Disney Store Celebrates World Wish Day!

Today marks the anniversary of a very special day 31 years ago when seven-year-old Chris Greicius' wish to be a police offer was granted by volunteers from several law-enforcement agencies.  This answered wish on April 29, 1980  inspired the creation of what is now one of the world’s leading children’s charities, the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Join us as we celebrate World Wish Day and donate up to five percent of $1 million in sales for today, which totals $50,000! Disney Store will also give $250 to each Make-A-Wish chapter and will give ten percent of the first day’s sales of each new store that opens in 2011. (More than 25 stores are scheduled to open in 2011!)

This morning Disney Store and the Make-A-Wish Foundation hosted a celebration for five Orange County and Inland Empire children and their families who visited the Mission Viejo Disney Store. The children and their families had a private meeting with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, officially opened the store to the public and each received a $100 shopping gift card!

President, Disney Store Worldwide Jim Fielding is a Make-A-Wish Foundation International Board Member and shares, "Disney Store is very happy to participate in wishes.  In the past we have had the honor of hosting several in-store shopping sprees where our enthusiastic Cast Members have had the privilege of participating in wishes. Our Cast Members have also participated in wishes in their community as volunteers."

How did you get involved with the Make-A-Wish foundation? 

Jim: I wanted to work with a charity that was focused on children and their families because that appeals to me personally and professionally. Once you participate in a wish, you are hooked! I love the simplicity and beauty of the Make A Wish vision and I love that it's a global organization. I was asked to be on the Board of Directors by the Foundation and The Walt Disney Company, because Disney is the largest granter of Children's wishes in the world.

And what a privilege it is! Happy World Wish Day, everyone! Please go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation website for more information about World Wish Day and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Pop!

___!Corn

Happy Earth Day: Retweet to Win Earth Day Goodies Signed By Disney Channel Stars!

Disney Store wishes you and yours a very Happy Earth Day! Take a swig of water out of your Earth Day Mickey Mouse Aluminum Water Bottle, don that Organic Earth Day Mickey Mickey Mouse Tee and swing that Earth Day Mickey Mouse Tote Bag over your shoulder because it's time to celebrate our beloved Earth! 

This year-Tweet tweet!- even the birds are celebrating with us! Follow us on Twitter @DisneyStore and retweet to win Earth Day goodies signed by your favorite  Disney Channel stars! You can find the rules here.

 

The Earth Day goodies include an Earth Day Mickey Mouse Aluminum Water Bottle, Earth Day Mickey Mouse Tote Bag, Earth Day Mickey Mouse Mug , and Organic Silhouette Mickey Mouse Tee signed by Disney Channel stars Debby Ryan, Hutch Dano, Olavo Cavalheiro, Allisyn Ashley Arm, Stephanie Scott, Kelsey Chow, Doug Brochu, Carlon Jeffery, Valeria Baroni, Ryan Ochoa, Sierra McCormick, Tiffany Thorton and Jason Earles at a recent Friends for Change event.

Earth Day is about inspiring awareness and appreciation for our natural environment and being socially responsible.  Visit the Disney Friends For Change: Project Green website to learn more, make a pledge and take action toward protecting and loving our Earth. Don't forget to visit Disney Store for your own Earth Day merchandise, too! Once you're done, make sure to take a stroll outdoors with loved ones and enjoy nature!

Earth Day Event at Disney Store!

Did you know?
Earth Day is celebrated in more than 175 countries
30% of amount of food is lost or wasted before reaching consumers
1 action is all it takes to make a difference

This Friday is Earth Day and it's time to start painting the town green! Start getting your green gear on by visiting us online or in stores for eco-friendly Disney Store Earth Day Products! Then join us at your nearest Disney Store and receive a FREE Reusable Shopping Bag on Friday, 4/22, when you bring in and recycle 5 plastic shopping bags! For our guests in Canada, please join Disney Store on April 23rd!

*Limit one bag per Guest, while supplies last. Event subject to change or cancellation without notice. Excludes Outlet locations. Call store for more details.

Sources: Earth Day Network, BSR

Oh Baby! Disney Store Launches Baby Apparel Made with Organic Cotton

What’s cute and cuddly and green all over? Our new line of Disney Store baby apparel made with organic cotton, of course! If you haven’t seen it yet, you will be coo-ing and aw-ing at our new spring/summer line that features adorable Minnie, Mickey and Pooh which launched online last Sunday and in stores yesterday!

To kick off Earth Week, I sat down with Associate Merchandise Manager for Softlines, Katie Byrnes, who enthusiastically walked me through the story of how Disney Store baby turned green! She also gave us a behind the scenes peek at one of the designs before it went into production!

