We had a great trip over all but Disney sure killed some of the magic :(

[Ancient Purple]

I believe the the OP has a point--Disneyland should keep up with the classics--there aren't that many options for boys for Classic Disney movies. I would have assumed it would be available--Peter Pan's Flight is one of the most popular rides at DL. What a bummer.
Kerri

To what extent, though?

Despite our desires for a perfect vacation at a wonderful amusement park, Disney is still, at its core, a capitalistic enterprise that is in business to generate profits and provide lucrative returns to its shareholders.

If a product is not selling and generating a profit, Disney would be doing itself a great disservice by ordering and stocking such and item.

I am sorry the OP and family were disappointed by the lack of Peter Pan hats, but it is a bit hyperbolic to suggest that some of the magic was "killed."

Life is filled with disappointments. One can either allow those disappointments to control them or one can accept that life is not perfect and move on.

For myself, I was looking for a particular Goofy item and it was sold out. Yes, I was disappointed. So, I went to the Corn Dog Wagon on Main Street, had a corn dog and a soda, rode Star Tours and Astroblasters and then had a Churro.

The disappointment evaporated in record time.

 

[Pesky]

You can also follow up with a written letter (snail mail -- gasp!) to Disney -- I'd pull the address off their corporate filings at www.sec.gov (upper right, type in Disney and look for an 8-K, 10-Q or 10-K) and address it to Disney Merchandising. Sorry your grandson had a disappointment and kind of a strange merchandising choice to get rid of that hat.

 

[dizneekrazee]

My two cents - being disappointed is not the same as Disney killed the magic.

I think your poor choice of words garnered the responses you got. Had you said you were disappointed and your grandson crushed, everybody would have understood. But to blame Disney for your mistake (promising something you weren't 100% sure you could follow through with) is not right. Hopefully a good lesson learned for all of us - don't assume Disney will have something and don't promise something you don't have.

And I'll venture to say, while I do think Peter Pan is a popular character and I would love to see more of his stuff out, I think the Cars stuff has taken over for the boys. I hope at some point they'll be able to offer both options to boys.

I have to add, once at DLR for the Halloween holiday, I bought some items for Christmas (decorations). One of which was an advent calendar. When it came time to actually use it, I realized not all of the pieces were there (1 or 2 were missing). I called DLR merchandise line, and after a long wait, the CM came back and told me the resort was completely sold out. Was I bummed? Of course. Did it kill the magic? Of course not. I made the best of it, made myself some new pieces, and still use the calendar every year.

Just a thought, I believe you mentioned your DD made his costume correct? Can she attempt to make him a hat as well? I am sure there are patterns sold at craft stores or online.

And who knows, maybe there was a legitimate reasonthe hat is not sold. Maybe, with the re-release of Peter Pan movie in February, they are making all new, cooler, Peter Pan stuff for the parks.

 

[DisneyMommy403]

If MY daughter was so excited to get something to find that it was no longer available... I'd be crushed seeing her little sad face. It's hard to explain to your kids that the store doesn't have something that they would normally have. So I understand the disappointment there.

As far as the Peter Pan hat goes... I am almost 100% certain it will make a come back. Think about it... the Peter Pan blu ray is being released in Jan or Feb of 2013... when they released Cinderella last month, they made tons of Cinderella merchandise available, I bet they'll do the same for Peter Pan. he may have to wait a month or so more, but I think you may be able to make a purchase from the Disney Store for a new hat in the months to come.

 

[Jkpark]

We bought the PP hat a couple years ago and recently brought it along to WDW. MANY people stopped us to ask about the hat and even CMs were commenting that they wished it was still available there. I was very surprised it was discontinued. Then again, I still look for chocolate almond bark at the parks every visit even though they stopped selling it years ago...

 

[lurpee]

To what extent, though?

Despite our desires for a perfect vacation at a wonderful amusement park, Disney is still, at its core, a capitalistic enterprise that is in business to generate profits and provide lucrative returns to its shareholders.

If a product is not selling and generating a profit, Disney would be doing itself a great disservice by ordering and stocking such and item.


One can either allow those disappointments to control them or one can accept that life is not perfect and move on.

To the extent that they keep the classics. I'm not saying Mowgli's loin cloth needs to be represented but I think it is reasonable to expect that Walt's movies are always represented when possible in each type of store. The Mad Hatter, the pins, the plush etc. Of course people have brought up that PP is being re-released next year so it's probably a marketing thing. And remember, one CM saying they weren't selling goes against the other CM's who said people ask for them all the time.

 

[AwkwardTurtle]

I heard from a cast member at the Mad Hatter on Main Street that there was a supplier issue regarding the hats, and that Disney was trying to find a new place to get them from. They apparently haven't carried them in more than a year though.

