Originally Posted By fkurucz <<Plus I doubt parents would pay for junk like that for their boys. When it comes to frivolous spending people always spend more on their daughters than their sons.>> Ever notice how department stores dedicate an overwhelming percentage of their floor space to those of the female persuasion?
Originally Posted By Kimrue Clothes shopping is a nightmare!!! It's so difficult because around the holidays they have so many frilly dresses and barely any handsome things for my son. I like to dress my kids for the holidays and it's like an act of congress trying to find a nice button down shirt and a tie for him!
Originally Posted By Fe Maiden So true. 10 racks of girls clothes for every 1 rack of boys clothes. <<My sister is having her third son and she has an older daughter, she said, in about 4 years she'll have NO reason to visit wdw with her family because her three boys will not have any interest as far as theming...she's right! Anyone else agree?>> I totally disagree. I've been going to WDW since 1974 when I was 3. I can honestly say in all the times I've gone while growing up I never thought about theme. At every age there was enough fun to be had to always want to go back and some things that on the surface might not look fun or be cool for a 12 year old but turns out to be something memorable. I think Witches said it best in that you dictate the type of expecrience based on your own preferences. I have 2 boys ages 5 and 2. We'll be down in a week and I can assure you it will be a princess-free vacation. And they have no interests in pirates either, being a Power Ranger or Jedi is all they care about.
Originally Posted By jonvn This is very interesting that someone else has noticed this. I've been saying that they are putting in very little these days that appeal to males over 5 or so years old. Everything is targeted to women, girls, very young boys, and gay men. It's just lacking in drama and grit. No guns, no adventure, stuff like that is just being removed and replaced with princesses and all manner of things that are fey. They need to go back to trying to appeal to boys aged 8-14. They just aren't doing that. A 5 and 2 year old boy will be ok with what is being done, an 11 year old will not be.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 Hopefully Fe Maiden, the Power Rangers are still at MGM, or whatever it's called now. My grandson, 3, loved them last year, and they were really good with the kids and picture-taking parents. The 3 we got to didn't try to push the kids along at all, and they tried to give everyone a chance. Very impressed.
Originally Posted By Great Stone Dragon Hey bobbelee9, the power rangers were at MGM two weeks ago when we were there -- both for photo/autographs and in the parade.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Everything is targeted to women, girls, very young boys, and gay men. It's just lacking in drama and grit. No guns, no adventure, stuff like that is just being removed and replaced with princesses and all manner of things that are fey.>> So true, Jon. And even their top Pirate, Captain Jack, wears more makeup than most women I know ... of course, you do get mighty lonely out at sea ... with no wimmen folk, so I guess you make do with what you got!
Originally Posted By sun-n-fun For a long time I've thought the same thing. MY boys (12 and 8) love going to Disney, but they have even asked why it's mostly princess stuff. I must add that they loved filling the pirate skull with goodies in Feb. and continued to play with their treasures in the hotel room. While there are plenty of boy options available, I don't think they are as prominant. My boys would enjoy the breakfast with stitch. My 12 year old is still obsessed with him.
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<Everything is targeted to women, girls, very young boys, and gay men. It's just lacking in drama and grit. No guns, no adventure, stuff like that is just being removed and replaced with princesses and all manner of things that are fey.>> When you consider how WDW (and to a lesser degree DLR) is morphing into a Disney themed mall, its not surprising that they are going after the same demographic as department stores.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I'm going to tread lightly into this as I have 2 daughters - both athletes as opposed to girly girls , and had zero interest in princess stuff ( especially dress up stuff and bibbity bobbity boo hoo stuff ) - after that - so I didn't pay as much attention. Bue, in todays PC world - a lot of the stuff I like at that age - and was at DL at the time would no longer be accepted. The gun fights at the fort - shooting ranges - Tom sawyer's been given the boot in DL, Davy Crockett would be seen as possibly insensitive etc., Rocket to Mars. I am trying to figure what they demographic would prefer - and would there be agreement among parents and generations on what that would be ? obviously Disney thinks they ar einto thinks like chili cheese dog farts -- and the like - and heck, maybe they are -- Although I see merchandise catering little to them any longer -- some of the attractions I guess I would view as more boy than girl for the 8 -12 age group. Or maybe I am stereotyping - I'm sure I'll find out Not saying these are everyone friendly - but if I had to put them more in one category than the other. MK ---------- BtmRR Potc Stitch's great escape ( for reason above) maybe even Buzz Studios ------------------ Star Tours Indy Jones Power Rangers what's left of the back stage tour - especially pt boat scene EPCOT ----- TT ( cars ) Energy ( dinosaurs ) AK ---- Dinosaur what say you ?
