NEW YORK, 7:11 AM, SAT JUL 19 | 18 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@consumerist.com | RSS
Posts Tagged “

Disney

sales

Morning Deals

Highlights From Dealhack


Pixar's new movie Wall-E is about (SPOILER ALERT) a crass consumer culture that eventually ruins the planet by completely covering it with pointless garbage. Humanity, unable to consume itself out of an environmental crisis, moves to space, where it endlessly vacations on giant cruise-ship like habitats. The planet is governed by a huge Walmart-esque mega-store called "Buy ‘N Large." In order to celebrate this anti-consumption message, Disney has apparently been giving out cheap plastic watches, and has launched a "Buy 'N Large" website where you can buy movie merchandise. [Slog]

google

The 10 Most Reputable Companies In The U.S.

The Research Institute has compiled a list of the most reputable companies in the U.S., "calculated by averaging perceptions of trust, esteem, admiration, and good feeling obtained from a representative sample of 100 local respondents who were familiar with the company." (Then they do some statistical stuff to it.) Coming in at #1 is Google, which we think is remarkable considering how much data the company has managed to collect over the past several years, and continues to collect with new record-keeping initiatives like Google Health. More »

creepy

Fun With Warning Labels: Beware The Mickey Mouse Cancer Lamp

Reader Mike directs our attention to the above lamp. The warning label reads: More »

whoops

Disney Upset About Risque Hannah Montana Pics, Underaged Girls On Their Billboards In China

So Disney is all upset over some slightly saucy photographs of 15-year-old Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus, but it seems in their haste to toss out accusations (Disney spokeswoman Patti McTeague told the New York Times that "a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines"), the company neglected to consider the appropriateness of using obviously under-aged girls on their underwear billboards in China. More »

rebates

Who To Contact About Your Missing 5 Free BluRay Discs

If you're still wondering where your 5 Free BluRay Discs are, here is the mailing address to send copies of your forms to (not Buena Vista Home Entertainment, as previously reported)

Summer Blu-ray Offer (postmarked by 10/31/07)
P.O. BOX 410338
El Paso, TX 88541-0338

Holiday Blu-ray Offer (postmarked by 2/28/08)
P.O. BOX 410260
El Paso, TX 88541-0260


rebates

Disney's Five Free Blu-Ray Disc Promotion Is Broken

A lot of you have written in about problems with the Five Free Blu-Ray Discs promotion that was available here. The deal was supposed to be, buy a certain Blu-Ray disc player, mail in the coupon and proof of purchase postmarked by February 29, receive five free Blu-Ray movies. Many of you haven't received your movies. What happened? More »

above and beyond

Disney Employees Dig Through Trash To Find Couple's Lost Wedding Rings

While on vacation at Walt Disney World, Paul and Karen (well actually just Paul) accidentally threw out their "engagement, wedding and five-year-anniversary rings." The hotel staff told them it would be virtually impossible to reclaim them, but after the family left, the staff realized the trash hadn't been compacted yet—so they dug through "bag after bag" of trash until they found the rings.
More »

vacations

American Airlines Refuses To Accept American Airlines Credit Card

American Airlines told Justin that they could not accept his American Airlines credit card due to a bug in their spiffy new booking system. Justin wanted to charge a trip to Disney World on the card, which unlike standard credit cards, is supposed to work exclusively for purchasing tickets with American Airlines. More »

lead contamination

Over 17 Million Items Recalled For Lead Contamination In 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen... Boys and Girls... The final tally for lead recalls is in. More »

disney

Obesity: We're Too Big For Disneyland's "It's A Small World"

Back in 1963, when the boats that carry customers through Disneyland's "It's a Small World" ride were designed, the average male weighed 175lbs and the average female 135lbs. More »

disney

Winne-The-Pooh Playsets Are Contaminated With Lead, Not Honey

Winnie-the-Pooh is the latest character to fall victim to the lead toy contamination epidemic, according to the CPSC, which recalled the playsets yesterday. More »

dumb babies, redux

Do Baby Einstein Products Make Your Child Stupid? Well, The Lead Tainted Blocks Don't Help

Back in August, the University of Washington issued a press release about a study in the Journal of Pediatrics that examined the effect that baby videos (such as the Disney "Baby Einstein" series) had on young children. More »

and then there were fewer

Disney To Discontinue Cellphone Service

Disney, like ESPN before it, has had enough of the "hypercompetative" cellphone market and is bowing out. More »

travel

United Airlines Hires Customer Service Specialist From Disney

The San Francisco Chronicle has an interesting article about the strategies that the big US carriers are taking to restore their tarnished (or completely obliterated, depending on how recently you've had to fly somewhere) reputation for customer service. More »

dumb babies, redux

University Of Washington Stands Up To Disney, Will Not Retract "Baby Einstein" Press Release

In response to a letter from the CEO of Disney, University of Washington president Mark A. Emmert has written his own letter. In it, he stands by the press release issued by the university's media team, saying that it "reflects the essential points made in the research publication." He also reiterates the study's findings:
"The authors found a large and statistically significant reduction in vocabulary among infants age 8 to 16 months who viewed baby DVDs or videos, compared to those who did not view them. They also concluded that more research is needed to determine the reasons for this statistical association."
More »

take it back

Walt Disney Demands Retraction From University of Washington Over Baby Einstein Video Press Release

The Walt Disney Company has issued a press release demanding a retraction from the University of Washington over their "misleading" press release that prompted several news articles about Disney's Baby Einstein videos. Attached to the press release was the following letter to Mark A. Emmert, the president of the University of Washington from Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney. Let's watch! More »

dumb babies

"Baby Einstein" Videos Probably Don't Work, Might Even Hurt

A new study quoted by the LA Times says that the popular "Baby Einstein" videos don't work—and may even stunt your child's vocabulary. More »