SHOPTALK : A Child’s Magic Kingdom Need Not Cost a Princely Sum : By avoiding some of the traditional outlets, you can lower the price of curing the worst case of Disney mania.
Ask any preschooler to tell you about his or her favorite Disney character and you’ll be amazed to hear a litany as long and complex as that of the Hapsburg Empire. Ask any parent of a preschooler about his or her child’s fascination with all things Mickey and you will be amazed to hear an adult speak in intimate terms about characters with names like Simba, Nala, Jasmine and Flounder. Disney mania has preschoolers in a frenzy for “character” toys, clothes, tapes, books and even underwear!
The Magic Kingdom does not come cheaply, however.
Especially when purchased from Disneyland or any of the Disney retail stores. So we’ve scoped out the sources with lower prices on all your favorite character gear. For holiday or birthday gifts for preschoolers, these Disney items can’t be beat.
First, let’s take a look at what hooks our kids on Disney mania: the movies. Classics like “Jungle Book” and “Peter Pan” are re-released only once every seven to 10 years and then made available for purchase for a short period of time.
Recently, Disney has had mega-hit after mega-hit with such new films as “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and this summer’s blockbuster, “The Lion King.”
We can purchase these films, when available, at the Disney Store for $19.99 or we can go to Price-Costco where the same videos are usually available for $14.99. (Attention shoppers, “Snow White” will be available Oct. 25 for a limited time.)
Price-Costco also has a great selection of Disney character play sets, which are like little theaters where your child can create stories with characters and scenes from different Disney movies. For $11.49 you get two play sets, with three characters in each, in play and carry cases. At the Disney Store, one of these play sets is $10. Another kid fave is the “Golden Sound Story Book.” These books are $12.99 at Price-Costco, $19.95 at the Disney Store. Disney Story Book Classics, which sell for $6.98, are $3.79 at Price-Costco.
Target is another great source for Disney at a discount. Clothing is especially plentiful here. Look for everything from “The Lion King” Velcro-closing sneakers ($12.99) to Princess Jasmine pant-sets for girls in poly-cotton ($13.98). And don’t underestimate the power of 101 Dalmatians underpants to toilet-train your toddler. Packs of three panties by Fruit of the Loom or Hanes are $5.99 at the Disney Store. At Target the same brands are $3.99.
Little girls love to play dress-up in frilly nightgowns that have Belle or Jasmine on the front. They’ll run $6.99 to $12.99 at Target. T-shirts are another popular item. At Target, most character Ts are 100% cotton and priced at $6.48. That’s compared to $10 to $14 at the Disney Store.
Target’s toy department had lots of fun Disney stuff too. We liked the set of seven (of course) Dwarfs for $8.69 and the Beauty and the Beast Play-Doh Playset for $9.97.
At Sav-on we found more of the coveted items. There’s bubble bath in character-shaped containers for around $6. Winnie the Pooh shampoo is $3.99. And of course lunch boxes by Aladdin Industries with Mickey, Minnie, Snow White, Aladdin and Belle for $6.29.
There are a few things that are better purchased at the Disney Store. For example, we’d rather spend $16 on a cotton sweat shirt than $9.88 for the poly-cotton one at Target. The stuffed animals also seem closer to character at the Disney Store than do the Mattel versions at Target. But this is something that might matter more to us grown-ups than your own little character at home.