Poor Bolt - Unknown at the Parks

[inkkognito]

I got a Bolt plush on our Disney cruise this past week and want to get a Mittens. No go at the Downtown Disney toy store, so I tried Magic Kingdom today. Not only did they not have him (checked the Emporium and various other places), but the clerk I asked literally had no idea who/what Bolt was! None! Just started at me with a blank face like I was asking if they had moon rocks from planet Neptune.

Tried again at the store at TTC on our way out and was met with the same blank stare. Finally I said, "The dog movie" and they either knew what I meant or figured they should fake it. No Bolt or Mittens there either. I'm going to try again at DHS tonight. Maybe they'll at least know the movie since the characters appear there for photos, but I'm not betting on it.

I swear, Bolt is going to be one of the most underrated Disney movies of all time. A pity too since it's a really good, sweet movie and Mittens and the other cats have all the best lines.

 

[bradk]

it's that way for many CMs (not all!), they're employed by disney, but not necessarily fans thereof.

i had the same problem calling the switchboard to find out what time the sets were. all i got was 'who?' ... 'bolt?' ... and after putting me on hold for 5 minutes she came back and said 'bolt? you want to know the show times at the movie theater?'

it was even worse when i was trying to track down darby. the CMs actually wanted me to explain to them who she was over and over before they'd find out the info.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I don't know about the parks, but I can tell you that at The Disney Stores, we do carry some Bolt merchandise, including plush of Bolt, Mittens and Rhino. However, there is a good chance that they maybe sold out. As of Saturday when I worked, my store had only Mittens and a few Bolts, but not Rhino's.

Good luck!

 

[bradk]

there may not be any theme park merchandise for it. disney store and DCL are completely separate lines of merchandise. while WDW does sell some non-theme park merchandise, it's still entirely possible that there's nothing bolt related being sold. which is a bit odd in one respect, since pixar stuff is sold all over.. but i digress.

 

[bensonmum]

It's a real shame you're having so much difficulty finding Bolt! merchandise. IMO, it's probably the best and funniest non-Pixar animated Disney movie I've seen in a long, long time.

 

[glitterkittyy]

They have him at DHS. It's in the store where all of the Christmas hats are displayed...the name escapes me right now. But anyway, they have a whole Bolt display there!

 

[Matt'sMom]

I was at WDW the first week in December. And when I could not find any Bolt plushies, even at DHS, I asked a clerk in one of the shops near the Animation Tour. She told me that they HAD Bolt merchandise, but the movie is so popular that they actually sold out of all their Bolt related merchandise c. two weeks earlier. Got the same story when I asked the gal at the check-out in the plush room at World of Disney. The only merchandise I found in all of WDW were a few trading pins (in the MK & at resorts), and those were few and far between. You can currently meet the Bolt and Mittens characters in the Animation building... if you are willing to brave the long lines.

So, it is not that Bolt is under appreciated--rather he is very popular right now . WDW seriously underestimated the demand, and did not stock up on sufficient merchandise before the movie opened. They sold out throughout the parks in short order, and are unfortunately experiencing a lag time in getting more Bolt merchandise in to restock the shops. At least that is the story I was told by multiple CMs who seemed to know what they were talking about.

-------------------------

Glitterkittyy - That is good to know, for those who are onsite now... or will be traveling there soon. I am sorry I missed out, but at least it sounds like WDW is starting to get some Bolt stock back on the shelves again.

 

[luvsJack]

DD got a plush Bolt over Thanksgiving in DHS. That day at least, they only had Bolt and not the other characters.

 

[inkkognito]

We're going to DHS tonight for photos with the Bolt characters. I knew they had the toys somewhere at WDW at some point because the Bolt plush from the ships has a Disney Parks tag. He is sooooo cute! I'm actually lukewarm on Rhino (I know, I know, everybody loves him but for me fanboys are a waaaay overdone stereotype these days...well, except Buddy/Syndrome, who will always be my fave), but I MUST have Mittens to go with my Bolt.

 

[elt0307]

I'm glad to hear Bolt merchandise is MIA because its popular and not because it's underappreciated. I saw the movie over Thanksgiving and LOVED it - I agree with the previous poster that it is one of the best animated films I have seen in awhile. Can't wait until it comes out on DVD!

 

[GraceLovesWDW]

Who is Bolt?

Sorry! I kinda prove your point, huh?

 

[estherhead]

We tried to find a Mittens as well at the WDW parks last week to no avail. We also tried to find a Mittens pin and no luck. We did get our photo taken with them but it would have been nice to actually buy a Mittens pin or plushie. And, yes, we tried all the parks & DTD.

 

[wendyinaustin]

I know it's not the same as buying it in the parks but they have a really big Bolt at the Disney store near me. It's right next to the huge wall of WALL-E toys they just put out 6 months after the movie was released at the theaters. It seems like Disney gears the merchandise release more for the DVD debuts than when the movie is released. I went to the Disney store the week before Camp Rock premiered to buy my DD pjs for her camp rock sleepover party. The clerk told me they had tons of Camp Rock stuff in the back but were instructed not to put it on the shelves until the Saturday after the premiere. I ended up buying them at Target instead - and they were cheaper there. I'm not a marketing pro but I think Disney sometimes misses the boat on the merchandise thing.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

My grampa was standing in line with DS for the Bolt meet-n-greet. He was talking to a friend of his on the phone saying that he had no idea what he was standing in line for, and he thought Bolt was some sort of astronaut guy like Buzz. Another grampa in the line had no idea, either. One of the moms in line told both grampas that Bolt was a dog. DS didn't really know, either, but he likes all the characters.

