Disney 2022: The Ears.

If there is one thing that most represents the global might of the Disney Empire, it is...The Ears.

The original Mickey Mouse ears were created as an accessory for Mickey Mouse Club cast members by Disney artist/writer and adult Mouseketeer Roy Williams in 1955, and quickly became a top-selling souvenir at Disney World in Florida following its 1971 opening.  

At the consumer level, the Mickey ears have been eclipsed by the Minnie headband. Originally just featuring Minnie’s iconic bow, the headband has since become an asexual branding platform, as likely to be worn by Disney Dad as Disney Mom.

The headband is a universal currency of franchise display, supporting every possible iconography: glamourized, astrocized, glitterized, robotized, Avengercized, Rebellionized, there is nothing that can't be attached to a headband in symbolic form.

Surprisingly, there's one place in Disneyland where you can't buy either the ears or the headband:  Galaxy's Edge - for the simple reason that Disney has decided to make Black Spire Outpost as close to an alien spaceport as possible, including restricting the kinds of merchandise that are up for sale.

The good news is, that means that we can hopefully avoid this scenario ever happening in Black Spire Outpost: 

It's one thing to have Kylo Ren stalking the streets, but I draw the line at Darth Goofy.

- Sid

Disney 2022: ...and the Bad Guys.

Rise of the Resistance - Kylo Ren will never force us to submit to the First Order!

- Sid

Disney 2022: The Good Guys...

Rise of the Resistance - captured by the First Order en route to Pacara!

- Sid

Disney 2022: Falling in Love.

And then we fell in love, okay?

Donald J. Trump

It's our first day in Disneyland, and I fall in love - well, a little bit in love, at least.

Disney has strategically placed a small sales kiosk just at the exit from Rise of the Resistance. It offers a limited selection of miscellaneous Star Wars merchandise: t-shirts, fans, toys, costumes, and flight helmets. 

When we leave the ride after our early morning Lightning Lane booking, we stop for a moment to take a look at what's available. Most of the flight helmets are child-sized versions of gear from the third trilogy, but for some reason Disney decided to offer an adult option as well - it's the Luke Skywalker X-Wing pilot's helmet from A New Hope.

I take one off the shelf.  It feels quite solid and well-made, and it's definitely sized for adults, not children - it's very much a fan purchase (or a cosplay accessory) rather than a toy.

I try on the helmet. It’s uncomfortable, it sits crookedly on my head, the padding isn’t well placed, the chin strap ends up someplace behind my head, and the visor pinches on one side of my nose.  It doesn’t matter - I fall in love with it.  For whatever reason, it fills a gap in my fanboy heart that I didn't even know existed, and I'm very tempted to buy it.

However, I don't want to make any rash decisions - entertaining though it would be to wear a Star Wars themed helmet around Black Spire Outpost, it would probably lose its appeal after an hour or so, and it's inconveniently large as a casual accessory, rather like carrying a motorcycle helmet around all day.  I also feel a need to compare the helmet's $79.99 USD price point to the cost of buying online, my impression is that items sold at Disneyland may be marked up somewhat in order to reflect the prestige of having purchased them in the park.

Back at the hotel that night, I do some research online, and it turns out that it's not as unreasonable a purchase as it could be.

The gold standard for Star Wars merchandise is Hasbro Toy's The Black Series, a line of Star Wars collectables with more detail and quality (and higher prices) than the standard play-grade toys. I'm confident that the helmet that I'm in love with isn't Black Series - that version lists on Amazon.com for $300 USD and $60 for shipping, or almost $500 Canadian at the current exchange rate.

However, I do find the Disneyland version* for sale on Amazon as well, cheerfully marked up to $144.97 USD - not to mention shipping to Canada for $46.  On that basis, eighty bucks doesn't seem at all out of the question.

The moment of decision comes the next day at the Star Wars Trading Post in Downtown Disney, the commercial shopping and dining adjunct to the park.  They stock a full storefront selection of Star Wars souvenirs and collectibles, and oddly, it’s the only spot I’ve seen the helmets other than the Rise of the Resistance kiosk.

I decide to make the leap and buy the helmet - what the hell, life is short, I won’t miss paying November’s rent if I do this, and everyone deserves a moment of whimsy now and then.

I’m fortunate enough to catch someone restocking the helmets: she isn’t allowed to leave one in the plastic bag it ships in, lord knows why, but at least I’m able to get a helmet that no one else has worn, which I view as a bit of a sign from God that I have permission to do this.

I also decide to get a toy grade light saber for $39.99 - my sense of whimsy doesn’t extend to the $249 build-it-yourself version from Savi’s Workshop at Galaxy's Edge, although I’m sure they’re very nice.  Maybe if we win the lottery, as people like to say when they have no intention of ever buying something.

We make a quick trip back to our hotel, drop off the helmet and light saber, and we're back to making Lightning Lane bookings in less than 30 minutes.

Finished for the day and back at the hotel again, I take some time to scrutinize my purchases.  The light saber has a three position switch: OFF, TRY ME and ON.  The TRY ME position only allows for ten seconds of activation, which I wish I noticed at the store, I couldn't figure out why some of them only worked for a short period of time and we tried several of them to find one that stayed on.

I take a closer look at the X-wing helmet, and to be honest, I suspect that the greater part of my purchase is exactly the same as the Black Series version.  There are some obvious minor differences between the Disneyland and the Black Series models: the Disneyland helmet has been given an repetitive and uninspired distressed finish compared to the more realistic feel of the Black Series helmet; the Black Series has LEDs inside the visor to simulate laser fire, which my purchase doesn't have; and it plays audio clips from either the Battle of Yavin or the Battle of Hoth, whereas mine only plays audio from Yavin. 

However, I suspect that the majority of the molding and casting is identical, as supported by the fact that my helmet actually has a three-position switch for the sound effects, it just plays the same clips regardless of which way you push the switch.  As such, I'm pleased with my new headgear, and have no regrets regarding the purchase.

The real challenge?  In two days, I have to see if I can successfully take a mid-sized light saber and a large Star Wars pilot's helmet through United States airport security and onto an airplane - how hard could that be?

 - Sid

* The listing I found literally said that it's the Disneyland version, they're not trying to convince anyone that it's the more expensive collectible.  I suppose if you lived in Anaheim and had an annual pass to the park, you could create a side hustle by buying park merch and marking it up for resale online.

Disney 2022: No Experience Necessary.

At the risk of oversimplifying the world, there are two types of kids: outgoing and enthusiastic versus timid and introverted. For our first Millennium Falcon flight at Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge, Karli and I were partnered up with one of each, to the detriment of both the Falcon and our reward money for the mission - which, to be fair, wasn't really their fault. 

Smugglers Run is unique compared to most rides in that the six seats provide different experiences.  The two front row seats are pilots, the two behind them are gunners, and the back row is for engineers.*  Each role requires specific actions on the part of the riders:  the engineers need to keep the ship working, gunners blast their way past barriers and shoot at other ships, and pilots do their best to avoid collisions and position the ship correctly for the mission to succeed.  Being a pilot provides the best view, and is arguably the most prestigious assignment.

With that on the table, unless you have the foresight of visiting Disneyland with five friends, you're going to have to do some quick negotiating with whoever you end up with about who does what.**  In our case, we were matched with a group of four:  two women and (presumably) their six or seven year old children:  Emma (Type 1, outgoing and enthusiastic) and Dylan (Type 2, timid and introverted).

Based on position in line, Karli and I would have both been pilots, but we'd both had the opportunity of conning the Falcon on our previous visit, and it seemed unfair to stop the kids from having a chance.  However, when we offered to let the two children pilot, Dylan vigourously shook his head and shrank back against his mother in terrified rejection of the prospect.  Emma was more eager, and Karli graciously gave up her pilot's seat to her, joining Dylan in the gunner's row and leaving the engineering role to the two women.

As we stood in line, Emma may have started to have some misgivings about her older masked co-pilot - Disney is still recommending masks for inside rides - and gave me a bit of a concerned look.  In response, I gave her a thumbs up, which seemed to reassure her.  She returned the gesture and confidently told her mother, "I got this!"

She was terrible. 

Yes, I know, what did I expect from an seven-year old?  Regardless of Emma's life experience to date that might have prepared her for a lightning raid on a First Order supply train - she may be an absolute master of Mario Kart, for example - it does point out one of the shortcomings of what is perhaps Disney's most interactive experience.

Emma may not have actually understood that her actions at the controls of the Falcon would have any effect on the events taking place in front of her, and that's not an odd assumption.  There are probably only a couple of rides at Disneyland that give the rider any kind of control over what's going on. You don't have to steer the Incredicoaster, or neck rein the horses on King Arthur's Carrousel.  On Toad's Wild Ride, Wild Riders can spin the little steering wheel on their car as much as they want, and it does not make one bit of difference - why would Emma expect that some lunatic would actually give her control over a 25 ton lightspeed capable Corellian freighter?   

