Heelys Banned?!

[Makua]

I saw a CM at Once Upon a Toy at DTD tell a kid that he couldn't use the heelys in the store, he was @9 years old, he looked up at the CM and stuck out his tongue! It gets worse, he was standing in between his parents and they laughed at him and kept walking! If the parents don't make them listen the CMs can't, they are not allowed to get into confrontations. I don't know how that CM kept her composure, she just shook her head and walked away mumbling! I would have let them have it!

 

[danitom]

CM's won't enforce it. Why would they? They could care less about all the people smoking in undesignated areas of the park.

May seem harsh, but here's what should happen:

There should be signs posted outside the entrance that heely's are not allowed, and anyone wearing them, will be kicked out of the park. No need for warnings. Your warning is right outside before you get in.

I HATE those things.

IMHO they (CM's) should take the wheels out and then they CAN'T continue to skate around but they can WALK!! It would be a little less harsh than kicking them out of the park.........

 

[dkostel]

I saw a ton of them last weekend. Where does it even say that they aren't supposed to be worn? A rule is useless if it isn't publicized or enforced. I didn't see anyone being run into, but I saw plenty of CMs around when the kids were skating by and nothing was ever said.

 

[simonkodousek]

We recently bought DS 10 a pair of Heeley's. They were $60+ dollars, so I can see how people would want to get good use out of them for their money.

However, when he tried them out in the driveway, he couldn't control them and bumped/smashed into his older brother (DS 13) multiple times, making both of them very upset.

Not only are these shoes dangerous to the people around the user, they are also dangerous to the actual user. They are difficult to control and you could get serious injuries if not wearing a helmet.

Now the Heeley's are tucked safely away at the top of my closet. DS 10 said he would much rather enjoy wearing his basketball shoes instead.

These awful shoes are just a fad which will hopefully die out soon.

Now for those Heeley's commercials... definately the most brainless thing I have ever seen, maybe except Head-On.

My Rant is OVER,
Simon

 

[MEM]

The ban is not enforced. They can't take the shoes away at the gates or in the parks. What would the kid do? Walk back to the resort room in stocking feet?

I really think some version of this could work. The child would have to "check" the Heelys at the gate and either buy flip-flops at the gift shop or leave the park, with parents in tow, and come back with proper shoes. It wouldn't take but a few inconvenienced guests for word to get around that Disney is serious.

 

[Marilou]

So I think many of us are in agreement as to the real problem....the parents! I highly doubt any of the kids we have seen in the mall, grocery store and/or amusement parks bought the shoes themselves. The parents bought them, the parents let the kids take them on vacation and let them wear them into the park. I know some styles have removable wheels, if thats the case, the wheels should be confiscated at the gate to retrieve at park exit at the end of the day. AND...if the wheels do not come out then they should be refused admitance. Period! They can wear the shoes back to the resort from which they came and come up with more acceptable footwear.
I've heard from the CMs that do try to enforce it, but once the child is in the park it is much more difficult to do that and the particular job they were assigned to. So, make things easier...stop them at the gate and put an end to it.
Ok, I will get off my soapbox now.

 

[dkostel]

I really think some version of this could work. The child would have to "check" the Heelys at the gate and either buy flip-flops at the gift shop or leave the park, with parents in tow, and come back with proper shoes. It wouldn't take but a few inconvenienced guests for word to get around that Disney is serious.

Actually not necessary, they can just check the wheels, they pop out.

 

[Marilou]

Actually not necessary, they can just check the wheels, they pop out.

Actually, not all wheeled sneakers have removable wheels. Prob only the better ones, but my kids each had a pair that were used only for recreation, not for everyday use and the wheels did not come out.
And according to my DD they were "wicked heavy"

 

[diznyfanatic]

My DGD was knocked to the ground by some preteen boy wearing these who decided it would be fun to try to speed skate between me and my DGD. He was long gone during the time I was attending to my DGD to make sure she was okay.