 

[Magalex]

Gee I hope the meet and greets with Bolt are still around in the summer. LOVE that movie. My DH thinks Rhino is "AWESOME". I would love to have a family photo with those characters. We(myself, DH and DS 8) all enjoyed the movie

 

[inkkognito]

Well, we got our Bolt pics. taken tonight (and no luck with finding a plush Mittens). If you get a chance, see Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino. They are a riot! I brought my little plush Bolt with me and they made a big fuss over him. Bolt and Rhino were fighting over him, and Mittens had to step in. I'll post the pics. when hubby scans them or takes some off our camera (we bought some Photopass printouts as well as our own camera shots). Then we saw the Incredibles, and Mrs. Incredible was in love with my Bolt and was telling Mr. Incredible through gestures that she wants a puppy for Christmas. Hilarious!

Disney truly did miss the merchandising boat on this one. People were amazed to see someone with a Bolt toy and commenting that they wanted to buy one if only they could find it...sadly, all I could do was tell them to take a Disney cruise as that's where I got mine. One little girl in Brown Derby really loved him...wish I could have given him to her, but I knew my chances of getting a replacement would be slim to none. I think I'm just going to order Mittens online.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I know it's not the same as buying it in the parks but they have a really big Bolt at the Disney store near me. It's right next to the huge wall of WALL-E toys they just put out 6 months after the movie was released at the theaters. It seems like Disney gears the merchandise release more for the DVD debuts than when the movie is released. I went to the Disney store the week before Camp Rock premiered to buy my DD pjs for her camp rock sleepover party. The clerk told me they had tons of Camp Rock stuff in the back but were instructed not to put it on the shelves until the Saturday after the premiere. I ended up buying them at Target instead - and they were cheaper there. I'm not a marketing pro but I think Disney sometimes misses the boat on the merchandise thing.

The Disney Stores did have the WALL-E merchandise when the movie was released back in June, however we couldn't keep it on the shelves. So many people were buying WALL-E merchandise, supply wasn't keeping up with demand at the time.

Disney is brilliant when it comes to marketing (I do have some marketing experience) because they market their movies twice - once when it's released in the theaters and once when it's released on DVD. Now that WALL-E has a firm fan base, it makes sense to sell more merchandise now. Plus, guests are more likely to spend money now on toys since it is holiday time moreso than what they would have back in June.

I understand that buying something at the Disney Store may not be the same as buying it WDW, however for some guests, we are as close as they will get to WDW. Many of our guests love Disney but can't afford a trip to the parks so we as Cast Members are more than happy to help bring the magic to them.

 

[Princess Pudding Pop]

I couldve swore we seen a Mittens doll. My dd never seen the movie just commercials just LOVED mittens when she got to meet her/him?

I thought she found a doll in DHS and latched onto it and I had to pry it out of her deathgrip hands.

The store on the corner, same side of the street as the stroller rentals

 

[wendyinaustin]

The Disney Stores did have the WALL-E merchandise when the movie was released back in June, however we couldn't keep it on the shelves. So many people were buying WALL-E merchandise, supply wasn't keeping up with demand at the time.

Disney is brilliant when it comes to marketing (I do have some marketing experience) because they market their movies twice - once when it's released in the theaters and once when it's released on DVD. Now that WALL-E has a firm fan base, it makes sense to sell more merchandise now. Plus, guests are more likely to spend money now on toys since it is holiday time moreso than what they would have back in June.

I understand that buying something at the Disney Store may not be the same as buying it WDW, however for some guests, we are as close as they will get to WDW. Many of our guests love Disney but can't afford a trip to the parks so we as Cast Members are more than happy to help bring the magic to them.

The ONLY WALL-E merchandise at the Austin, TX store in June and July were 3 different t-shirts and a 18" tall WALL-E robot. They didn't sell out, they just didn't have any more items and my kids were ready to buy some stuff after seeing the movie. Now, they have an entire wall of merchandise that is heavily discounted.
We were at Disney right after they released HSM and I was shocked at how little merch they had. Maybe they just underestimated how fast it would take off but that doesn't seem like Disney's style.
We love the Disney store but sadly, the other 2 stores have closed here in Austin. With the HUGE amount of inventory I saw yesterday and today at the Disney store at 50% off, I worry that this location will be closing soon too. We will be so sad not to be able to shop there every week because we think of it as our own little WDW gift shop down the street.

 

[wendyinaustin]

Well, we got our Bolt pics. taken tonight (and no luck with finding a plush Mittens). If you get a chance, see Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino. They are a riot! I brought my little plush Bolt with me and they made a big fuss over him. Bolt and Rhino were fighting over him, and Mittens had to step in. I'll post the pics. when hubby scans them or takes some off our camera (we bought some Photopass printouts as well as our own camera shots). Then we saw the Incredibles, and Mrs. Incredible was in love with my Bolt and was telling Mr. Incredible through gestures that she wants a puppy for Christmas. Hilarious!

Disney truly did miss the merchandising boat on this one. People were amazed to see someone with a Bolt toy and commenting that they wanted to buy one if only they could find it...sadly, all I could do was tell them to take a Disney cruise as that's where I got mine. One little girl in Brown Derby really loved him...wish I could have given him to her, but I knew my chances of getting a replacement would be slim to none. I think I'm just going to order Mittens online.

I can't wait to see your pictures! I hope we can see Bolt next weekend!

I agree about Disney missing the merchandising boat with the movie release. I think it is totally weird that you are at WDW and can't get a Mittens but they have a truckload here at Target! Someone needs to order a big boat of Mittens and head 'em over to the MK on a boat from China! Again, they have one little stand of BOLT merchandise at the Disney store- I would have put out more stuff. Heck, they have more merch at Target! The pattern seems to be wait until the DVD release....