As a result of Emma's indifference to the controls, we spent a lot of time running into walls and hitting things, in spite of Hondo Ohnaka's increasingly panicked and vehement instructions to the left hand pilot.  The resulting damage to the ship put us well in the hole when Hondo calculated our profits from the mission after we'd landed (and presumably made Chewbacca deeply regret his decision to lend us the Falcon).

After we'd exited the ship, Karli told me that Dylan was a terrible gunner, which could have been either due to performance anxiety or, again, simple lack of understanding as to what was expected of him - in this case, perhaps a bit of both.

However, the story does have a happy ending.  Karli and I did a follow-up mission two days later, with both of us piloting, and we flew beautifully together.  It is a wonderful thing for a science fiction fan to find out that he and his wife are meant to fly starships together.

- Sid

* Based on the first trilogy, there should probably be a row of seats for people who want to just sit there and kvetch.***

** Actually, even if you are there with five friends, there's probably going to be some debate.

*** Kvetch  (/kəˈveCH,kfeCH):  intransitive verb -  to complain habitually: gripe. From Yiddish kvetshn.

Disney 2022: Once Upon A Time.

It's our first day of our 2022 return to Disneyland, and we're off to a good start. A change in hotels from our previous trips has put us a quick 13 minute walk from the park entrance, and we join the usual entry lineup at 7:00 AM, well in advance of the 8:00 AM opening. Following the standard entry procedures (sad that it's necessary for the Happiest Place on Earth to have airport-grade security) we line up on Main Street USA and wait for the park itself to open.

Our three-day Parkhopper pass restricts us to the Disneyland Park until 1:00 PM, but that's not too much of a trial, there are lots of things to do: old favourites like Toad's Wild Ride, Snow White and Peter Pan's Flight, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, and of course Black Spire Outpost's immersive Star Wars experience, with the Rise of the Resistance and Smugglers Run.

There are some minor disappointments: Toon Town* is closed for "reimagining", as the Disney web site euphemistically describes it, and there are reports that the Indiana Jones ride is suffering from serious reliability issues, with refurbishment down time scheduled for November. However, there have also been some major changes since our last pre-COVID visit, and I'm eager to take a look at the new Avengers Campus, which replaced A Bug's Land in the California Adventure area of the park. 

We use the dwell time on Main Street to our advantage: using the Disneyland app, we pay the $25 USD Genie+ fee, which gives us full access to the Lightning Lane ride reservation system, and includes downloads of any photos taken of us by the Disney photographers scattered around the park.  The app is a necessity for navigating the park: it displays your schedule for the day, lets you purchase Genie+ and Lightning Lane passes along with food and merch, shows you an interactive map of all the park attractions along with wait times, and alerts you to upcoming Lightning Lane reservations and food order readiness - as well as storing your tickets for access to the parks.

Karli has a nostalgic affection for the Haunted Mansion, which has a Nightmare Before Christmas overlay for the course of the extended holiday season, and we're able to get an 8:05 time slot for entry, an excellent start to the day. We also reluctantly pay an additional $25 each for Lightning Lane access to the superb Rise of the Resistance experience in the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge section of the park at 9:25 - normally you can't double up for Lightning Lane reservations, but due to the additional fee, Rise of the Resistance is an exception to the rule.

Regardless of the cost, Genie+ proves its worth instantly: we're in and out of the Haunted Mansion almost immediately after the rope drops, and when our time slot opens up we literally walk into the start of Rise of the Resistance without ever stopping to admire the movie-set environment of Black Spire Outpost. 

Rise of the Resistance is just as much fun as we remember, although I discover that I've been ruined a bit by the interactive Doctor Who Time Fracture experience in London, I have a terrible desire to defiantly confront the Disney cast members who are playing the First Order troops.

We almost immediately roll over into Smugglers Run, where we crew the Millennium Falcon for a supply hijacking mission for the Resistance - and a bit of plunder for Hondo Ohnaka, the cheerfully corrupt owner of Ohnaka Transport. A quick snack, and we’re on to the first of three visits to Star Tours, where C-3PO and R2-D2 offer 54 different mishap-ridden 3-D tour adventures in the Star Wars universe, followed by some hazardous temple exploration with Indiana Jones.

