When did Disney stop being the company for kids? I know it went from being a Mickey Mouse corporation to a media conglomerate years ago, but a piece in yesterday's New York Times explores Disney design that's stepped beyond the characters.
Today's Disney sells $3,900 wedding dresses with nary a mouse ear in sight, and $2,800 leather club chairs (at that price, there better not be a Pooh bear embossed anywhere). Their chandeliers go for somewhere in the $6K range. Some items keep the characters, but downplay them in favor of pure couture touches courtesy of the likes of Dolce and Gabana.
So what's the deal? Are Mom and Dad's pocketbooks too tapped out, forcing Disney to move on? Or is this simply the next step, an attempt to capture the rest of America?
There are only so many Tinkerbell towels and Cinderella sweatshirts America's adults can buy. I confess my own Disney wear is mostly limited to pajama time - I can't take myself seriously stepping out of the house with Pooh bear on my chest. The sole nod to a love of the bear of very little brain (hatched in my childhood when my mother read the A.A. Milne books to me) is a small silver fob on my keys, a present from my in-laws. The rest of the Disney love I leave to my princess-loving, Monsters Inc. quoting pre-schooler. Although I can't say I'll be dropping $2,800 on a chair (and my wedding dress days are long over), I'm not against the idea of a grown-up version of what our kids are sporting.
Sometimes we need a little love too.
Image: New York Times
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