 

[bumbershoot]

She said it was not sold ANYWHERE in the park anymore.

I read the whole thread and know that this has been reported for up to a year. BUT don't always trust a CM who says something like that.

I'd been looking to replace a broken musket for DS for the last few visits. I hadn't seen one in ages. We finally found some at the Paradise Pier giftshop last month, bought a working one, and had it sent to DLH for pickup the next day. When we got it, it was broken. Those things are delicate.

Went back to PPH, it was gone. Went to World of Disney, gone. The wonderful CM there called several shops throughout the resort for me (it was Columbus Day Monday, we were checking out that day, and I really had NO interest in going to the parks for a fruitless search, which he totally understood), and until the last one, was told they hadn't had them in a LONG time. Which matched my experience.

After a long and convoluted story, it turns out that the Pirate's League has been snagging them, and they have a TON. NO ONE knew this at all, until the CM chanced upon someone that works at PL while calling around. I was told, flat out, by several CMs that they were gone, had been gone, and they had NO idea when or if they would be coming back.

They were wrong!

I think using CAPS in your posts in a thread like this one where you have felt "Disney sure killed some of the magic" is what makes me think you are angry.

The occasional word or two in caps doesn't always mean anger. Sometimes it means you don't want to do the code or click the buttons for bold or italics.

If anyone else is interested in trying to save the Peter Pan hat tradition. I found the page to comment on. There is a drop down on the subject where you can choose Disneyland merchandise. Not sure if it will make a difference but it might.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/help/email/

Good for you!

I believe the the OP has a point--Disneyland should keep up with the classics--there aren't that many options for boys for Classic Disney movies. I would have assumed it would be available--Peter Pan's Flight is one of the most popular rides at DL. What a bummer.
Kerri

I agree.

And I'll venture to say, while I do think Peter Pan is a popular character and I would love to see more of his stuff out, I think the Cars stuff has taken over for the boys. I hope at some point they'll be able to offer both options to boys.

Easy to dress as a boy.

Harder to dress as a *car*. We love Cars around here, but my son has never once wanted to wear something Cars related, because there's no way to turn him into a car.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Easy to dress as a boy.

Harder to dress as a *car*. We love Cars around here, but my son has never once wanted to wear something Cars related, because there's no way to turn him into a car.

I agree, although my DS loves all of his Cars clothes (and has quite the collection) and was even the Lightning McQueen race care driver for Halloween. But my point was more that I think Cars has become the new (although possibly temporary) focus for "boys" merchandising.

 

[ImNoPrince]

Cars definitely seems to be the boy thing now. I wish Disney would push their classic characters more. Maybe it's just that I'm getting old.

Here's hoping Peter Pan makes a great comeback, hat and all! I will, however, be completely miffed if they "update" him the way they did their princesses recently. I can't stand the new look. Poor little DD still doesn't recognize the new Aurora!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Like Bumbershoot, I have had frustrating experiences with CMs being wrong about merchandise. Disney is famous for many things, but good CM communication within the parks isn't one of them. One store may have an item and another store will think the item is sold out or doesn't exist. My most recent experience with this was at Off the Page, where a CM actually lectured me about an item which he absolutely knew was not available. What he didn't know was that I had bought that item earlier at another shop in DCA and was just looking for one more. No one CM can know everything, but experiences like this have taught me to double check what CMs tell me.

Also, Awkward Turtle's info about supplier problems makes sense to me. This wouldn't be the first time that Disney has had issues with suppliers, so I would keep my ears open for info when the hat reappears in the parks.

 

[LizzyS]

All due respect, it was your own expectations and assumptions that killed the magic, not Disney.

Definitely.

You cannot assume they will ALWAYS carry the same products in the park.

The best thing you could have done would have been to buy him one online before the trip.

It really didn't occur to you that they might not carry them anymore?

If something starts slipping in sales, businesses replace them with items that WILL sell. That's just business.

 

[StyledSugar]

While I agree that you can't expect Disney to carry all things, all the time, I do agree that them taking out something so traditional is just plain wrong. Disney needs to keep those iconic symbols in the park and that includes the merchandise. It's very disappointing indeed.

 

[juliebug1997]

To compare them no longer carrying/making the Peter Pan hat to no longer carrying/making the mouse ears is a little outrageous. Don't get me wrong, I love Peter Pan too--our favorite ride every time we go to the World (we didn't get to ride it at the Land), but I wouldn't call it iconic and a must get for every visitor.

I'm one of those people that comes back with a ton of stuff from my Disney vacation because I'm always worried that I'm not going to be able to get it when we go back. Case in point: we were at WDW last November and I saw an Up themed shirt where the balloons were carrying away the castle. DH said that we should get them when we come back in a couple of months, but I pressed for them. Sure enough, they were gone by the time we got back, but at least we had them.

