Scenario 1: 6 year old going to Grocery store
Kid No 1: Oooooh! Mummy mummy! Look here!
Mum: Oh, what angel?
Kid No 1: The lunchbox! Please buy for me!
Mum: No Darling. I've already bought you dozens of lunchboxes already, you don't need another one
Kid No 1: But Mummy, this is not just ANY lunchbox, its the Disney one
Mum: But I just bought you a Tinkerbell lunchbox and Gran got you that Barbie one too!
Kid No 1: But nobody buys Tinkerbell and Barbie anymore, its for babies! Its Hannah Montana and everybody loves Hannah Montana
Scenario 2: 6 year old at school
Kid 2: Mmmmm, look what mum packed, Winnie the Pooh Jelly beans!
Kid 3: Well my mummy bought me two Miley Cyrus stickers
Kid 4: High School Musical is better! I got the whole sticker collection!
Kid 1: Check this out! ( Kid 1 pulls out new lunchbox!), mummy bought it yesterday!
All kids: Oooohhhhhhh, so cool!!! WE WANT ONE!
Kid 2: Well, I got a water bottle, the Tinkerbell one
All Kids: HAHA! Thats for babies! ( annoying giggles!)
Scenario 3: 8 year old at birthday party
BG : What did you buy for me Cathy?
Cathy : Its a suprise..
BG: Please tell me!
Cathy: Ok, I will give you a clue. Its a Hannah Montana something
BG: Uhm...okay, a puzzle
Cathy: Nope
BG: A skipping rope? Book? Pencils? Stickers?
Cathy: No, no, no!
BG : A pillow? DVD? T-shirt?
Cathy: NO!!!!!!
BG: PLease tell me!
Cathy: Okay, underwear!
BG: Thats so cool( Opens present!) Look mummy, Cathy got me Hannah Montana underwear!
Kids: Oooohhh! Ahhhhh!
I know those above scenarios were kind of lame, my little sister even found them lame, even though I found it kinda funny. But I think I kind of put my message across, you know what I'm saying? How it seems like the biggest trend nowadays for little kiddos is a Disney icon item whether it may be a pillow, blanket or pencil. Whatever! The list could go on...
Everywhere I go, it feels like every second child is wearing some popular tween icon's merchandise eg t-shirt ie: Hannah Montana aka Miley Stewart, or Gabriella Montez or The Jonas Brothers! Or at least on of the items in their room is associated with one of those movies. Like one time, while looking around at Sandton Mall, I came across a duvet/comforter sheet. Nick, Joe and Kevin's faces were smiling radiantly on the pillow, duvet etc. It was quite scary. I guess if you really wanna get up close and personal with the band, you would buy their pillows. :)
But what I find funny is that the shows and movies like Hannah Montana and Camp Rock are centered around teenagers lives, but the main consumers of these merchandises are kids. Its not only the merchandise that is being consumed by them, it is also the movies. I mean teens watch the movies and all, but I have seen a few kids get more into these movies than a 15 year old would. But arent the actors around that age range?. Little 6 year old are going mad over wearing a t-shirt with Zac Efron on it, but why aren't we teenagers buying all of this? Is it because it is uncool to go gaga over these shows?Is Disney too Babyish?. Would we much rather buy Gossip Girl merchandise and watch Gossip Girls, which is not exactly G-rated material? I mean how can a 6 year old like HSM more than a teenager? Its like me going gaga over Barney more than my little sisters.
But all in all, I find it cute but insanely crazy just like this whole Vampire thing( but that's another story!). Just like all trends, they die down. Soon you wont see every kid having a HSM t-shirt. Or Pillow!
Peace and Love
xoxoxox