I truly can not come up with ONE legitimate reason to allow these things in the parks. I really hope Disney will aggressively enforce this ban before someone is seriously hurt.

What are the parents thinking?

 

[Olaf]

Nothing is going to happen until someone gets hurt by a child wearing Heelys. The injured party is likely to go after Disney on the grounds that they don't enforce their rules. That's when Disney will get serious about banning them.

Most ridiculous sight--a pudgy grown man wearing the dumb things.

 

[Detailor]

IMHO these things are just a bad idea for anywhere. It must be the fad effect as I can't figure any real usefulness. There's certainly no exercise value. I'd rather have kids running around and being in some (theoretical) control of themselves instead of rolling along on their heels.

Dick Taylor

 

[3PrezGirls]

We recently bought DS 10 a pair of Heeley's. They were $60+ dollars, so I can see how people would want to get good use out of them for their money.

However, when he tried them out in the driveway, he couldn't control them and bumped/smashed into his older brother (DS 13) multiple times, making both of them very upset.

Not only are these shoes dangerous to the people around the user, they are also dangerous to the actual user. They are difficult to control and you could get serious injuries if not wearing a helmet.

Now the Heeley's are tucked safely away at the top of my closet. DS 10 said he would much rather enjoy wearing his basketball shoes instead.

These awful shoes are just a fad which will hopefully die out soon.

Now for those Heeley's commercials... definately the most brainless thing I have ever seen, maybe except Head-On.

My Rant is OVER,
Simon

We bought my oldest daughter a pair about 8 months ago and it took her many months of practicing outside out home before getting the hang of it. But she knows no heeley's indoors no matter where we are. She is not allowed to wear them other than at home playing outside in the driveway or our street. We live on a deadend so it's safe for her to be there. I just can't believe parents think it's okay to wear these type of shoes to a theme park with all that walking. Did you ever see a child walk in these shoes??

 

[photo_chick]

I'm with everyone here! When we were there in Feb. We were having breakfast and there was a trash can on the other side of us. This kid must have thrown away every piece of trash one at a time so he could "skate" back and fourth. Well every time he went by he grabbed my chair. I felt like sticking out my foot and tripping him after a while.

I may be a mean parent, but I have not and will never buy these for my DD. I honestly don't see the point of them.

You are not a mean parent. I will not buy them for my kids either. I tell them if you want to skate, just put on your skates!

This is interesting though. I did not reaize they were a problem at WDW. I am a season pass holder at Six Flags and they are not a problem there. I don't recall seeing any in the park here last year.

 

[Karnak]

http://allearsnet.com/aa/anita.htm#ques4

I'm so tried of those kids speeding out of control though the park.

If people who are injured because of those heel things started fileing suit against Disney for not getting those %^## things our of the parks, the problem would no doubt be solved post haste.

 

[igk]

The thing that has struck me about this thread is the unanimity of opinion here - almost EVERYONE (including me I hasten to add) is agreed that these shoes are a dangerous menace and their banning should be enforced more diligently.
Now, there was a thread that says Disney monitors the Disboards...
Well, please Disney, stop people wearing Heeleys at WDW!

 

[CampbellScot]

So I think many of us are in agreement as to the real problem....the parents! I highly doubt any of the kids we have seen in the mall, grocery store and/or amusement parks bought the shoes themselves. The parents bought them, the parents let the kids take them on vacation and let them wear them into the park. I know some styles have removable wheels, if thats the case, the wheels should be confiscated at the gate to retrieve at park exit at the end of the day. AND...if the wheels do not come out then they should be refused admitance. Period! They can wear the shoes back to the resort from which they came and come up with more acceptable footwear.
I've heard from the CMs that do try to enforce it, but once the child is in the park it is much more difficult to do that and the particular job they were assigned to. So, make things easier...stop them at the gate and put an end to it.
Ok, I will get off my soapbox now.

