UPDATE: What to buy in a Disney store if you can't stand Disney?

[jennifer_r]

I actually ended up going to a different mall than usual today and right outside of the Disney store was Toys for Tots - how convenient - it was like destiny. I went in there and bought two stuffed animals for the girls (a Mickey Mouse and a Bambi) and two Barbie-style princess dolls, a Cinderella and a Belle thinking that those should be pretty popular and then gave them to the Toys for Tots program. I actually looked at the DVDs for ourselves but their selection was pretty poor. Thanks everyone for all you suggestions. I feel pretty good about the end result.

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Sorry if this is a duplicate post- I can't find the original!
DD2 for her first birthday received an electronic Little Mermaid cellphone and an outfit with a Disney character on it. We don't like Disney (don't want to get into a debate about that here) nor do we like electronic or plastic toys or any character clothes. We have $40 worth of merchandise credit. I don't have a problem with Winnie the Pooh, so I thought I could get DDs some stuffed animals like Winnie, Tigger, etc. but they are $10 each and I don't think I need four, plus DDs both received Winnie the Pooh as gifts already. I didn't see any DVDs but I didn't look too hard. I love Mary Poppins but DH gave the DVD to me last year. Monsters, Inc. DVD is a possibility - DH and I both love that one. I don't want DDs really to have any Disney books other than maybe some Pooh ones since I want DDs to read the Undisneyfied versions. I saw mostly toys, clothes and miscellaneous items like pillows or dinnerware. Do they rotate their merchandise?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

TIA

Jennifer

Mom to:
Christopher 12/29/89
Adelaide 8/23/04
Bronwyn 11/9/05

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url] Woohoo! 1 year and counting . . .

[pinkmomagain]

I don't know if they have any in the store right now, but I love their one piece footed sleepers. In fact I've been thinking that my dd needs to go up a size and I need to check out our local Disney store.

HTH,
Gina

[holliam]

Totally feeling your pain.

I looked over there and uh couldn't find much.

Maybe this set. I didn't know there was a Narnia Disney thing but at least it's somewhat generic and involves building..

http://disneyshopping.go.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/DSIProductDisplay?catalogId=10002&storeId=10051&productId=1200294&langId=-1&categoryId=13424

other Narnia stuff:
http://disneyshopping.go.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10002&storeId=10051&categoryId=13426&langId=-1&N=0&Ntk=p_categoryID&Ntt=13426&Nu=p_productID

Maybe one of the Broadway recordings?

If it were me, I'd get PS2 Kingdom Hearts 2 for ME and buy DD something somewhere else. ;)

Holli

[kelly ann]

I don't always remember what they have in the store, but how about a towel or maybe a puzzle? One option is to just keep the credit and spend it when you have to get a birthday present for another child. I know that sounds funny, but maybe you can just by DD something from TRU or Target instead and call it even when you get an invite for a birthday party, KWIM?

[writermama]

Is your credit for the store or for the online site Disneyshopping.com? (Owned by different companies now, so I don't know if you can spend 1 in the other).

At our local store, they have a section of dvds, cds, and books near the register. The footie sleepers they sell are like TCP ones (not surprising, since Children's Place owns Disney Stores now), but they will have characters on them.

yes, they rotate the merchandise, but what you saw is typical of what will come in next -- just different plastic toys almost all of them electronic, princess stuff, costumes, and clothes. The stuffed toys will change too, but mickey and pooh will always be in the mix. I haven't been thrilled with the creativity of the selection or the quality of the merchandise since TCP took over.

With the preferences you describe, your best bet is probably Pooh plush or DVDs, as you thought, or using the credit for re-gifting as a PP selected.

HTH,

[jennifer_r]

The Kingdom Hearts actually looks pretty cool but we don't have a PS2 - we're actually love role playing games like Zelda and Mario, and so we have a GameCube - tho, we haven't played in a loooong time.

Jennifer

Mom to:
Christopher 12/29/89
Adelaide 8/23/04
Bronwyn 11/9/05

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url] Woohoo! 1 year and counting . . .

[mattiew]

I really liked the PP regift idea. Another thought, undies (although $40 worth would be alot) once the potty training starts it seems like you can't have enough and since it is under the clothing no one really sees them. You could also try and sell it on ebay or a yahoo group.

Good luck!

[dules]

Well, last year DD received a gift of questionable origin (short story: I suspect the gift giver shoplifted the merchandise, though I have no proof). It was all NWT from the Disney Store.

We donated it all to Toys for Tots or the United Way (forget which) figuring that at least that way it would do some good and brighten the holidays for some children who might receive nothing otherwise.

Just a thought....you could spend the credit on that and donate the gifts.



Mary

[jeneli]

I wonder if you could use your credit at The Children's Place instead? Probably not, but it wouldn't hurt call/email customer service to find out.

[bchafin]

I can answer that...no. You can not use a Disney Store credit at TCP or vice versa.

Barb

[jd11365]

They make great pajamas, and run great sales on them. They are really well made and last a long time without fading. Size up.

[jd11365]

They make great pajamas, and run great sales on them. They are really well made and last a long time without fading. Size up.

[jennifer_r]

I really like the Toys for Tots suggestion but I know that I'm not going to have time to trek to the mall and then wrap and then drop off the toys somewhere before Christmas. Is there a similar program that I can do at a later point? Like maybe toys for a women's shelter, etc?

I will probably buy one small item from the Disney store, maybe a stuffed Tigger, since I feel bad giving away the entire gift (even though I would be giving it away to a charity).


Jennifer

Mom to:
Christopher 12/29/89
Adelaide 8/23/04
Bronwyn 11/9/05

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url] Woohoo! 1 year and counting . . .

[set81616]

There is not a large one that I know of but the cops almost always need stuffed animals for domestic abuse cases and womens shelters would LOVE to be thought of at times that arn't Christmas. The stores do carry DVDs if you want that. You can also go to swapagift.com for a $3.99 listing fee or sell it on ebay for nearly full price.
HTH
Shannon

[MelissaTC]

Well we are Disney freaks and would have no problem spending that although I do think the Disney store sells a lot of junk.

Have you seen the Chronicles of Narnia? It was a pretty good movie, generally true to the book and looked how I imagined it to be as a child. I believe that they sell the DVD there. HTH!

[kijip]

>I really like the Toys for Tots suggestion but I know that
>I'm not going to have time to trek to the mall and then wrap
>and then drop off the toys somewhere before Christmas. Is
>there a similar program that I can do at a later point? Like
>maybe toys for a women's shelter, etc?

A lot of family and children's charities need toys for kids year round for kids in bad situations, kids moving without anything or kids birtday's etc. So you don't have to beat the holiday crowds. The other idea is to donate the credit to a charity where a social worker or employee could save it and use it when needed. My work is indebted to people donating gift cards that we can then use to get what a particular child I am working with wants. Just another thought.

[squimp]

My mom bought DD Disney underwear, and they are her faves. They're not as nice as Hanna, but hey it works.