The first quarter earnings report from Disney’s Parks, Experiences, and Products division comes with some troubling news — Mickey and Minnie merchandise sales are on the decline.
According to the OC Register, the decline in revenue for Mickey and Minnie merch came as other properties like Star Wars, Frozen, and Toy Story are on the rise. So, does this bode ill for our favorite couple?
In short, the answer is more than likely no. After all, do you know how hard it would be to make color trend merchandise themed after Donald Duck?
Instead, this decline in sales is a quirk of fiscal reporting, and the natural ebb and flow of Disney merchandising. First off was the massive spike in Mickey Merch that accompanied his 90th birthday celebration in 2018. As his birthday is so late in the year, that means that celebrations extended well into 2019 — all the way until October, in fact. You can still find Celebration Sippers and other event merchandise around the parks, though they’ve largely been phased out in favor of other seasonal items.
The latter half of 2019 also saw several huge openings: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (including Rise of the Resistance), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Toy Story 4, and Frozen II.
The massive buzz of these openings, plus the addition of a variety of Star Wars themed shops, has led to a massive rise in sales related to those properties, compared with a natural decline in Mouse merch compared to the surge accompanying his birthday.
Fans of the Mouses everywhere shouldn’t worry too much though: February marks the beginning of the Year of the Mouse, a year-long celebration beginning with Lunar New Year festivities at Disney California Adventure.
Then, starting in March, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway will open up with a massive collection of accompanying merchandise!
So don’t worry too much about Mickey and Minnie. They’re gonna be just fine.
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Ehhh I won’t hold my breath, I don’t think people are enjoying the change in Mickeys face (have you seen the new show? It’s certainly not the PG mouse we know and love) time will tell, but I think this decline could be for the better part of a year while Disney brainwashes us into liking the new face. People don’t respond well to change initially.