Totally agree...the parents need to quit thinking that somehow their children are entitled to wear dangerous footwear in crowded places...just b/c they were expensive or the child "wants to". Who is in charge here? It shouldn't be up to Disney to parent the children. They SHOULD be enforcing the ban though...those wretched wheels can be popped out of the shoes. CM's should require wheels to be handed over immediately if they catch kids with them in the parks. Of course Disney will never do this. The only way to stop heelys in the parks is to BAN them from entering the parks at all. There SHOULD be signs posted and CM's should be checking people's footwear as they come in. Heelys are not hard to spot. If someone has them on they need to be directed back to their resort to change their shoes OR they can rent a locker, store the heelys and buy an appropriate pair of shoes. Inconvenience is the price that guests will have to pay if they can't follow the rules. Once those wretched shoes are in the parks it is very hard to stop kids from using them short of taking them away.

It makes me sad that people have grown so selfish that their enjoyment or the enjoyment of their child should come before the safety of those around them. What on EARTH is this world coming to?! GRRRRR

 

[Stepharia]

We were at MK on Monday and saw a handful of kids in them. DD8 has a pair but she knew from the beginning that she was not allowed to take them to WDW with us. We are going again in June and she knows the same applies there. I posted on another thread what her response would be to seeing a kid in Heely's and sure enough it was "Oh, they're going to get in trouble". I think the problem is that unless someone looks really close and knows all the styles of Heely's then the front gate has no idea who has them on. I'm sure there are parents out there that tell their kids "don't skate when we get to the gate" just so their kids won't get in trouble for wearing them. I do think the wheels should at least be taken away no matter what. I also think Disney needs to post in numerous places that they are not allowed. It just seems like it is going to be hard for the cm's to catch them at the gate with so many people going through.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. DD8 has heely's and if I ever catch her knocking someone over they will be taken away for good. I don't have a problem with kids having them I just think they need to be taught the responsibility that goes along with it. Although I honestly think it's the parents that are at fault and the kids that knock people over and knock things out of people's hands would do that whether they were on heely's or not. I think there are too many kids out there who have no idea what "manners" are.

I just hope they resolve the problem of heely's in the park before we go. If not I guess I'll just listen to 10 days of "Oh, they're going to get in trouble." (And did I mention she say's it loud enough for people around her to hear)

 

[peel]

My DGD was knocked to the ground by some preteen boy wearing these who decided it would be fun to try to speed skate between me and my DGD. He was long gone during the time I was attending to my DGD to make sure she was okay.

I truly can not come up with ONE legitimate reason to allow these things in the parks. I really hope Disney will aggressively enforce this ban before someone is seriously hurt.

What are the parents thinking?

I think I would have chased that kid down!

When I was there in January last year I only saw one kid with them, and they were actually the first ones I had ever seen. I thought they were pretty neat until I watched him fall face first into some bushes because his wheel got stuck on a little pebble on the ground and brought his foot to a dead stop.

 

[Clover9990]

We allowed my 8 year old DS to wear his Heelys to the parks this past week, during our visit to WDW. He is not allowed to skate in crowded areas, and NOT ONCE did he bump into anyone or anything. Flame me all you want, but my DS enjoys wearing his Heelys in the parks...and yes, he wore them all day long for 3 days in a row. As long as he continues to control himself properly while using his Heelys, and there are no clear rules posted banning Heelys from the parks, I'll continue to let him wear them.

 

[CampbellScot]

We allowed my 8 year old DS to wear his Heelys to the parks this past week, during our visit to WDW. He is not allowed to skate in crowded areas, and NOT ONCE did he bump into anyone or anything. Flame me all you want, but my DS enjoys wearing his Heelys in the parks...and yes, he wore them all day long for 3 days in a row. As long as he continues to control himself properly while using his Heelys, and there are no clear rules posted banning Heelys from the parks, I'll continue to let him wear them.

Even though you KNOW that heelys are not allowed in the parks, clearly posted or not, you will somehow transcend those rules because your child is special? PUH-leez...what are you teaching your child? That rules should apply unless you REALLY don't want to follow them?

It is this sort of thinking that causes the problem in the first place.