If you’ve seen the movie “Cinderella,” you know that the Fairy Godmother waves her wand, and as she’s transforming Cindy from a cinder gal into an Ella for the ball, Fairy Godmother utters the words “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo.”
Magic, right?
Of course, when the princess craze took hold, it didn’t take long for Disney to take hold of their own kind of marketing magic and create “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique” for young girls.
(Hard to believe when DD11 was 3, I couldn’t find princess stuff anywhere. By the time she was 5, the Disney stores were full of the stuff. A couple of years more, and stores like Walmart and Zellers had the merchandising. With DD4, there’s no dearth of princess stuff anywhere on the planet, I’m sure.)
“Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique” is definitely a cash cow for Disney. Smart folks, there. What little girl wouldn’t want to be feted like a princess? What initially started at a downtown Disney location has blossomed into a full on revenue stream with a second location at Cinderella’s castle in Magic Kingdom. Both locations are always blocked solid, with a dozen or so “beauty stations” at each. Make sure you have an appointment.
The girls are given a menu of packages they can select from – Coach (hairstyling and shimmering makeup for $49.95), Crown (which is Coach + nails for $54.95), and Castle (which is Crown + costume & accessories + photo package for $189.95) See http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tours-and-experiences/bibbidi-bobbidi-boutique/ for info.
It’s interesting to watch the dynamics unfold in the beauty salon. Sometimes, I’m not sure who is more excited to be getting made up – the little girls, or their moms and dads who are excitedly taking photos.
The process begins with the little girls getting a protective cape, and then two ladies in waiting start the transformation process. (My normal cries of ‘you’re beautiful without makeup’ falls particularly flat at Disney. The Mouse has me beat. Hair, light makeup, and nails are arranged for both.)
Both of my girls selected “Pop Diva Princess” for their selections.
Each girl has one lady pinning up their hair in a bun…
while another does light makeup, and nails.
And with a sprinkling of pixie dust…. we’re done!
