I have friends who swear by on-line shopping, completing the
purchases on their entire Christmas list from the comfort of their own home. Not
me. I remain a loyal shop-‘til-you-drop, let me see it, touch it consumer –
especially if it’s located on the clearance rack.
I wonder if those who only shop on-line lose out on the “what
will they think of next?” experience. I’ve said that often as Christmas
merchandise has flooded the stores of Northeast Ohio. Who thinks up these new
products? Did you know that you could bless someone with a Chia Zombie this
Christmas? Just the ticket for my “Walking Dead” friends.
One intriguing gadget is the wireless selfie stick with
in-handle Bluetooth shutter control. Considering I can’t even figure out which
way to hold the phone to attempt a selfie, I don’t think I’m up for a wireless
selfie stick just yet.
While I didn’t see these in the big box stores yet, a radio
spot suggested I purchase matching pajamas for the entire family so we could be
appropriately dressed when we tear open our gifts on the morning of December
25. And to make the offer even more enticing, I can get matching pajamas for
Freckles and Nala, our granddogs. The sleepwear comes in a variety of styles,
including holiday stripe, deer, forest and Santa. On sale, they’d set me back
$420 plus shipping. That’s a family tradition we won’t be starting this year,
although the pictures would be classic.
It’s also obvious there are beaucoup bucks to be made in
branded merchandise, but how much is too much? One website boasted of 784
‘Frozen’ products. I dearly love Elsa and Anna from the movie Frozen, but I really
don’t need a Disney Frozen Olaf Waffle Maker – we use a toaster for frozen
waffles! Perfume, makeup, shoes, video games, and a glitter lamp – all available
in time for Christmas delight. I looked at a plastic Elsa cup that I thought
the lovely Madelyn Simone might enjoy, but its $10 price tag scared me off.
Come to find out, it provided a space for a snack and a drink, all in the same
container. What a deal.
Writing in “The Independent,” a British newspaper, Binyamen
Appelbaum provides background on Disney merchandising. “Disney characters have
been endorsing products since 1929, when Walt Disney put Mickey Mouse on a
writing tablet. But licensing, which began as a sideline, has become the main
event. In most years, Disney makes more money from selling branded movie merchandise
than from the actual movies.” Josh Silverstein, Disney’s VP for Global Licensing,
explains it this way: “We create products that extend the story-telling – the
emotional connection that the consumer has when they’re seeing the film carries
on in the three dimensional world.” What a precious sentiment.
He’s right, especially if the consumer is a four-year-old
girl or her smitten grandmother. And yes, I did buy Madelyn an Elsa dress, but
on hindsight, I wish I’d held out for the dress that lights up and sings. I am
pleased, however, that Madelyn owns one of the more than three million Frozen
dresses Disney has already sold in North America. That’s enough to outfit every
four-year-old girl on the continent.
When Madelyn and I pretend to be the Frozen girls, she
claims the role of Elsa and I’m relegated to Anna, who I happen to like better
than Elsa anyway. Plus, Anna gets to sing more songs. But I do draw the line at
wearing an Anna costume to the playground or the mall. But wait – maybe Frozen could
be our theme for Christmas morning. My husband Larry would be adorable as Olaf,
and the dogs could be Sven the reindeer.
But back to the shopping. What about the guys on my list?
The challenges of product licensing may help me get a bargain on a Browns
jersey, especially with a quarterback’s name printed on the back. What about Couch?
Holcomb? Quinn? Anderson? McCoy? Weeden? I knew I should have hedged my bets
and bought a reversible jersey with Hoyer on one side and Manziel on the other.
But it’s OK – there are still twelve shopping days until Christmas,
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