Amy: Hi Katie, can you tell us about your involvement with the new baby line?
Katie: I am an associate merchant for our baby line. As an associate merchant I’m like a hub for our baby softlines products- I work with the visual, design, tech, production, allocation, planning teams and I touch everything from art concept and inspiration to making sure the product reaches stores. It isn't a one man show, we are really one big team! I work closely with Anna Weifenbach, Mgr, Merchandise Softlines – Accessories & Baby; Christie Fleischer, Director, Merchandising and all our creative partners to put together the best possible baby assortment for our guests.

A: How did the idea to use organic cotton for baby apparel come about?
K: The way organic cotton came about was the Company's initiative to reduce our carbon footprint. With the majority of the baby assortment offered in cotton, using organic cotton was a natural fit. After talking and planning with the team we were able to find organic cotton that is soft, has great hand feel and that feels great on a baby’s skin. Now, most of the cotton in our baby items in this line is organic cotton!

A: What is organic cotton and where does it come from?
K: Organic cotton is cotton grown by farmers using earth-friendly methods that preserve our planet's natural resources. The cotton is grown in certified organic fields without the use of chemicals and pesticides. 

A: Can you tell us more behind this spring/summer’s green line?
K: We have 3 character offerings in our spring/summer assortment:  Mickey playing with frogs, Minnie with butterflies and Winnie the Pooh. We created tiny tee coveralls, two-piece sets, stretchies, bodysuits, sleepwear, blankets and even a dress set with Minnie bloomers! You can literally dress your baby from head to toe in Disney Store baby product! What’s great is they all match and can be put together in different combinations as a gift.

Here's a sneak peek at the design of our Minnie dress and bloomers before it was constructed:

 

A: What kinds of things do you and the team think about when you create a new line for Baby?
K: I think about how to best serve our guests' needs- what will be comfortable on a baby, how it will look on the baby and, most importantly, how easy it will be to change a diaper! I want to ensure we offer an assortment that can be bundled together to make a great gift for a baby shower or bought as great essentials that every baby needs. I love adding unexpected details, too! For example, details like embroidered bumblebees on the back of the girls Pooh Bodysuit. It is really all these little touches and thoughts that go into ensuring we are offering the cutest product imaginable.

      

A: What is your favorite baby product to give to new Moms?
K: My favorite gift to give is a blanket with a pack of bodysuits and a stretchie!

A: What does organic mean to you personally?
K: Organic means reducing our carbon footprint to ensure we are preserving our natural resources. I believe moving towards organic and sustainable product is both socially responsible and the way of the future.

A: What has been your favorite part about being a merchant?
K: What is most exciting is seeing my vision in real life—seeing it in stores, then on a baby. It’s so rewarding to see someone wearing the product we created!

A: What is the future for Disney Store baby?
K:  We are always looking for new ways to be green.  We are looking at all our packaging to ensure we are being eco-conscious, too!  Organic is definitely the future of our baby products!

Isn't that the truth! Our earth's future begins with the little ones! Stroll (with baby) to your nearest Disney Store or hop onto DisneyStore.com to pick up these cute little eco-friendly outfits for your own bundle of joy or give them as gifts! Don't forget to look for the green circle sticker that says 'Organic Cotton'!

Second Limited Edition New York 9" Vinylmation Released In The Big City!

Today, in the City that Never Sleeps, guests will think they're dreaming. What's the big deal in the Big Apple, you ask? Today marks the release of our second Limited Edition New York 9" Vinylmation! This Limited Edition City Specific Vinylmation is exclusively sold at the Disney Store in Times Square and is not available on DisneyStore.com. Featuring our own Disney spin on the iconic 'I HEART NY' design, the second Limited Edition New York Vinylmation is what you get when you take two things you love-the excitement and inspiration of New York City and the magic of Disney-and put it together!

Marcella Lau, Senior Manager, Design and the artist behind the Limited Edition New York 9" Vinylmation (right), and Monique de Jesus, Associate Merchandise Manager of our City Specific products, sat down with me to answer a few questions about the Limited Edition New York Collectible:

Amy: Can you tell us a little bit about our city specific products and what makes the second Limited Edition New York Vinylmation so unique?
Monique: Sure! Our city specific products are products that are only available at a certain store location in a certain city. These products are made specifically to celebrate that city. Our Times Square store actually has the longest breadth of assortment of city specific products! The second Limited Edition New York Vinylmation is unique in that 1) It is the second city specific New York 9" Vinylmation created by Disney Store artists found only in our Times Square store and 2) There are only 1,540 of them. Why that number? 1540 is the address of our Disney Store in Times Square!

