this whole phase is that it is normal and temporary. But for Disney, the phase is like money in the bank. For at least three years of each young American girl’s life, Disney can count on raking in some bucks. It’s a marketer’s dream, the sure payout.

It is not, however, quite like hitting the lottery. That title belongs to Disney properties like Cars, a movie released several years back that is selling more merchandise now than when the film was first released. So successful is this particular property, that it will be given it’s own theme park.

The thing is, the movie doesn’t even have to be great, as long as the merchandise and concept take hold in kids’ minds. Ratatouille won an Oscar, but cookbooks and cooking tools aren’t exactly high-demand items. Don’t expect a Remy theme park or even a video game anytime soon.

It works like this, after the release of a movie — with the minimal amount of merchandise on hand — Disney looks at the audience response and the likelihood of the “property” being successful across all of their businesses. This is everything from apparel and toys and consumer packaged goods to books, food, breakfast cereals (note, these were NOT included in food), video games, spin-offs, television, DVD release, online properties, amusement parks, events, live shows on- or off-ice … and so forth until the cash registers ring eternal with your child as their golden instrument.

And, that’s what gets me most. I could handle the princess years easier if it were just entertainment; a few fairy tales, or a DVD on a rainy night and a one-time Halloween costume at most. It’s gone way past entertainment into a new kind of advertising scheme where the movie is just a sales tool, a great big entertaining commercial that fuels demand for merchandise — merchandise that fills every aisle of the store because the branded character is used as a shill on every shelf. There is no escape as the crush of marketing permeates even the most princess-proof home. And that, most of all, is a royal pain in the butt.

Stock Photo © Maureen Rigdon | Dreamstime.com

[This post was written by Beth Bader.]

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Reading, Writing, and Yoga
Pesticides Permeate Children's Pee »

Comments

  1. Sharon says

    March 18, 2008 at 9:36 pm

    Gah… I don’t have kids, but I taught theater for several years and found myself constantly controlling myself every time the little girls would want to dress up and play Disney princesses.

    Disney always bothered me because of the gender role stereotypes, but now I start thinking about the massive amounts of Disney merchandise that must be clogging up landfills.

    Reply
  2. Rebecca says

    March 19, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    I, too, want to keep all the princess toys, stories, and movies to a minimum for my daughter. However, this post got me thinking about my own childhood. I devoured these stories and even dressed up like a princess on occasion . . . yet I still turned out with my feminist aspirations intact. As I grew older, I questioned the messages in all these “a prince is going to rescue me from my miserable life” narratives. As a kid, I even rewrote some of these fairy tales, giving them a more progressive slant. So I think there is some hope for all those little princesses out there!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

Eco-Friendly Decorating: How Removable Wallpaper Can Reduce Waste

Plants Over Plastics! Repurpose Compostable Home Products

More from the archives!

Five ways Green Parenting Can Help Your Kids be Happier and Healthier

Hold the Tylenol: Does Acetaminophen Cause Childhood Asthma?

Reflections on 9/11

And the Winner Is Erin!

Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness

Convenient Plastic Container Free Dropps Laundry & Dishwashing Pods

cbd salve joy organics

CBD Products that Actually Deliver: Joy Organics

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy

Meditations on the First Real-Time Spanking Study

Monsanto supported GMO labeling in Europe after the fact

5 Green Gifts and Stocking Stuffers: Maddi & Dyl, Nature’s Path, Maty’s, Princeton Tec, YummyEarth

Perfect Book For Nature Days

Ditch the Teflon, Say Hello To Safe Cooking

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

Around the Green Parenting Web: Boycott Nestle to BPA Exposure

The Perfect Last minute gift: Courtesy of My Mom

Hank D and the Bee: Be Thankful..or Else!

Diet matters: Reducing meat by 35% is like switching from a SUV to a Prius

Autism and vaccines

Green Parent Round-Up (Formerly Known as Around the Green Parenting Web)

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.