The Disney Store in NYC was a great way to get a little taste of Disney while in New York, but it just wasn't the same as the parks. There were some great souvenirs and photo ops though!
Seeing The Lion King on Broadway was another great way to get a small Disney fix. But knowing I had to leave the theatre and walk back into the crowds of Times Square just wasn't the same as walking through the crowds of Main Street USA!
Speaking of Times Square, these "characters" below were definitely NOT Disney! They were rude, they demanded tips if you took a picture with them and yes, they would take off their heads to talk to each other. It was really appalling. What is sad is that some kids in Times Square think these are the REAL Jessie, Minnie and Buzz Lightyear (I also saw Woody and Mickey). This may be the closest they will ever get to meeting any "Disney characters." Sad. I wonder if Disney could do anything to stop this trash?
Another thing we saw that quickly made us think about Disney were these chairs in the lobby of our hotel! The girls were sitting in them and we all said they reminded us of the Doom Buggies from The Haunted Mansion! If they were only black! :)
One part of our trip that was fun, but painful, was going to the Yankee's game! As a Red Sox fan, it's always hard to see the Yankee's play, but finding Mickey made it a bit better (even if he is in NY gear!).
In DC, we had a harder time finding Disney magic. However, when we were walking through the tunnel from the Cannon Senate building to the Capitol we were able to see the winners from the Congressional Art Competition. I was able to find a Hidden Mickey in some art from Colorado! :)
I pass by those awful characters on at least a weekly basis. I am guessing that this is copyright infringement but that the cost of suing these people is not worth it to Disney so they just let it lie. It's a shame.
ReplyDeleteUgh. I hated those "characters!" One in our group saw Jessie smoking with her head off. :(
DeleteI work in Times Square, and I often visit the Disney Store to see new merchandise or just to get a little Disney fix. They constantly change the layout. I love the new Tangled theme on the escalators. It's so cool!
ReplyDeleteThe characters on the street are so poorly done. I agree that it's a shame that this is the closest some people will ever get to seeing the real thing. You never see them up outside the area of the Disney store, so that makes me believe that Disney did something to prevent them from appearing too closely to their store.
I did love the Tangled escalators! I tried to get a picture, but it didn't turn out. And I totally agree with the poorly done characters. Good observation about them not being outside the Disney store.
DeleteThe NYC Disney Store looks amazing. That's a great place for a quick Disney fix. Those characters are horrible! I guess Disney just gave up on them.
ReplyDeleteI had thought that those characters are "off" enough that the people who run that could argue that it's just a mouse in a red suit. No clue if that's true, though.
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