A: What was the inspiration behind the design and how does it reflect New York?
Monique: The 'I LOVE NY' design is very iconic to New York. We decided we wanted to use this iconic design and translate it over to Disney by putting the Mickey silhouette in place of the heart. The t-shirt idea was perfect because we already sell 'I MICKEY NY' t-shirts in our stores and the t-shirt is something that is also reflective of the city merchandise.

Marcella: Yes, we knew we definitely wanted to include 'I MICKEY NY' in the design and that's where my design started. From there, I also wanted to add something more interesting and not have the Vinylmation just be solid-colored Mickey wearing a t-shirt. I decided to use different colors and incorporate color blocking. You'll notice that the colors divide in surprising and not-so-obvious places. The 'I MICKEY NY' design is on the front and the back and colors split off so you can actually look at the Vinylmation from different angles and pose it in different ways to get a unique feel . It'll be interesting to see if people actually turn Mickey's head around. It really is like a puzzle in this way!

Amy: It's like a rubix cube!
Marcella: Yeah! It definitely is! 

Amy: Were there any challenges in designing this Vinylmation?
Marcella: This was the first Vinylmation I ever designed so it's very exciting that it is finally out in the store! I usually do two-dimensional designs so it was a challenge to think about the surfaces of all the sides of the Vinylmation, but I definitely didn't want to take an easy route! That's why I went for a more complex color blocking design rather than making Mickey one solid color.

Amy: What captures your heart about New York?
Monique: I love the busyness, the excitement, the sites to see, the eclectic mix of people. New York is not a place you can capture in one day or even in one trip- there is so much to be enamored with!

Amy: What can guests look forward to in the future with New York Vinylmation?
Marcella: When I design I like to think about whether or not I would want to buy what I am designing. With that in mind, I'm always thinking of new ways to challenge my design skills and keep the designs interesting for our guests! Keep your eyes open for more interesting designs!
Monique: And keep your eyes open for another New York Vinylmation to hit the Big City! ;)

And of course, what's a big release without a fun photo shoot in the office? Mickey politely volunteered to help out this time around!

Disney Day in Canada: Disney Store Opens Two New Stores in Vancouver and Toronto!

Did you hear the news? Disney Store simultaneously unlocked imagination to two new stores in Canada yesterday: one in Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, ON, and one in Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, BC! During the festivities, a live simulcast allowed both locations to celebrate together and see all the fun and magic happening in the other store!

At Square One a host of Disney Family Channel stars, including Azer Greco with mom Lauren Holly, helped us unlock imagination to the newly-designed store and special guest cast members from Wingin’ It and What’s Up Warthogs were also there. Celebrities from across television and music including Diego Gomes , winner of The Next Star, celebrated with guests, too!  More than 500 guests lined up to get free Mickey ears and watch the opening ceremony and live simulcast. In Metropolis, Family Channel stars Jessica Holmes and Sydney Imbeau were our special guests and more than 200 guests lined up to receive their free Mickey ears, watched the opening ceremony and live simulcast! Guests also had the opportunity to take pictures with Mickey & Minnie (Vancouver) and Rapunzel & Flynn (Toronto).  Thank you to all of our guests who came and celebrated the opening with us! Yesterday was one Disney Day  Canada is sure not to forget!

For more pictures from the simultaneous openings please go to our Facebook album by clicking here.

Disney Store Wins New Retail Frontier Bronze at Edison Awards

Disney Store celebrated its Bronze Award win in the New Retail Frontiers category at the 2011 Edison Best New Product Awards™ at the historic Capitale ballroom in New York last night! The distinguished award symbolizes the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison, and recognizes companies at the forefront of innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy. The ballot of nominees for the Edison Best New Product Awards™ is judged by roughly 2,000 members of the not-for-profit Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), an organization comprising America's top marketing professionals and academics. Disney Store was honored for its highly interactive and immersive new store design that delivers "the best 30 minutes of a child's day" to millions of guests around the world.

"Disney Store is proud of the success of our new store design, and it is an honor to be acknowledged at the Edison Awards in the company of such great visionaries," said Jim Fielding, President of Disney Stores Worldwide. "We are excited to represent The Walt Disney Company and serve as beacon of the brand."

As you may already know, Disney Store's new store design features many immersive experiences including a Disney Princess castle with magic mirror, Disney·Pixar Cars-branded Ridemakerz custom car building experience, and the Disney Store Theatre where guests can select and view a wide range of Disney entertainment. Each store has a custom skyline and a sparkling blue Pixie path that leads the guest through each storytelling "neighborhood."  

When was the last time you and your child waved a wand to say hello to Ariel or skipped down the blue Pixie path to build your own toy car? If you've never been to one of our newly-designed stores, we currently have 20 newly-designed stores open worldwide, including the largest store in North America in New York's Times Square. More than 25 new locations will be revealed this year, including locations in Canada, Puerto Rico, Belgium, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland!