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Disneyland reopening celebrated with customized Mickey ears and masks

Disneyland reopening celebrated with custom Mickey ears and masks

Visitors walk between plexiglass as they step on Touch of Disney at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California on Thursday, March 18, 2021.

MediaNews Group / Orange County Register | Getty Images

Few things are so iconic that a simple silhouette is instantly recognizable to anyone in the world.

This is the power of Disney and its strong icon Mickey Mouse, which has gone from the comic mouse to the corporate emblem. When Disneyland and California Adventure reopened for the first time in more than a year on Friday, a quick scan of the crowd showed just how ubiquitous this 93-year-old mouse really is.

In the six decades since Disney opened its first theme park, the company has cultivated a distinct culture within its amusement venues. From instructing the performers to get their jobs done to the ambiance of the different countries that make up the park, everything Disney does is on purpose and is designed to create an experience that is unrepeatable.

Perhaps the most common example of this is wearable Mickey and Minnie ears.

Mickey ear hats have been a Disney park staple for decades. Created by Roy Williams for the Mouseketeers in “The Mickey Mouse Club” in the 1950s, a pair of classic black Mickey Mouse ears with individual embroidery has been a rite of passage for many park visitors since Disneyland opened in 1955 to get.

In the mid-80s, Disney began offering a headband version of these hats. It wasn’t until the park’s 50th anniversary that the product developers redesigned the iconic ears. To celebrate the milestone, Disney offered a set of gold ears.

The golden hat became such a phenomenon that it inspired the company to make other versions for special occasions and holidays. Over the years, these classic keepsakes have grown into sought-after fashionable and Instagram accessories.

A woman wears a pair of Mickey Mouse ears and a matching mask.

Disney

As a top seller in the parks, Disney has worked hard to keep up with demand. The company has designed dozens of different pairs, from simple sequin ears to pairs that honor fan-favorite characters and attractions. Most of the ears in Disney’s collection cost around $ 30 per pair. However, because of the popularity of these headbands, Disney has partnered with a number of designers to create specialty, limited-edition ears that can cost closer to $ 100.

These ears have become so popular that artisans turned to Etsy to create and sell their own designs. In preparation for Disneyland’s reopening, many guests purchase special ears and masks to wear around the park.

Of course, Disney isn’t the only theme park that is heavily into merchandise. Universal Studios sells Hogwarts robes and Minions T-shirts in its parks, and Six Flags has licensing agreements with Warner Bros. ‘Looney Tunes brand. Even so, there is something special about Disney’s Mickey ears that sets them apart from other souvenirs.

Wear your fandom

More than just a one-of-a-kind keepsake, these ears are an essential collector’s item for Disney park fans.

Krissy Reynolds, a 35-year-old Virginia restaurant manager, has a collection of over 40 Mickey ears. The collection started with a pair of red and black sequin Minnie Mouse ears that she acquired during a college trip.

“We make outfits that go with the park we go to every day and then we go with each other,” Reynolds said. “As in Hollywood Studios, we make ‘Toy Story’ outfits with shirts, ears, hats or accessories.”

In Magic Kingdom, Reynolds, her husband Wesley (43) and their son Cayson (8) dress up as classic Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie. In Animal Kingdom, the theme is usually “The Lion King”.

Her family usually spends five days at Walt Disney World, bringing two or three ears from their collection to wear during the trip and buying a few new pairs once she’s in the parks.

Krissy Reynolds, 35, and son Cayson, 8, celebrate at Mickey’s not-so-scary Halloween party in Orlando, Florida.

Krissy Reynolds

Because Disney doesn’t allow adults to wear costumes in the park, older guests who are kids at heart have used other means to celebrate their favorite characters, movies, and moments from Disney.

If you take a closer look, you will see someone wearing an outfit reminiscent of Peter Pan, Rapunzel, or Snow White, a trend known as “Disney Bounding”.

“I’m a sucker for everything Sleeping Beauty,” she said. “I also like sequins and unique things like when [Disney does] special food or vacation [ears]. “

Craftsmen meet the demand

For many like Reynolds who spend several days in the parks in Florida or California, one ear is not enough. And while Disney has a wide variety of Mickey ear designs to choose from, the demand for unique headbands has grown so much that independent sellers have stepped into the picture.

Etsy in particular has become a hub for small business owners to sell customizable ears and ears based on niche characters. In the weeks leading up to Disneyland’s reopening, these sellers saw a significant increase in sales.

“Most pandemics have come and gone,” said Rachel Vega, owner of Etsy shop Enchanted Story Ears. “It really picked up in January. I think when we started to see how things develop with both of them [Disney World being] open and the hopes of Disneyland will open up at some point. “

Vega, a high school orchestra teacher, has been selling handmade Mickey ears on the e-commerce website for about a year. Their best-selling product is a set of graduation ears with a small black academic cap that can be customized with the graduate’s school colors. Their ears cost anywhere from $ 35 to $ 40.

“I fell in love with making custom ears when I was making them for a nurses trip and decided to open the store to sell the ears I make,” she said. “I love to have ears that are unique and comfortable when I go to the parks and know that there are many who feel the same way. It is definitely a method of personal expression in the parks.”

Searching for Mickey Ears on Etsy brings up thousands of results, from dainty, fairy headbands based on popular characters to fabric-patterned ears with large bows and glitter.

Arisa, a college student who turned entrepreneur, has been selling her version of Mickey ears since March 2019. In two years she has made more than 900 sales in her Ears by Arisa store.

Currently, their best-selling ears are based on Loki, Wanda Maximoff, Baby Groot, and Rapunzel. Her ears range from $ 24 to $ 31, depending on the style.

“Since California lifted the bans on theme parks, more and more people have left me notes saying how excited they are to wear my ears for their upcoming trips,” she said. “I even received a few custom orders to match their ears with the masks they have.”

During the pandemic, Disney-themed masks were also a major asset to small businesses. Those visiting Disney’s parks during the pandemic have accepted the mask requirements and used them as an opportunity to proudly wear their favorite fandoms in public.

When Debra Dix isn’t working as a case manager in Goodwill’s human resources department, she sews and sells masks. She opened her shop in December 2020 and already has nearly 500 sales.

Most of the fabric she uses for these masks is Disney-themed. Her two best sellers currently are a Disney Parks snack pattern and a Mickey animal theme.

“I’ve definitely sold more masks in the last 2 months,” said Dix. “Most of the time, customers buy a mask, but recently the average has been three to five masks per order.”

These masks and ears are part of the Disney experience and can help park goers create lasting memories.

Meagan Remmes, 30, of Asheville, North Carolina, bought a set of Mickey bride ears to wear on her honeymoon trip to Disney World this year.

“We knew we wanted something special to remember it was our honeymoon, and while the buttons are free, they’re not exactly a statement maker,” she said of her decision to put a pair of veiled white ears in to take the hand.

“It would either be Mickey ears or custom t-shirts, but everything we looked at didn’t feel quite like us,” she said. “Mickey ears were a simple fix that made us feel special like Disney in the best possible way.”

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.

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Disneyland, Common Studios openings to spice up Principal Road companies

Disneyland, Universal Studios openings to boost Main Street businesses

Disneyland and Universal theme parks will reopen.

Paul Rovere | Getty Images

March was the best month for Michael Afram’s transportation company since closing California last year due to the pandemic. When the state eased some of its coronavirus restrictions and vaccination rates increased, the Carmel Shuttle Service began to recover.

“To give you an idea of ​​where we are, the revenue we booked for the entire month of March 2021 is one day in March 2020 before the shutdown,” said Afram. “So I think you can think of us as a thirtieth of where we need to go back.”

Before the pandemic, Afram made an average of 450 to 500 trips a day in the Los Angeles-San Diego area. A large percentage of his destinations were Disneyland, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld San Diego.

With California theme parks closed and air travel demand a fraction of 2019 demand, Afram’s business had massive financial success. With the reopening of Universal Studios on Friday and the opening of the gates through Disneyland on April 30th, companies like Afram’s are experiencing a small boom.

Full recovery will be slow, however, as these parks are being forced to limit their capacity and can only accommodate guests who are already resident in the state.

While bookings are strong in April and May, Afram doesn’t expect its business to fully recover until the second quarter of 2022.

“We survived the storm and see a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “Unfortunately, [we] saw and suffered so much destruction and despair on the way to get to this point. “

Around 50% of Afram’s business was in the Anaheim resort area, which is home to Disney’s two California parks and the Downtown Disney mall. His shuttle company traveled to local airports, hotels, theme parks, restaurants, and other local tourist destinations in the area.

The other 50% included Greater Orange County plus Los Angeles, where Universal Studios are located, and day trips to San Diego.

“The impact Disneyland and Universal Studios have on our local economies is important to all of our small businesses and the surrounding industries,” said Sharon Quirk-Silva, Democrat, who represents California’s 65th Congregation District, which includes northern Orange County belongs.

“There will no doubt be a surge in economic growth across Orange County when they reopen,” she said.

A slow and steady rebound

Direct travel-related spending in California was $ 145 billion in 2019, up 3.2% year over year, according to a report by Visit California, a tourism nonprofit.