By the end of the day, our feet are sore and we’ve walked over 18 kilometers, but we’ve done 11 different rides and experiences, enjoyed Dole Whip Floats and Mexican food, and generally gotten a great start on our trip. It’s good to be back.

- Sid

* As with the replacement of A Bug's Life with Avengers Campus, it's easy to look at Toon Town, which finds its origins in the 1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit movie, and think that it may well be time for a different theme.

And we still found love together.

I rarely just post things that I find online, but this is such an unusual example of a thread that crosses over between my interest in the Doctor Who franchise, and my wife's interest in the Bachelor franchise* - my thanks to everyone involved.

- Sid

* This is more significant than you might think. Given that my wife watches The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, The Bachelor in Paradise, Survivor, The Circle, Love Island, Temptation Island, and Too Hot to Handle, and I watch Andor, She-Hulk**, Discovery, Picard, The Rings of Power, Strange New Worlds, and Doctor Who, it's easy to describe our viewing habits as being the extremes of reality TV versus unreality TV (for want of a better term), and as such there's generally not a lot of connection.

** Okay, we both watch She-Hulk, because it's a Marvel superhero show/procedural legal dramedy.

If you can't beat them.

As time goes by and retirement creeps closer, I find myself wondering about downsizing - which, in my case, means editing down my library, a daunting prospect.  I fully admit if I didn't have so many books we could probably get away with a one bedroom apartment, although I'd still need a spot for my iMac.

But what's the most profitable way of going about this?  I realize that I could just donate them all to a charity of some sort, but to be honest, if possible I'd like to get back some of the money I've invested over the years - money also being a useful thing for retirement.

I know that used bookstores have to get their inventory from someplace, but I can't help but feel that they want to pay as little as possible for the privilege. As such, I'm not sure that's the best solution.  Hmmm...I wonder whether it would be feasible to set up a store online?  I know there are options like Abebooks, which I believe would charge me a minimum of $25 USD per month depending on how much stock was listed online, along with 8% of every transaction (minimum 50 cents) and associated service fees.

I finally realized that what I really want to do is set up a little book stall like the ones by the Seine in Paris*, just sit there with a mug of chocolat chaud and a suitable book from the stock to read while I keep an eye on the traffic and hope for some sales - how sad that there's nothing like that in Vancouver!

- Sid

Postscript:  A quick Google™ search revealed that a non-food street vending license in Vancouver costs almost a thousand dollars annually - plus liability insurance.   Suddenly $25 USD a month doesn't seem exorbitant.

* I've seen something similar in New York, come to think of it.

Disney 2022: Changes.

Next week will see Karli and I depart for our first visit to Disneyland since 2020, where our return from the park was just under the wire for the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.

It's a bit of a bold decision, given that COVID is still very much a thing - in fact, some of Karli's friends described the park as a coronavirus hot zone after a recent trip (as well as contracting the virus during their visit).

However, having both suffered through the COVID-19 experience at the start of July, and now buffered by a well-timed second booster shot, we decided that we were in good condition to renew our acquaintanceship with the happiest place on earth. Sadly, we weren't able to make reservations for a repeat visit to Oga's Cantina in Black Spire Outpost, but who knows, we may get lucky with the walk-in option.  Karli is also looking forward to the opportunity to see the park decorated for Hallowe'en - she's been a fan of the Haunted Mansion since her first childhood trip.

There have been some changes over the past couple of years.  The Rise of the Resistance ride is no longer a reservation experience, which may or may not be a good thing, and the Avengers Campus is now open on the California Adventure side of the park - complete, of course, with a Shawarma Palace. 

There have also been some procedural changes.  What used to be a free Fastpass ride reservation service has been renamed as the Lightning Lane, which is now an additional charge, a sad comment on the eternal process of squeezing a little more money out of customers. Lightning Pass reservations can also be purchased as part of the Genie+ service, which bundles a variety of options for park visitors, such as photos by the Disney photography team.

Guests to the park are now completely reliant on the Disney app to make reservations, order food, and purchase Lightning Lane passes, to the point where a portable charger battery is strongly recommended so as to avoid losing the ability to access the necessary services to make your time at the park proceed smoothly - if at all.

There's a small private joke in all of this.  I have the impression that my wife thinks she needs to convince me to go to Disneyland, which, to be fair, was somewhat the case the first time we went in 2017.  Now?  Now there's a large Star Wars area and the new Avengers Campus - if anything, I'm worried that I need to convince her.

- Sid