 

[firefly87]

Definitely.

You cannot assume they will ALWAYS carry the same products in the park.

The best thing you could have done would have been to buy him one online before the trip.

It really didn't occur to you that they might not carry them anymore?

If something starts slipping in sales, businesses replace them with items that WILL sell. That's just business.

Wow. So if DL has carried Peter Pan hats since the 60's and suddenly they stop, where in that equation would you stop and think ahead of time, I better call and make sure they still have them since they've had them for 50 years and maybe this is the the year they stop. Granted, I totally get that every product cant be carried and stocked all the time. But come on! It's Peter Pan! If Disney decided to stop carrying a certain princess' items & accessories, watch how fast people start complaining here! And I thought this was a community where we could discuss all things Disney? I feel like maybe the OP may have used the wrong words in saying "Disney killed the magic" but I don't feel like the OP deserved everyone jumping on him/her.

I really hope they do start carrying the hats again when the blu-ray comes out. My son got a Peter Pan hat when he was 2 and we still have it.

 

[Lorinda]

Wow. So if DL has carried Peter Pan hats since the 60's and suddenly they stop, where in that equation would you stop and think ahead of time, I better call and make sure they still have them since they've had them for 50 years and maybe this is the the year they stop. Granted, I totally get that every product cant be carried and stocked all the time. But come on! It's Peter Pan! If Disney decided to stop carrying a certain princess' items & accessories, watch how fast people start complaining here! And I thought this was a community where we could discuss all things Disney? I feel like maybe the OP may have used the wrong words in saying "Disney killed the magic" but I don't feel like the OP deserved everyone jumping on him/her.

I really hope they do start carrying the hats again when the blu-ray comes out. My son got a Peter Pan hat when he was 2 and we still have it.

Thank you ! Last night I even saw a vintage Peter Pan hat from the 50's on e-bay so this isn't some come lately product . I do feel it is comparable to mouse ears as many people do have the tradition of buying a peter pan hat for their child since they had one as a child. Besides that it was pretty much the only wearable item they carried for him that I know of. I am just hoping they are just revamping them and if that's the case I hope if they come out again they are put in a noticeable location in the store. They only had one little spot on an upper side shelf by the counter and only one on display at a time making them very easy to miss. When he wore his in the park on two other trips we were constantly being asked where we purchased it and many said they were just in the store and didn't see them. We told them where to look.

 

[LizzyS]

Pardon me, but that's my opinion. My business degree makes me tend to look at things from the business perspective.

Things change, that's just how the world works.

It's unfortunate for anyone who still wants one, but that's life.

 

[Disney Dreams]

...And I thought this was a community where we could discuss all things Disney? I feel like maybe the OP may have used the wrong words in saying "Disney killed the magic" but I don't feel like the OP deserved everyone jumping on him/her....

I don't think anyone is "jumping on her."

I know that I took some time to search online for information for her, as well as try to locate the hat for her. I posted information regarding the discontinuation, as well as an idea.

I did not get a "thanks for taking the time," "thanks for searching for me," "thanks for taking the time to care," or anything of the sort. All I received in reply to my time, concern, and effort was an explanation of why my idea wouldn't work.

I think it's the continued negativity (as opposed to trying to see a solution) on this that is rubbing people wrong. At least, that's my take.

- Dreams

 

[LizzyS]

^ Yes, this.

 

[firefly87]

I don't think anyone is "jumping on her."

I know that I took some time to search online for information for her, as well as try to locate the hat for her. I posted information regarding the discontinuation, as well as an idea.

I did not get a "thanks for taking the time," "thanks for searching for me," "thanks for taking the time to care," or anything of the sort. All I received in reply to my time, concern, and effort was an explanation of why my idea wouldn't work.

I think it's the continued negativity (as opposed to trying to see a solution) on this that is rubbing people wrong. At least, that's my take.

- Dreams

You're right, you were being helpful. I didn't mean that to sound like everyone here was jumping on her. The very first response to her post was basically it's your own darn fault for expecting them to carry something that has been a staple of Disney for 50+ years! I think the OP was maybe looking for more "darn, that's a bummer....." but instead got many other kinds of mixed responses. And I'm sorry, but others here were belittling in their comments. But then again.....its just my opinion and maybe I took a comment the wrong way. As I was reading the thread, I just kept thinking, wow, she's looking for some sympathy and some people are saying its her own fault. Again....it was Peter Pan! A Disney icon! Not like a newer or more obscure character, like Phineas/Ferb or Roger Rabbit.

I really love the Dis and I'm not meaning to call anyone out here. I just kinda felt sorry for the OP and how disappointed her grandson was.