In fact, residents of other states and countries accounted for 6 out of $ 10 spent locally in 2019.

In 2020, California tourism spending fell to $ 59 billion, just 41% of the previous year’s spending. The last time the state’s tourism spending was below $ 60 billion was in 1996.

The Los Angeles tourism and hospitality sector supports more than 600,000 direct and indirect jobs, said Lawren Markle, senior director of communications at Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.

“Of course, LA County’s 10 million residents support this sector and its jobs as we frequent our local theme parks and hospitality businesses,” he said. “And LA also welcomes approximately 50 million visitors a year, and their spending is also a big engine of economic activity.”

“We’re still well below pre-pandemic tourism levels, so we see the reopening of theme parks as a very public signal that things are getting back to normal in LA and that trips to Los Angeles are looking practical and enjoyable again,” he said .

For Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, a restaurant chain with seven locations in California, including one at Disneyland Resort, local restrictions forced the company to close its doors to indoor dining. It stayed afloat during the pandemic by offering take-away and delivery and because it owned the buildings where its restaurants are located.

Diane Vara, the company’s creative director, said the company was able to hit around 75% of what it did last year in 2019, but is looking forward to the influx of companies that comes with the opening of the theme parks and the state will go hand in hand.

Vara noted that Roscoe’s Inglewood location near Los Angeles International Airport often attracts travelers who come to business with luggage in tow right after their flight lands.

“This is great for us,” she said of the state reopening.

Pandemic pressure

Of course, Disney and Universal will also benefit from the reopening.

Last year’s shutdown resulted in Disney laying off tens of thousands of workers and limiting an important source of income for the media company. The Parks, Experiences, and Consumer Staples segment accounted for 37% of the company’s total revenue of $ 69.6 billion, or approximately $ 26.2 billion, in 2019.

A year later, revenue shrank to $ 16.5 billion, or roughly 25% of the company’s total revenue of $ 65.4 billion.

“That was probably one of the toughest things I personally had to do in my career,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products division, in an interview with CNBC last week about the layoffs. “I’m very passionate about the performers here. I think they’re the real reason people come to these parks.”

D’Amaro said the company will have called back more than 10,000 employees when the Disneyland Resort reopens in late April. At the beginning, Disney’s parks will be occupied by around 15%. Mask wear and social distancing are required for guests visiting the park.

At Universal, too, revenue from theme parks declined in 2020. The Comcast-owned company said that theme park revenue fell 68.9% to $ 1.8 billion last year as the pandemic forced the closure of its California park, as well as its Florida and Japan parks will only be reopened with a limited number of visitors.

When the California park reopens, Universal guests must also wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Universal Studios officials declined to comment.

“During my visits to Downtown Disney … I heard many of our constituents feel safer in the theme parks than in their own grocery store,” Quirk-Silva said. “We have supported our efforts to reopen our theme parks with hand washing stations, temperature checks and helpful staff who ensure that our residents are safely distanced.”

Florida parks are thriving

If the Florida theme parks reopening are any signs of this, there is a lot of catching up to do.

Universal’s two parks, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, have consistently reached capacity limits in recent weeks, and Disney’s four theme parks – Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot – sell out days in advance.

Guests in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as Universal Studios Hollywood welcome guests back to the theme park on Friday April 16 to experience the thrilling rides and attractions.

Al Seib | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

To date, there have been no public reports linking Orlando parks to coronavirus outbreaks.

“We continue to deliver an amazing entertainment experience,” said Brian Roberts, Comcast chairman and CEO, during the company’s earnings statement in January. “And our guests are reacting, as our steadily increasing number of visitors and our latest financial results confirm.”

“What we’ve seen in this fourth quarter, particularly in Orlando, gives us even more confidence in the momentum our theme parks will experience when we achieve sustained recovery,” he said at the time.

While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis allowed theme parks to return to normal operations with limited protocols for physical distancing, Disney and Universal, among other things, continued to restrict participation and force the wear of masks.

California lawmakers are aiming for a broader reopening of the state in June. However, it is unclear how this will affect the capacity limits of the theme park. It also remains to be seen when California will allow non-residents to purchase tickets to its parks.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.

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Disneyland to reopen on April 30, Disney CEO Bob Chapek says

Disneyland to reopen on April 30, Disney CEO Bob Chapek says

The two Disney theme parks in California will reopen on April 30th, CEO Bob Chapek said on CNBC’s Squawk Alley on Wednesday.

“We saw the excitement, the need for people to return to our parks around the world,” Chapek told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin. “We’ve been with Walt Disney World for about nine months and there’s certainly no shortage of demand.”

