DISNEY BABY TO DISNEY ADULT

Wri en by Carly Richards

Illustrated by Saxon Anderson

From its earliest days, the Walt Disney Company has claimed to be a family-orientated business. Walt Disney had a firm stance in making his products something that the whole family could enjoy together, especially his films and theme parks. Now, Disney marketing exists almost everywhere: merchandise, television, and even neighborhoods. So my question is: Is Disney marketing an important part of the milestones in our lives?

My answer to that question is a resounding yes. Disney marketing has become so integrated into our society that people are beginning to apply Disney marketing to some of the most important days of their lives. It is incredible that this company has such a tight grasp on people’s buying habits, emotional responses, and trust that millions around the globe are now declaring Disney as a part of their identities. “Disney Babies” and “Disney Adults” have become a large presence on social media. However, targeted Disney marketing has an enormous impact on the milestones throughout every phase of our lives: baby, tween, teen, adult, and elderly.

In “Babes in Tomorrowland: Walt Disney and the Making of the American Child,” the author refers to Walt Disney as a “colonizer of American culture” because of his groundbreaking impact. Once the American public knew the Walt Disney Company could be trusted, they allowed the company to slowly seep into every aspect of life. Disney is now involved in our lives from the moment we are born through their merchandise.

In 2011, Disney made a large marketing campaign focused on baby apparel and other baby-geared products. There is a noteworthy culture surrounding having Disney characters plastered on everything baby-related, from diaper bags to strollers. Disney has recognized that one of the first stuffed animals a child will ever receive will probably be Mickey Mouse or another Disney character. Thus, they sell baby versions of the Mickey Mouse stuffed animal that has “my first Mickey” written on the bottom of its foot. Toddlers become fond of these characters through seeing the smiling face of Winnie the Pooh on their onesie or the spunky face of Minnie Mouse on their soft blocks. Even though the toddlers may not know it yet, they are building trust with Disney to provide them with high quality products that bring them comfort and fun. These products are just the beginning of Disney grooming their next line of customers by first becoming consumers.

Disney also uses television to attract different age groups to their company. The first place this starts is with Disney Junior. The characters are from different backgrounds, races, and genders, spanning from pirates to princesses. Unlike Disney’s other forms of media, these characters talk simply and directly to the viewer. While its characters go on missions to find baking items or using talking tools to help fix something for a friendly neighbor, Disney Junior has a straightforward hybrid model of basic education (i.e. learning counting and ABCs) and morals (i.e. work ethic, friendship). Children can easily identify with the characters of one or more shows by their looks or personality and can easily understand their language. It is also easier to get children to learn this way because of its entertainment factor and relatability.

The Disney company continues to use television as a marketing tool as children transition from pre-school to grammar school and teenage years. Disney Channel was a great way to ensure that children maintained trust with Disney through this section of their life. Disney Channel has pumped out a multitude of television movies and series like Hannah Mon na, High School Musical, and Jesse. These shows guided tweens into believing in the Disney standard by presenting clean and wholesome teenagers to uphold as positive role models. The Disney Channel educated children through the themes of the shows and advertisements they presented for viewers to emotionally buy into Disney. The Disney Channel taught tweens their version of morality in an entertaining and comedic way—what is right and wrong, what unhealthy and healthy romantic relationships are like, how to interact with your parents, and so many more examples. These foundational lessons carry over far beyond tween years. Disney arguably has the biggest impact on Generation Z more so than any other generation because of Disney Channel’s immense popularity in the early 2000s.

The Walt Disney Company’s grasp for their teenage audience reaches beyond television into their theme parks. Over time, Disney realized that they needed to connect with their teenage audience in their parks to keep them interested and emotionally invested. In the 1990s, they started adding intellectual properties like Indiana Jones and S r Wars to their new theme park, Hollywood Studios. The original Star Tours attraction was a high-speed adventure in space with beloved characters from the S r Wars films, such as C-3PO and Darth Vader. This attraction was the first thrill attraction of its kind — a motion simulator. Disney’s next move was to add classic attractions like Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Expedition Everest. This tactic has worked so well because it speaks to the reckless spirit that most teens have as well as implementing characters that appeal to them.

Although all of these attempts to draw in teens were received very well, Disney still struggles to persuade teens away from their competitors, such as Universal and Six Flags. A recent attempt to draw in teen audiences reinstated Grad Nite at Disneyland last year. Grad Nite is an After Hours special ticketed event for high school seniors to celebrate their graduation in the theme parks.2 Disney is steadfast beside their customers in their journey of growing up, giving them plenty of reasons to splurge on this special occasion. At this point in life, Disney does not have to try to persuade its customers into buying their product. Disney simply has to reinforce that they will be there to celebrate these moments in order to keep the revenue flowing.

