Strollerderby : mickey mouse

Finish Line - Blame Daycare

Brett Singer — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:00:00 GMT

Holiday weekend -- whoo-hoo! But before you start grilling, here's a sampling of what happened here on the 'Derby this week.

Guess what? Not can we blame bad behavior on the mother, we can also blame it on day care! Madeline told us all about it in They Say: Moms, It's Still Your Fault. Well, Yours and Daycare.
Jeanne gave us a head-scratcher with Class Rings for Your Pre-Schooler? Heck, we don't even do trophies for my fantasy football league. And that's, like, important.
Shannon told us about a phenomenon that I wouldn't have predicted -- Economy Down, Adoptions Up.
Sunny told us 5 Ways Jon and Kate Are Not Like Us. I'd like to add a sixth -- we're not INSANE.
Amy told us that The Voice of Mickey Mouse is Silenced. Wayne Allwine died at age 62; he was only the third person to ever provide a voice for the world's most famous rodent.
And Shannon and I discussed adoption, gay marriage, and why legalizing gay marriage won't help same-sex couples with some of their adoption issues in this week's Babble Talk Radio.

Happy Memorial Day!

The Voice of Mickey Mouse is Silenced

Amy Kuras — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:01:00 GMT

Rest in peace, Mickey Mouse. No, the little animated Disney icon isn’t being killed off – but Wayne Allwine, the man who gave him his voice for the last 32 years, died Monday of complications from diabetes. He was 62.

He was only the third person to voice Mickey, the other two being Walt Disney himself and Jimmy McDonald, who was Allwine’s mentor and chose him to continue the tradition.

He can be heard on “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” daily on Disney Channel, along with his wife, Russi Taylor, who is the voice of Minnie. Yes, Mickey and Minnie were married in real life, for 20 years. Pretty much anything Mickey since 1977 had Allwine’s voice behind it, including the theme parks, movies, and TV shows.

According to the Associated Press, “Roy E. Disney, director emeritus for The Walt Disney Co., said Allwine did more than give Mickey a voice. He "gave him a heart and soul as well."

"He did an incredible job of bringing emotion, humor and appeal to the character, and superbly carried on the tradition originated by my Uncle Walt, and later by sound-effects wizard Jimmy Macdonald."

Allwine is also survived by five children from a previous marriage: Erin, Alison, Peter, Christopher and Joshua.

Hannah Montana's Gone Fruity

JeanneSager — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:16:00 GMT

I'm all for a brand using its sway with kids for good, but do we really need Hannah Montana bananas?

What about Mickey Mouse apples? High School Musical avocados?

Disney has gotten healthy to face the childhood obesity crisis head on, cutting ties with McDonald's (you'll notice there are no Disneyfied happy meals on your summer road trip this year) and slapping giant mouse ears on good, wholesome fare.

So, is it working? According to a look by the Washington Post, yes. When supermarket chain Winn-Dixie linked its bagged apples to High School Musical, sales spiked by forty-seven percent. The Disney Garden line is now appearing in eighteen of the top twenty mass and grocery retailers in the states, and sales grew seventy percent from 2007 to 2008.

I can admit I've fallen victim. My daughter needed a grab and go snack, and she saw Mickey apple slices on the shelves. She asked because they were Mickey. I bought because they were apples. With the same characters in a different aisle on sugar-packed "fruit" snacks, the real thing worked for me. We've also been known to pick up Princess soup because she begged for princesses, and my first introduction to Hannah Montana came in the supermarket when my daughter started shrieking about the pop star on her yogurt. Again, yogurt, much better than potato chips! Trust me - their branding is working on my impressionable three-year-old.

But I'm not sure how I feel about Disney selling health food to my kid. Is it better than peddling the junk? Sure. But does it have to be either or? I shy away from Sesame Street's organic pasta and breastfast offerings too, because as much as we all love Cookie Monster, he's not making me feel better about a processed box of waffles. And I'm not ready for the forecasted Mickey whole wheat chicken nuggets to replace the homemade version I make and freeze in my own kitchen.

Frankly, I'd prefer my kid make her food choices based on things like "amount of whole grains included" or "no trans-fats." I'd like to think she'd pick up an apple because we live in New York and have raised her on some of the nation's best apples, not because there's a cartoon character stamped on the flesh. Ditto avocados. They're fantastically flavorful and you can't have guacamole (yum) withouth them - so do we really need Zac Efron's mug to get them in my cart and on her plate?

Disney is such a powerful brand, I'm happy to see it inching back from the heart attack on a plate foodstuffs its traditionally backed. For parents who have had to measure just buying a requested item over the tantrum in the middle of the supermarket, it's definitely good news. Trust me, been there, heard the screeching. But I can't help wishing food would just go back to being food, no Hannah Montana, no Elmo, no Mickey. It's why I've fought the organic branding too.

Because in fifteen years, she won't be picking food because it has her favorite superhero printed on the front of the bag. She'll just have to go with her gut, and I'd like to think it's one filled with healthy choices.

Image: Washington Post

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Disney: Not Your Kids' Company Anymore

JeanneSager — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:59:00 GMT

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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Would you Spend $50,000 on Pooh?

