Character products for school supplies
August 11, 2008 by Sherry Osborne
Filed under Parenting
My oldest daughter is five years old, turning six in late September. She’s never seen Hannah Montana either on television or the movie. She wants to see it, but it’s not because I’m against it that she hasn’t gotten to do so, we just never seem to catch it since we don’t usually watch the Disney channel. I don’t think she’d have much interest in it though; I think it’s still pretty over her head at this point.
On the other hand, she does know what she looks like, so she can recognize her on posters and in fliers, and she loves the music. She listens to it pretty frequently. As a result, whether she sees the show or not, she’s still a Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus fan. She really wants some Hannah Montana stuff for school. Our school doesn’t do precise uniforms but we do have a dress code – she can wear navy blue pants, skirts, or tunics, with white shirts (polo, t-shirt, blouse, etc). Obviously she won’t be wearing any Hannah Montana clothing to school.
She is hoping, though, for at least a school bag, and possibly some shoes from the line. She’s mentioned lunch bags too but all the ones I’ve seen in the stores have been kind of awkward in size and shape, so probably not.
I know some parents really don’t like character products. Sometimes it’s because they don’t like the show itself (my husband would rather sit through a hundred chick flicks than buy anything related to “The Wiggles” for instance). Often it’s because they don’t agree with the mass marketing to kids.
While I agree the kid-based marketing can be pretty insane, I figure I still reserve the right to say no. If the Hannah Montana backpacks were drastically more expensive than, say, a plain pink one, then I’d refuse to buy it. However, the ones I’ve seen are the same price as regular bags, I don’t have anything in particular against Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, or Disney (though I do wish they’d stop killing off the mother in all their damn movies, I’m getting a complex), and I like Miley’s music. I don’t mind.
I’m not going to go overboard, mind you. My own personal concern with character products is that if your kid gets sick of it after awhile, then you’re stuck with a roomful of things they aren’t interested in anymore. I think that the interest in Hannah Montana will stick for awhile, so a simple bag and a pair of shoes that she’ll outgrow before the end of the year anyway will be okay. I’m not going to buy her an entire wardrobe and bedroom set in that motif, though.
I’m curious to know where you stand on the issue of character products – yes or no in your household? And why?
With something like a backpack or lunch box, I remember having character products and trust me, my mother is VERY practical!
My daughter is 6 and just started first grade and has a cute Tinkerbelle backpack we got last spring on clearance. My only stipulation was that she HAD to carry it for first grade. She’s also just now really getting into the Hannah Montana craze. With toys, I try to mix more traditional non-character based things. If you have too many character toys, they are just too trendy and your kids quickly outgrow them. Same with bedding. Maybe a Hannah Montana throw pillow tossed in with a solid comforter, rather than a full theme bedding set.