After high school, Disney is there to provide their consumer with the tools they need in their professional development through the Disney College Program. The Disney College Program is a semester-long internship, where a college student can work as a cast member at Walt Disney World. For many, it is a dream come true to be given the opportunity to work for Disney. Disney’s great advertising has made Walt Disney World appear to be an ideal work environment — with fun, great teamwork, and the ability to create magic for guests. However, the Disney College Program is an extremely lucrative operation that exploits college students’ dreams. Most of their interns’ paychecks go directly back to Disney because they are required to rent from Disney and typically use additional funds to buy theme park products while they are receiving cast member discounts. Despite the dark side of this program, Disney understands that they can do this because of the immense trust that has been built throughout their lives.

In fact, so much trust has been built with this company that many people book the “happiest place on earth” for the happiest day of their lives. In their television series that originally aired on ABC, Disney promised couples their fairytale wedding experience.

Baby marketing campaign in 2011, they made a Disney Baby email list that they gave out to moms at hospitals.4 Also, they encouraged new moms to post their Disney Baby products on Instagram to give other moms inspiration of what to buy for their own baby.5 Their ever-evolving product line is irresistibly adorable, including adult favorite characters like Grogu and the Hulk. Parents buy these items because it connects with their interests and it is funny to see their infant sporting these more adult characters on comfy t-shirts.

When exiting adulthood and entering the senior citizen category, Disney deploys a new tactic on their customer— nostalgia. Nostalgia is extremely useful in getting emotional and rash responses from people, which is a fantastic opportunity for Disney to upcharge on nostalgic products and experiences. As shown in “Changing Family Structures and Childhood Socialisation: A Study of Leisure Consumption,” the author argues there is now more of an expectation for grandparents to fund a Walt Disney World Vacation.6 Vacations connected to nostalgia were incredibly relevant while Walt Disney World was celebrating their 50th anniversary. Grandma and grandpa could celebrate this milestone with Disney by buying merchandise reminiscent of 1971 park-opening merchandise and posting lookalike photos on Facebook from their 1971 and 2021 vacations. Merchandise is a large part of being a Legacy Fan. On January 14, 2022, fans waited seven hours for the Figment Popcorn Bucket.7 When these products are sold out or hard to obtain, obsessive Disney fans turn to eBay scalpers or bizarre sellers. eBay products can range from one store having twelve Main Street Electrical

These magic-filled locations can vary from Disney Cruise Line to the Wedding Pavilion at the Grand Floridian to Aulani. These larger-than-life events come jam packed full of surprises and special experiences. There are some couples who have special concerts or private viewings of the fireworks. Many wedding parties choose to dress like their favorite characters or theme their wedding after a beloved Disney movie. In “Fractured Fairy Tales and Fragmented Markets,” the author discusses how Disney capitalizes on romance and relationships through their Disney Fairytale Wedding programming.3 Disney strives to provide the same princess ending for these brides that is presented in their films. They are making dreams come into reality, but also making large profits off of these extravagant ceremonies. Not only that, they are recording other couples’ experiences and broadcasting it on television to advertise this service. Then, carrying on with the cycle, Disney continues to target their consumers after the wedding is over through their baby merchandise.

The marketing for Disney Baby obviously goes beyond subliminal messaging for the babies themselves. At this stage, the Disney Adult sees Disney baby marketing from a parent’s perspective and the customer. Parents get to teach their own children how to foster a love for Disney. Because of Disney’s marketing genius, they make sure that they are right there to supply parents with everything they need to create the next generation of Disney fans. When Disney started their Disney

Parade Mickey Ears to a mason jar full of water from the recently closed attraction Splash Mountain.8 It is extremely easy to get people to buy anything that brings back fond Disney memories.

On July 17th, 1955, Walt Disney introduced the world to Disneyland by saying this: “To all that come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.”9 This opening statement is prophetic of what this company has become for millions around the globe. Especially over the past few years, we have all gone through what seems like the unimaginable. However, throughout all of these troubles, Disney has been a beacon of light for those even in the most detrimental situations. From “Let it Go” providing comfort to a young Ukrainian girl in a bomb shelter to Disney+ simply posting videos of the fireworks to watch during quarantine, they have been there for all of us. Yes, I can admit Disney can be shady in some of their practices and raise prices to absurd levels. Despite their weaknesses, I believe they have a much larger positive impact on people, including myself. As I transition from a “Disney Baby” to a “Disney Adult,” I appreciate the joy this company has brought me and the people around me. I may be a victim to the Disney marketing trap, but maybe I am more of a victim to the “ghost [that] follow[ed me] home” off the Haunted Mansion. I guess I will have to “hurry back” to find out g