Volume 2, No. 20. October 25, 2002
Pins
and needings
What is arguably
one of the most famous loading stations in all of the amusement industry has
become the focal point for a cult-like faction of patrons during the Halloween-cum-Christmas
season.
For the second straight year, Disneyland in Anaheim, California, has made over
its vaunted Haunted Mansion into a Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before
Christmas-themed presentation. This year’s version features an added
treat—actually, 13 treats: a mural of 13 gift packages piled high on the
wall across the tracks from the conveyor belt loading platform, where guests
clamber into the oversized chairs for their ride through the mansion.
These gifts are no mere addition to the nightmarishly festive decor. Every Sunday,
a package will open to reveal an item replicated in a special-edition Disney
collector’s pin, a pin which at the same time goes on sale at the nearby
Premiere Shop in Le Bat en Rouge.
Pins have a long tradition at Disney parks, but Jeannine O’Malley, manager
of regional market publicity for Disneyland Resort, said they have become particularly
hot commodities in the past nine months. This is the first time a pin production
and promotion has been tied to a specific ride, but it may not be the last.
Three weeks into its run (the last gift will open December 29), the “13
Weeks of 13 Treats” promotion has proved a hit for pin collectors, who
gather each week for that Sunday’s unveiling.
The promotion does not necessarily increase traffic to the park. “It’s
mostly directed at annual passholders because they come every week anyway, and
they tend to have the highest affinity for things Disney,” O’Malley
said. But the promotion does increase buzz. “Pin-trading people think it’s
cool,” she said. “People who love pins can’t get enough of them.”
That’s literally the case with the Haunted Mansion pins. With only
3,500 of each pin being produced, guests are allowed to purchase only two of
each pin per day, but if they buy all 13 they get a 14th pin free.
©2002, Minton Enterprises
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