“I think when people get vaccinated they get a bit more confident in the fact that they can travel and, you know, stay Covid-free,” he added. “Consumers trust Disney to do the right thing, and we’ve proven for sure that we can [open] responsible whether it is temperature controls, masks, social distancing, [or] improved hygiene in the parks. “

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa will reopen in front of the parks on April 29 with limited capacity. The Vacation Club Villa at the Grand Californian will reopen May 2nd, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and Disneyland Hotel will reopen at a later date.

All California theme parks were closed last year due to Covid restrictions. While guidelines in other states like Florida have allowed parks to reopen with limited capacity, California rules have closed theme parks large and small.

However, new state guidelines allow amusement parks to reopen from April 1, with a capacity of 15% to 35%, depending on the spread of the virus in the community. Masks and other health precautions are required. Chapek said the two parks will initially operate at around 15% capacity.

Disneyland Resort visitors take photos in front of Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California on Thursday, October 22, 2020.

Jeff Gritchen | MediaNews Group | Getty Images

According to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, California reports nearly 2,900 new Covid-19 cases per day based on a weekly average, a decrease of nearly 32% from a week ago. The number of new Covid cases has decreased as more and more people have been vaccinated. With an increase in supply and access, an average of 2.4 million people in the US are being vaccinated daily

Orange County, where Disneyland and California Adventure are located, has four new cases per 100,000 people every day. At its peak in mid-January, there were 118 new cases per 100,000 people in the county each day.

The shutdown last year resulted in Disney laying off tens of thousands of workers and limiting an important source of income for the media company. The Parks, Experiences, and Consumer Staples segment accounted for 37% of the company’s total revenue of $ 69.6 billion, or approximately $ 26.2 billion, in 2019.

A year later, revenue shrank to $ 16.5 billion, or roughly 25% of the company’s total revenue of $ 65.4 billion.

Christine McCarthy, the company’s chief financial officer, said the company made “an incremental net positive contribution” to the parks opened during the pandemic from guests who visited the company despite reduced capacity. This means that the revenues exceeded the variable costs associated with the opening, she explained.

As the parks expand their capacity and reopen, there will be some level of social distancing and masking for the rest of the year.

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California units a street map for theme parks to restart, placing Disneyland on observe for reopening.

California sets a road map for theme parks to restart, putting Disneyland on track for reopening.

The teacups could be spinning again soon: Disneyland, which has been closed for a year, is about to reopen this spring.

On Friday, California officials announced that theme parks in the state could reopen on a limited basis as early as April 1. However, the eligibility depends on the statistics on the transmission of coronaviruses in the individual counties.

For example, theme parks in counties where the virus threat remains the most severe (on the purple level under the state system) must remain closed. Parks in areas where the risk of infection has decreased somewhat (red level), however, may be reopened with a capacity of 15 percent. A capacity of 25 percent enables even less threat (orange level).

Participation is restricted to visitors from within Germany.

Disneyland is located in Orange County, which is on the purple row. However, if coronavirus cases in Southern California continue to decline at the current pace, the county could fall into the orange category by the end of April. The Walt Disney Company said last year that reopening a park with less than 25 percent capacity would not make economic sense. A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment on a specific reopening schedule on Friday.

“We’re encouraged that theme parks now have a way to reopen this spring and get thousands of people back to work,” Disneyland president Ken Potrock said in a statement.

Disney announced it would take at least four weeks to hire employees and train them in new coronavirus safety procedures. Before the pandemic, around 32,000 people worked at the 486-acre Disneyland Resort, which includes two separate-ticket theme parks, three Disney-operated hotels, and an outdoor mall. Most of the Anaheim complex has been closed for a year.

Disney had hoped to reopen its California attractions in July. However, unions representing Disneyland employees criticized this schedule for being too fast and pressured Governor Gavin Newsom to withhold approval. He joined the unions and urged fans to attack him online. (“Open Disney or we’ll take your hair gel away.”)

In contrast, Florida allowed Disney to reopen its Orlando parks in July. The company received less and less criticism for this, but strict security procedures, including mandatory masks, resulted in an environment that was more secure than expected.

“It was a success story,” said Julee Jerkovich, a United Food & Commercial Workers official, in October. “As a union representative, I don’t say that lightly.”

In addition to Disneyland, California’s theme parks include Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knotts Berry Farm, and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

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Disneyland as a Vaccination Website? Airports as Check Facilities? The Journey Trade Pitches In

Disneyland as a Vaccination Site? Airports as Test Centers? The Travel Industry Pitches In

Many corners of the travel industry are looking for a way to end the pandemic.