The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters

Cole Gamble — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:00:00 GMT

In the Twentieth Century a man named Walt Disney created a magical fantasy land for children and adults alike to escape to. It was a place where boys could fly, as could elephants and a little mouse becomes a sorcerer. The world of Disney was completely tethered to our quotidian natural of regular life, um except for all the racism.

# 9 The Crows from Dumbo

Okay, they are black birds; they talk jivey and don’t like to do much work. That doesn’t mean they’re African American stereotypes. You’re reading too much into things. Oh, the lead crow is named “Jim Crow?” Oh forget it.

#8 The Indians from Peter Pan

One thing you can say for good old Walt, he spread the racism around. When Disney asked his animators to illustrate the Native Americans, he must have taken away all of their colors except Magenta. Just in case you didn’t know, “Injuns” are beet red.

But it doesn’t end there. “Red man, why are you so red?”, asks one boy. “Why do you say ‘how!’” asks another. “Well kid,” the man should have said, “there are not a lot of good parts in Hollywood for people like me.”

# 7 The Fish of The Little Mermaid

You think I’m gonna hammer on Sebastian and his Jamaican flavored antics. No, he’s kind of in that category with Jar Jar Binks, no so much offensive to a race as just offensive to humanity. But here I want to show you a couple of the supporting characters.

Who cares about supposed penises drawn into the towers, this stuff is right out in the open.

Want the rest? Click here.

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What Exactly Is the "Disney Look"?

Kelly Mills — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:01:00 GMT

A guy in South Florida is suing Disney World for employment discrimination. The trumpet performance junior at the University of South Florida decided to take Mr. Mouse and Co. to court after he applied for a trumpet player position and was told by a supervisor that while he was totally qualified for the job, he did not have the "Disney look" and wouldn't be hired. Which has to make you wonder--what exactly is the Disney look?

Well, I can tell you what it isn't, according to the hiring guy: You can't look like a Sikh. And that's exactly what the prospective horn player is, and he has the turban and beard required by his religion. His lawyers add they have a witness who heard the supervisor tell the applicant he didn't fit the Disney image, and that it was clear the reference was to the beard and turban. One of the lawyers said, "If Disney is regarded as an iconic American company, what is an American supposed to look like?" I guess something more along the lines of Snow White.

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Strollerderby Playdate: Talkin' Trash

Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:02:00 GMT

Nothing says Strollerderby like talking smack bright and early on a Tuesday morning. Plunk yourself down and click away to have your complaints verified and -- why not join the party? -- feel free to add what you're bitching about to the comments. We love to know that you, (*cough*) gentle readers, are as crabby about stuff like cartoons characters and tunics as these folks:

about Britney, hosted by Her Bad Mother, who I would give a lot of money or martinis or whatever to see all dolled up in the satin-and-fishnet skank outfit in her psychic closet (albeit figurative).

about Yuppie Scum, started by Mom-101, who may be feeling a wee bit too yuppie for her own peace of mind these days. Feel free to ponder it with her over some Three Citrus Chutney and nanny talk.

about OJ, sexual harassment training and Mickey Mouse, with digs provided by Creative-Type Dad, not because these three things go together but because he is a bitter, bitter man. (I'm kidding. He's usually only bitter on the weekends).

about baby-bumpifying fall fashions that Arkie Mama says are just not fair. And as a matter of fact, neither is the absence of post-partum ass ginormity on celebrities with new babies. Holla.

Working at Disneyland: Not Just a Job, An Adventure

JasonAvant — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 15:20:00 GMT

According to my calculations, based on age, time spent living and/or visiting California, I've been to Disneyland no fewer than 35 times. Add up the ticket prices for myself (and now my family), factor in inflation, and throw in several hundred pounds of churros and Mouskapops, the total amount of cash that I've either spent or had spent for me would equal the gross national product of Djibouti. I used to love going; these days, I'm decidedly less enthusiastic about The Mouse.

That said, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the poor bastards who don the costumes and head out onto the mean streets of Fantasyland to greet the kiddies. Having working at a fairly well-known aquarium for a few years, I've seen firsthand the abuse that costumed employees take - at the end of the day, the guy that dressed up like Shamu frequently looked like the loser of a UFC match. So this article, detailing the punishment inflicted upon Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and the rest, really didn't surprise me. According to the story, over a third of the 1,900 actors and actress who work as Disney characters have suffered some sort of injury while working. Sadly, one employee died on the job, crushed by a parade float. (Disney was fined $6,300, which is about what Disney CEO Robert Iger made in the time it took you to read this sentence. Ok. I'm exaggerating. NOW he made $6,300.) In an attempt to reduce hazards to their employees, Disney has solicited NASA engineers to help them design safer costumes. Of course, it goes without saying that parents should also keep an eye on their kids - as the picture to the right illustrates, it's only a matter of time before Mickey exacts his revenge.

YouTube: New School Mickey

Patti — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 23:58:00 GMT

British artist Matthew Cruickshank is sharing a special project: a modernized take on Mickey Mouse. Drawn in Neo-comic style, Mickey goes on an interstellar adventure to the gently bubbling soundtrack of Aphex Twin. You can read a bit more about it at Cruickshanks' blog.

(via boingboing)