Originally Posted By Kimrue Ok, I forget who, but about my sister saying in about 4 years there won't be a reason for her to take her fam to WDW and me thinking she was right, was because she, personally is not a WDW nutcase like myself, I would certainly and shamelessly have no problem asking my mom to watch my beautiful children and enjoy WDW by myself for a day or so...My sister would never do that, so I guess for the people that visit "for the kids" it wouldn't really be beneficial after a certain point. I also have to say I agree and see the point of post 30. You're right, there are a lot of rides based off of "boy" things, but they don't take it to the "next level"...like ok, they have pirates of the carribean, and Indiana JOnes and those type of things, but there is no "experience" that they tie in with the rides, like there is no pirate school or character meal, there is no meet and greet with Indiana JOnes etc. I know boys are different. I took my son into the store and told him he could pick out anything he wanted...he loves animals so he looked around and said "do they have giraffes" (stuffed animals I presume...) I said "no, honey.." and he said "no, I"m good, I only want a giraffe, they don't have giraffes, I don't want anything then..." It just seems so PINK there...I love it, but I feel that boys may find it to be a little much of a princess thing. I don't think they should remove the princess stuff...I have two princesses myself, but I would like to see WDW ADD some boy-ish stuff...bring back tarzan, I LOVED that show, all the skating and flips and stuff so BOY ish, and rock and roll...why on earth did they get rid of it?! I would LOVE to see Tarzan, Indiana Jones, Hercules, Prince charming, etc. roaming the parks...who's with me?! Ok, not only for the boys, but what about the mom's that are sort of sick of seeing jasmine with her perfect figure strut around in her lingerie in front of all of our husbands....LOL!!!!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <You're right, there are a lot of rides based off of "boy" things, but they don't take it to the "next level"...like ok, they have pirates of the carribean, and Indiana JOnes and those type of things, but there is no "experience" that they tie in with the rides, like there is no pirate school or character meal, there is no meet and greet with Indiana JOnes etc. I know boys are different< agreed -- maybe Jedi Academy qualifies some as I believe it will be more boys - let's hope it does well.
Originally Posted By jonvn Post 31: Boys do NOT want girl stuff. This starts at a very young age, and they just will look at it and go "that's for girls." They can tell, and they don't want it. They need to hire some straight guys into their design and marketing teams.
Originally Posted By Kimrue Where did I say that boys want girls stuff? I just said that I wish there were more boy "experiences" at WDW.
Originally Posted By jonvn "Where did I say that boys want girls stuff?" You didn't. I was just continuing on in what you were saying, and not disagreeing.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 My 3 daughters were all tomboys growing up, but when the youngest was 9, I had a son and realized how girly everything was. Clothing, toys, movies, 90% seemed geared to girls. He had "Robin Hood" and "Sword In the Stone". The girls had tons of movies. Are girls more demanding of material stuff even at an early age? As children, my husband's sister had closets of clothes, he and his brother had only what they needed.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip The process starts early. Mommies train their daughters to want bunches of stuff so that they will grow up to be women who want bunches of stuff. Mommies train their sons to not want much of anything so that they will grow up to be men who will spend all their money buying women bunches of stuff and spend very little on themselves. Or something like that. ;-)
Originally Posted By MPierce >> <<Everything is targeted to women, girls, very young boys, and gay men. It's just lacking in drama and grit. No guns, no adventure, stuff like that is just being removed and replaced with princesses and all manner of things that are fey.>> << >> So true, Jon. And even their top Pirate, Captain Jack, wears more makeup than most women I know ... of course, you do get mighty lonely out at sea ... with no wimmen folk, so I guess you make do with what you got! << Maybe I am to naive for this topic, but I just don't see Disney catering to gay men. I'm being honest when I say I never looked at Capt. Jack Sparrow as gay until someone on this forum pointed it out. I thought more of him as being a want to be sophisticated upper class English snob. That's the only thing I can remotely think of as catering to gay folks. If they are catering to a gay audience that's fine with me, as long as it's not done in a condensening manner, and they don't go overboard like they have with all the princess things at WDW. I really think that most gay men enjoy Disney for the same reason straight men do. Somebody please correct me if I'm missing something. I really don't think things are to girly at WDW, Just the concentration of the princesses at the castle along with the BBB give the impression that it's a girly park. I really think there are more things at WDW that boys would fine interesting, than maybe a lot of girls would. Each child is going to be different so I would fine it very difficult to have an equal distrubtion of entertainment. Bottom line as we all know is marketing, and how to bring in the bucks. A family can easily drop $500 dollars on the complete princess experience. You would be hard pressed to fine an equal marketing gem to get parents to spend that much on boys.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Yea, that's what I think as well. I think, when all is said and done, we are trying to fill a need that doesn't exist. If boys wanted more they would demand it, they don't so apparently their needs are being covered. Disney is filled with many less than girly things it's just that they don't have to merchandise it because they are already selling everything that is demanded from that demography.
Originally Posted By GalDisney Gee, i thought the rides and attractions were enough to entice the entire family to WDW. Why are we focusing about princesses and lack of things for boys? The entire place is for boys and girls and moms and dads and non parents.I don't see this as an issue hwat so ever. I don't see how anyone can say lack of "boy things" would keep them away. This just a minor park of the Disney experience.