More than a dozen U.S. airports including Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway, Los Angeles International, Tampa, Newark, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. In many terminals, XpresSpa has evolved from offering airport massages and manicures to rapid coronavirus tests.

Covid19 vaccinations>

Answers to your vaccine questions

If I live in the US, when can I get the vaccine?

While the exact order of vaccine recipients may vary from state to state, most doctors and residents of long-term care facilities will come first. If you want to understand how this decision is made, this article will help.

When can I get back to normal life after the vaccination?

Life will only get back to normal once society as a whole receives adequate protection against the coronavirus. Once countries have approved a vaccine, they can only vaccinate a few percent of their citizens in the first few months. The unvaccinated majority remain susceptible to infection. A growing number of coronavirus vaccines show robust protection against disease. However, it is also possible that people spread the virus without knowing they are infected because they have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Scientists don’t yet know whether the vaccines will also block the transmission of the coronavirus. Even vaccinated people have to wear masks for the time being, avoid the crowds indoors and so on. Once enough people are vaccinated, it becomes very difficult for the coronavirus to find people at risk to become infected. Depending on how quickly we as a society achieve this goal, life could approach a normal state in autumn 2021.

Do I still have to wear a mask after the vaccination?

Yeah, but not forever. The two vaccines that may be approved this month clearly protect people from contracting Covid-19. However, the clinical trials that produced these results were not designed to determine whether vaccinated people could still spread the coronavirus without developing symptoms. That remains a possibility. We know that people who are naturally infected with the coronavirus can spread it without experiencing a cough or other symptoms. Researchers will study this question intensively when the vaccines are introduced. In the meantime, self-vaccinated people need to think of themselves as potential spreaders.

Will it hurt What are the side effects?

The vaccine against Pfizer and BioNTech, like other typical vaccines, is delivered as a shot in the arm. The injection is no different from the ones you received before. Tens of thousands of people have already received the vaccines, and none of them have reported serious health problems. However, some of them have experienced short-lived symptoms, including pain and flu-like symptoms that usually last a day. It is possible that people will have to plan to take a day off or go to school after the second shot. While these experiences are not pleasant, they are a good sign: they are the result of your own immune system’s encounter with the vaccine and a strong response that ensures lasting immunity.

Will mRNA vaccines change my genes?

No. Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use a genetic molecule to boost the immune system. This molecule, known as mRNA, is eventually destroyed by the body. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that can fuse with a cell, allowing the molecule to slide inside. The cell uses the mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus that can stimulate the immune system. At any given moment, each of our cells can contain hundreds of thousands of mRNA molecules that they produce to make their own proteins. As soon as these proteins are made, our cells use special enzymes to break down the mRNA. The mRNA molecules that our cells make can only survive a few minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is engineered to withstand the cell’s enzymes a little longer, so the cells can make extra viral proteins and trigger a stronger immune response. However, the mRNA can hold for a few days at most before it is destroyed.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California has been closed to guests since March. in December they loaned one of their ultra-cold freezers to a hospital in nearby Salinas; The special freezer can maintain temperatures of minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit, which is necessary for the safe storage of some coronavirus vaccines.

During the first few weeks of the pandemic, the State Fair of West Virginia signed an agreement with the Greenbrier County Health Department that promised the use of their facilities for testing, vaccinations, and possibly even a hospital for emergencies. The site, which was closed in 2020, has since been the location for three free drive-through testing clinics and is currently operated as a vaccination center for residents.

Many of Orange County’s residents who receive their vaccination puffs at Disneyland will have coronavirus tests done at the Anaheim Convention Center, which, like convention centers across the country, stalled in March. Jay Burress, President and CEO of Visit Anaheim, estimates the freeze cost the city $ 1.9 billion in lost revenue. He responded by donating unused supplies to local nonprofits. In July, the parking lot of the congress center was converted into a mass test area.

“How do we safely open again? That was our goal all along, ”said Mr. Burress. “Marketing our goal, either as a vacation destination or as a conference destination when hotels aren’t even open for vacation travel, is turning your wheels.”

Sharon Decker is President of the Tryon Resort, North Carolina, which includes 250 rooms and an equestrian center, plus a 300,000 square foot indoor arena on 1,600 acres at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She wasn’t surprised in October when officials from Polk County, NC asked if she would be willing to donate this arena as a vaccination site, even though she knew doing so would pose logistical challenges. The site opened in mid-December.

“We have established a real partnership with public health officials,” she said. “It had to be a real public-private partnership to make this happen. But if you have common goals for a healthy economy and healthy businesses, this is the way to find out. “